Glass bedding materials

[jims]

I have glass bedded with AccuGel many times. I was already to do so today when I discovered I am out of the same. I could order some but many of you have used other materials you have also liked. I admit I never paid too much attention because I just used what I had on hand, AccuGel.
Anyway, I thought I heard MarineTex and other products were good. Please tell me what you recommend and where it can be purchased. I have a WalMart and Ace Hardware shop in town. A couple of caveats, I like to mix powdered aluminum or powdered steel with the mix, will it work with what you are suggesting and the gun had some type of glass work done before. Most of it is now gone but do the different types bond well together. I do not know what was there, it seems more plastic and a bit more "flexible" than the gel I have used.
Also I have the blue liquid release agent left, I do not see any problem using that but I have paste wax also.
Thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated. I know some of this was on the old board but I had some specific questions and concerns here so I posted. Thanks

[rexxer]

Jim- I used Devcon 10110 on my muzzleloader! This already contains powdered metal. Its pretty thick and does a really nice job. I didn't have air bubbles and probably had 45-60 minute work time. Down fall is its kinda pricey! Lot of pros use it.

I used kwiki shoe polish in the natual color and worked real well.

[jims]

Rexxer: Where is such a product purchased? I would like to do the bedding tomorrow but I may have to wait. There is no rush but I have tomorrow off.

[rexxer]

Jim I ordered mine over the internet. I don't think you could go to any chain store and buy it. Richard and rb uses something different I think. I bet you hear from them shortly.

I used plummers putty for my dams.

[Deleted]

I use accraglass, matter of fact I just came inside from bedding the ramrod tube in the stock, as far as something you could pick up at the hardware store, some use marinetex and some, devcon.I cant speak from experience because accraglass is it for me. someone will chime in and give pointers on each Im sure.......Bill

[johnc]

A lot of people use Marine-tex (gray color). It can be purchased at boating or marine supply stores. If you use it be sure to mix the proper proportions. I believe they are 5 parts resin to 1 part catalyst. I used 50/50 one time by mistake ;D That was a mess.

john

[dannoboone]

Here's a real good article in which this pro uses Devcon:
www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

Even though the 10MLII already has pillars installed, I got a lot of good pointers from this guy.
(I'll never again use plumbers putty for damming, though.....it's too soft.) He also uses the
non-colored Kiwi as a release agent.

[dannoboone]

Mar 14, 2009 20:44:44 GMT -5 @hillbill said:

I use accraglass, matter of fact I just came inside from bedding the ramrod tube in the stock.......Bill

Not to hi-jack this thread, but I for one would certainly like to see
a couple of photos showing just how you bedded that tube and
what kind of tube you used??

[rossman40]

Devcon is a stocking item at most W.W. Graingers. I use the aluminum putty and the smallest size is one pound which is enough for at least 4 bedding jobs. I bought a pound for like $48 a couple of years ago, now it is like $63.

You have to watch using the steel powder, it will rust and I have just seen one bedding job where the guy went overboard with it and then didn't pull the action out of the stock after a week of wet hunting, a year later the rust actually started pushing the action up and ate the bottom of a 700 action up. That is another reason to use the aluminum putty.

Marinetex you will sometimes find at Ace hardware and most boat places will carry it. You want the gray and it comes in a 2oz package and a larger package that is just shy of a pound. It is also expensive, $13-15 for a 2oz kit and 2oz might be a bit short for a bedding job depending on how much you have to fill.

Kiwi shoe polish is still my favorite, a mistake a lot of guys make is to really pile on the release agent, you want a thin coat. I'll rub on one coat and let it dry and then rub on another.

[jims]

I just happen to have some PC-7 epoxy paste. It says it does not shrink, fixes leaks, plumbing etc. I have never used it, has anyone and what consistency is it. Comments.

[rexxer]

Mar 14, 2009 22:07:11 GMT -5 dannoboone said:

Here's a real good article in which this pro uses Devcon:
www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

Even though the 10MLII already has pillars installed, I got a lot of good pointers from this guy.
(I'll never again use plumbers putty for damming, though.....it's too soft.) He also uses the
non-colored Kiwi as a release agent.

Hi Dan
Thats who I copied when I bedded my Savage. He's the one that recommended plummers putty. It does seem a little light but I had no problems.

[mshm99]

A very thin coat of RTV( room temperature vulcanizing) silcone rubber, available just about every where, make a great release compound. Apply a very thin coat. It also works well sealing holes and making dams, and easy to remove.

mshm

[screwbolts]

Here is a link for Devcon 10110 for $43.61 SHIPPED

www.drillspot.com/products/317851/Devcon_10110_Steel_Putty


Ken

[screwbolts]

And here is a link to Devcon 10610 Rossmans Favorite, $63.13 Shippped!!

www.drillspot.com/products/341388/Devcon_10610_Aluminum_Putty

you know like $63 is very accurate :-)

Ken

[petev]

I mail ordered Marine Tex from Jamesway about a year ago. Not sure if they're still in business.

