I've done a bunch of pads, but still have trouble getting the X cuts for the screws perfectly neat so the cuts are as invisible as possible. I use an Exacto knife carefully and I bet 1/3 of my X's end up slighty muffed; either sawed or dinged. The perfect ones are clean X's that close up tight.

Is there a method or tool that will help with fewer muffed cuts?

Yeti,

I prefer a single vertical slice, and not too skimpy, maybe 3/8"...no longer use the "X" which leaves fragile little points that tear out. IME, the slice is invisible and much more durable, especially if I remember to use a large dollop of vaseline or light silicon grease on the screw as well as the driver.

I insert the screw tip from the underside to give me the location, then pierce it with a very sharp Xacto knife.

I agree with Mike but I used a dowel rod to push thru the pad instead of screw.

I do as Mike an Ken, single vertical slice, vaseline on the No. 11 Eggzacto blade and some on the pad, 3/8" ish long, grease up the screw threads liberally before inserting with a phillips screwdriver. Virtually invisible.

The trick that has worked best for me is to use Snowseal.

I push the screws in from the backside point first, push the pad down on the bench with the heads of the screws heads on the bench.

You will see the tips trying to push through, take the point of a sharp knife, push the screw the other way back out, do the same to both.

Take a round shank screwdriver coat it with snow seal, coat the screws a second time and run in till the heads poke through the back side of the pad.

Place it on the butt end of the stock to get it aligned, Tap with a lite weight the head of each screw.

You now have your marks to drill. Using a #31 drill bit, drill both holes.

Get another screw the same size as the one in the pad. Run it in to both holes to pre-tapp.

Clean the butt face with 91% Alcohol and the face of the pad. Put two spots of glue (top and bottom). Now run in the pad screws.

While you wait for the glue to set, mask the stock with three layers of one inch masking tape. When you are done, you are ready to sand, and get dirty.

Thanks again, guys.
Adding a pad is not a big deal. But, for 20 years I've been making an X cut and the broken "fragile little points" were often marring otherwise decent work. The single cut is the now obvious answer.
An extra inch for my buttplated NID, now to 15 1/8" and ready to shoot. Pad needs final polish and aging.

Yeti,

niiiiice. Where did the pad come from?

What are you doing for aging?

al

Mike,
It's from Galazan and has good rubber that grinds nicely. I saw your hen's tooth for sale. Nice, I didn't think it would take too long...

APS,
Take it off the stock and soak in black coffee for half an hour. Wash and dry, repeat for color. Then oxidize the rubber - get that hard skin going - by leaving it out in the sun for a week of bright days. A high voltage UV light will do it too. I doubt I have the testes to perform Ortolan's rapid oxidation method, pour lighter fluid on it and light her up for a couple of secs.

My question for you is: who told you to make "X" cuts? I've installed scores of pads, from all the major makers and have never seen instructions that said to make anything but a single cut. My experience includes reading quite a few articles about installing pads.

Jim,
The sergeant in the upper left is responsible for my gun-nuttiness, the X's, and the whole shootin match

Yeti, nice work.

Jeff

Sure wouldn't question the word of anyone who looked like that! Where and under what circumstances was that interesting(I'm serious now) group picture taken?

Jim,
Lake Tikchik, Alaska, 1953ish, US Army Engineering Battalion Survey team

Dad enlisted in 1952 after graduating Univ of Missouri with a Mech E degree, hoping to be an infantryman and hero like the hometown guys in WWII. Big Green had different plans for him, instead he'd lead survey teams in Alaska that culminated in the 1954 USGS Maps. The US didn't have maps good enough for warfighting in Alaska, which was very close the bad guys. That hand painted sign says Lake Tikchik Lodge, population: 9 EM. The asians in the picture were nissei japanese.

They'd spend 5 months a year in the boonies surveying, with darn little contact with the outside besides the resupply drops. Dress code went out the window quickly, notice the white bucks below.

I believe it was one of the greatest times of Dad's life. He was in two helo crashes, one after a giant condor attacked the little Bell they were in, and another in the fog. Encounters with all kinds of wildlife and amusing stories about typical Army SNAFUs; They needed toilet paper, and instead got a pallet: half .22 ammo and half dried prunes. Dad had just bought Mr. Ruger's neat little .22 pistol and could make alcohol from just about anything. They wiped with whatever.

Dad was a great engineer, a dedicated milsurp gun collector, and a decent home gunsmith for the time. He traveled the world designing drill rigs for Ingersoll Rand, Sullair and Tamrock. He was an excellent story teller and had some fine tales to tell. I think you'd have liked him.

Looks like a Colt to me.

I'm sure I would have too. What interesting times they must have had. Thank you for sharing the pictures with us.

Much easier way is to sand the hole. Push a drill backwards, the drill is backwards not just the pad, thru the pad hole until the base of the drill makes a nice stretched hump. Some 400grit on a flat backup will sand thru the thin rubber way easy and you are left with a near invisible hole that will easy stretch enough for a screw. I use a little silicone spray to lube the screw.
Quick, easy, and works on any pad I've everused.

WtS