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epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:16 pm
by bshrestha01
Hi all,

I am about to engage in glass/aluminum bedding for my rifle. This is the first time I am trying so I am going for my "cheapest" rifle.

So, for a test, I will be using the dunlop 2 part epoxy: http://www.bunnings.com.au/dunlop-254ml ... -_p0960295

Now my concern is the releasing agent for the action and the barrel. What will work?

TIA

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 12:51 pm
by ratshot
clear nugget shoe polish as a release agent. do your self a favour and get an Arma-grout kit from NSWRA or LGS or from the bloke that makes the stuff John Skinner 0407510503

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 5:08 pm
by John23
Kiwi boot polish is my go too release agent. I have never had any hassles using it.

As for the epoxy......
I would not put that product you selected anywhere near my rifle. And the reason is the claim of being harder than concreit in 2 hours!!!

When bedding the last thing you want to do is be under pressure and panic.
And the simplest solution is using a epoxy that has a long workable time.

I use Devcon "home" epoxy, It is a simple 1:1 mix and has a 1 hour work time.
It may appear runny but from my experience using it I find it makes very little mess and is easy to use.
It comes in small tubes and cost about $20 (two bedding jobs out of that)

My other tip is to be patient when letting it dry. Give it the good 24 hours and dont be tempted to have a sticky beak.


When its time to take the stock off :

Most stocks I have done simply come off with a tap tap with your hand.
The others that have been a little more tricky I find holding the stock and bringing the barrel down parallel onto a wooden bench and a mild thump dose the trick.

Bedding is easy. Just plan it out.
Have all the bits you need like Rags, cotton buds, a bin ect ect before you start and you will be fine.

OHH
One last tip

Know your epoxy!
make a little test batch and understand what it dose.



JH ;)

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 5:51 pm
by KHGS
John23 wrote:Kiwi boot polish is my go too release agent. I have never had any hassles using it.

As for the epoxy......
I would not put that product you selected anywhere near my rifle. And the reason is the claim of being harder than concreit in 2 hours!!!

When bedding the last thing you want to do is be under pressure and panic.
And the simplest solution is using a epoxy that has a long workable time.

I use Devcon "home" epoxy, It is a simple 1:1 mix and has a 1 hour work time.
It may appear runny but from my experience using it I find it makes very little mess and is easy to use.
It comes in small tubes and cost about $20 (two bedding jobs out of that)

My other tip is to be patient when letting it dry. Give it the good 24 hours and dont be tempted to have a sticky beak.


When its time to take the stock off :

Most stocks I have done simply come off with a tap tap with your hand.
The others that have been a little more tricky I find holding the stock and bringing the barrel down parallel onto a wooden bench and a mild thump dose the trick.

Bedding is easy. Just plan it out.
Have all the bits you need like Rags, cotton buds, a bin ect ect before you start and you will be fine.

OHH
One last tip

Know your epoxy!
make a little test batch and understand what it dose.


JH ;)


Can I suggest that you do not remove your barrelled action by striking the barrel on a flat surface. You will get a hard one to separate one day & the inertia can & will snap the stock at the pistol grip. It is safer to turn the rifle upside down,rest the butt on your knee while sitting, hold the forend with your free hand & strike the barrel just forward of the forend with a rubber mallet.
Keith H.

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 6:09 pm
by John23
I don't go bashing it to death but point taken on the inertia effect.
Finger crossed I never experience a stubborn one.

I have been told freezing a stuck one dose the trick although you need to find a freezer big enough.....




JH

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 7:42 pm
by bshrestha01
Thanks for all your feedback.

So, shoe-polish is the universal answer to the releasing agent.

Arma-grout or Devcon for epoxy? I will get the Devcon, only because it is cheaper, to try out in some of the cracks in my wall at home. It should give me an idea of what it is like before I actually use it. But Arma-grout seems to be made specifically for rifle bedding purposes. So still a question mark for me.

John23 wrote:As for the epoxy......
I would not put that product you selected anywhere near my rifle. And the reason is the claim of being harder than concreit in 2 hours!!!

When bedding the last thing you want to do is be under pressure and panic.
And the simplest solution is using a epoxy that has a long workable time.


That makes very good sense, specially me being a first timer.

Keith, cheap or not, I would never go bashing a firearm in any manner. Safety first, even if it is unloaded.

Thanks gentlemen for directing me to the right direction.

I have watched some youtube videos and read about it. Now to actually try it out. It will be a couple of weeks until I will be able do it so if anybody else has more advice, it will be very helpful.

I also hope this helps anybody else who want to try it out themselves for the first time.

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:03 pm
by Tim L
I would be rather weary of a building site bonding agent. There may not BE a releasing agent!

It's designed to stick just about anything to just about anything in a crappy, dirty environment. "Assuming" a wax or oil base compound is going to create a barrier could well be a mistake. Some bonding agents are designed to cut through oil. Quicksteel is an epoxy putty that sticks to oily surfaces. These products are out there.

Have a read of the instructions. If it doesn't say surfaces must be free of oil and grease then put it back on the shelf.

I use Devcon and kiwi. It's a known entity and it does the job.

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:26 pm
by bshrestha01
By the way, is this the right Devcon epoxy?

http://au.element14.com/devcon/14260/de ... dp/1711512

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 8:57 pm
by Tim L
I've only ever used the steel putty 10110. I can't speak for the other options.

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 9:24 pm
by trxdick
There is a good step by step guide to bedding on the webpage link below. I followed it and had success on my first attempt. They recommend to use Devcon 10110 “Plastic Steel® Putty”, it's pricy but does the job well:

http://www.accurateshooter.com/technica ... r-bedding/

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Wed Mar 11, 2015 7:04 am
by KHGS
bshrestha01 wrote:Thanks for all your feedback.

So, shoe-polish is the universal answer to the releasing agent.

Arma-grout or Devcon for epoxy? I will get the Devcon, only because it is cheaper, to try out in some of the cracks in my wall at home. It should give me an idea of what it is like before I actually use it. But Arma-grout seems to be made specifically for rifle bedding purposes. So still a question mark for me.

John23 wrote:As for the epoxy......
I would not put that product you selected anywhere near my rifle. And the reason is the claim of being harder than concreit in 2 hours!!!

When bedding the last thing you want to do is be under pressure and panic.
And the simplest solution is using a epoxy that has a long workable time.


That makes very good sense, specially me being a first timer.

Keith, cheap or not, I would never go bashing a firearm in any manner. Safety first, even if it is unloaded.

Thanks gentlemen for directing me to the right direction.

I have watched some youtube videos and read about it. Now to actually try it out. It will be a couple of weeks until I will be able do it so if anybody else has more advice, it will be very helpful.

I also hope this helps anybody else who want to try it out themselves for the first time.


Armagrout is a very good product as is Devcon. Devcon has a shorter shelf life & is often close to use by date when purchased. Armagrout has a better shelf life & is my preferred product. I use silicone wax floor polish as a release agent.
Keith H.

Re: epoxy bedding

Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:53 pm
by RAVEN
Kiwi boot polish
Floor polish
Silicone spray
All work well
Devcon (make sure you mix part A well as all the steel sits at the bottom then mix part B)
Arma-grout gives great results colour can be added to match stock colour

Make sure you get the release coating in all the screw holes
Remove or tape up the trigger

Get a set of long take down screws with no head to locate metal work in bedding only not to take down
I test my bedding work by placing a magnetic dial indicator on the barrel and the dial pin on the stock forend tensioning and undoing the action screws to see if there is any stress if done correctly
The dial should hardy move
RB