[Deleted]

dannoboone, I used a brass tube purchased at the local hardware store that fits my solid alum ramrod tightly, dont remember the exact size but

[Deleted]

I will start a new thread with some pictures, hit the wrong key.....bill

[rossman40]

From the spec sheets it looks like the Devcon aluminum putty is twice as strong as the PC-7. The main thing is compressive strength and hardness. Do not let the hardness number fool you, it is like the Richter scale for measuring earthquakes, the difference between 76 and 85 is like 20%.

Mshm, like I said earlier you want the release agent coat to be thin as possible. I was taught if you can see it then it is too thick.

[cumminscowboy]

what purpose does adding metal to the bedding epoxy do?? its not like its gonna make it any stiffer.

[Deleted]

it makes it more dense and harder with less shrinkage.....Bill

[cumminscowboy]

hasn't the stuff from brownells been working just fine for years with no metal in it??

[rexxer]

Depends on who you ask! What is the life of a bedding job?

[lwh723]

Mar 15, 2009 10:47:13 GMT -5 screwbolts said:

And here is a link to Devcon 10610 Rossmans Favorite, $63.13 Shippped!!

www.drillspot.com/products/341388/Devcon_10610_Aluminum_Putty

you know like $63 is very accurate :-)

Ken

Not sure what they want for shipping, but this stuff is $50.23 through McMaster Carr.

[rossman40]

With the old Acraglas mixing was critical. Too much hardener and it would be brittle, crumble or cyrstalize over time (some call it "sugaring"). Not enough and it would be rubbery. Even at the right mix ratio it would be a tad brittle and then you had shrinkage. Some smiths would even bed twice, bed it once and then grind out maybe a 1/8" and bed again specially if you had thick areas. Acraglas gel is a improved product with easier mixing and thicker consistency. Brownell's has even came out with Steelbed to compete with Devcon.

There are a bunch of products out there which would work with a .22 or even a .308 but you have to remember the recoil level we are dealing with in the case of the 10ML. The Acraglas products are nylon based and trying to find the actual specs are impossible. Some companies are quick to throw out numbers but Devcon is a Mil-spec product and not only list the physical properties but will tell you the ASTM test used to determine the data. Everybody wants to talk compression and flexural strength, hardness and shrinkage which are all important but another problem with bedding material that could bite you would be thermal expansion, how much does the product shrink or expand with changes in temperature?

The smith I learned the most from used only Devcon, Marinetex or a product called Bisonite. Bisonite was a early favorite of military armorers but has a problem of soaking up oils unlike the newer products. There are a lot of good products (or at least the manufacturer says they are) like Microbed (I think Henry uses Microbed) , Probed 2000 and some of the off the wall stuff like JB Weld (can't you fix anything with JB weld), Metalset A4 and guys that even use good'ol Bondo from the corner auto parts store. If I had the bucks I would use Devcon titanium putty but I feel comfortable using the aluminum.

A small trick I picked up on is that when your finished do not throw away all the excess bedding material. Take some and mold it into a 1/4" thick piece, this will be your QC tester. You will be able to tell when it is set and after a week you can actually see how hard your bedding is or more importantly, if you had a senior moment when mixing.

[lwh723]

FYI, the Aluminum Based Devcon was $56 shipped through Mcmaster Carr.

[rexxer]

rossman quote-You have to watch using the steel powder, it will rust and I have just seen one bedding job where the guy went overboard with it and then didn't pull the action out of the stock after a week of wet hunting, a year later the rust actually started pushing the action up and ate the bottom of a 700 action up. That is another reason to use the aluminum putty.

Many people use the 10110 steel for bedding. I'm guessing the man with the rusting action was cause by the bedding being able to hold water and not due to rusting itself. The 10110 is resistent to water, oils ,and gasoline. I have a cured piece of10110 sitting in a bucket of water and seen no signs of any rust. If I do find rust in the next few weeks I will post back! Rex

[rossman40]

I have never seen Devcon steel rust but have heard of guys that added the powdered metal having it rust just a bit, mainly a light surface rust. When we seen the one rust we had a "WTF happened" moment and after the one guy talked to him basicly what happened was he mixed almost a whole packet of powdered steel to just 4oz of Acraglas gel probly getting at least a 2:1 ratio and then probly worked it in after it set a bit. Once it started rusting it became a moisture magnet and spread thru the matrix. One of those things where more isn't always better.

[jims]

I have mixed Brownell's powdered aluminum with AccuGel. One has to be careful or it gets too stiff if too much is added. l never used the steel powder (although I have some metallic powder that is attracted to a magnet) as I thought if I ever had to remove the bedding how much more difficult would it be if it had steel in it versus aluminum. I felt the aluminum would be enough and it left a nice grey color.

[chuck41]

I used J-B "Industro Weld". One 10 oz package (use equal parts from two 5 oz tubes) was more than enough to do my Savage with enough left over to probably do another. Total cost - about $12 bucks.

Worked great for me. Used modeling clay for a dam and Johnson's paste wax for release agent. Easy to work with, available at most any hardware parts store or etc, works great and its cheap. Hard combination to beat! Suggested to be by Ozark I think.

[rbinar]

I seldom depart from the materials shown in this image.

JB weld is tough, shrinks very little, and can be bought at Walmart for about $5. The Brownell's accu-spray release agent is a real convenience and prevents a lot of time loss painting release agent.

The colored clay, and masking tape are anywhere you find them.