You could also fix the original stock enough to send out and have duplicated, which could get you experience on both fronts.
My stock was not split but despite this it spread after drying from repeated acetone soaks.
so i repaired it with some epoxy and more wood and a stainless staple. I intended to write an after action report about it so here goes.
I didnt find the "quart jar of acetone" method useful at all, the soluble oil wicked up the stock and left and ugly line at the surface of the jar. Perhaps this would sand out but I switched to full immersion/
I used a combination of west systems 105/ resin and west systems Gflex which is alleged to be able to bond across blush for secondary glue ups. The g flex is pretty thick and i used that as a bedding material, its worth noting that it thins out some as it cures due to the heat created by the chemical process so plan your bedding and release agent accordingly. You can mix the two types of west system to blend characteristics and use fillers too.
Mineral oil on the metal as a release agent
I also cant say enough about the utility of surgical tubing for clamping on the stock head and wrist. Got it from mcmaster carr/
Also from Mcmaster were some handy glue applicators and syringes which proved less useful. The epoxy wouldnt flow through the needle even when the pot was new and any reapplications later before cure, forget it. So I ended up using some no 3 round artist paintbrushes to apply epoxy and found you can drip it into a pretty fine crack without making a mess. capillary action plus flexing the joint will do most of the work and you can clean the brush with acetone for the next glue up. I took it in many stages using the primary or secondary epoxy as needed.
If you wet out the surfaces when the pot is new you can add thicker glue later in the pot either on top to replace sag or as a bedding right before assembly.
Thats pretty much the feedback. Many of the methods I read about here or on the lc smith website. Lots of good info and very grateful to learn from those who have tried these things before.
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