bedding release problem

M

MeekAndMild

New member
Well, my fiberglass replacement stock has arrived. The only trouble is that it is inletted a tiny bit loose. In the original wooden stock there had been epoxy bedding in the area around the recoil lug but obviously the new stock doesn't have this yet.

I now need to bed the recoil lug, so the stock will be tight but what material is used to coat the steel so the epoxy isn't just glued to the stock?

Paste wax? Saddle soap? Grease? Teflon spray? Commercial rubber mold release spray? Spit?

:rolleyes:
 
Silicone

It works BUT if you have any milling marks on the lug or the lug isn't parallel or has negative draft, it will bind.

Check for the latter with a micrometer.

If you have milling marks, its better to use something like dry moly as it fills these impressions yet allows for a good bedding. Silicone release agent will give the highest quality job but only on receiver bottoms.
 
This novice would use the teflon spray. I have some liquid PFTE mold release that works well - isn't PFTE same as teflon, just not a trade mark?
 
I've had such good luck with Johnson's Paste Floor Wax, that that's all I've used for years. Next time out I'm going to try car wax.
I apply a thick coat of wax with a brush, and allow it to dry. DON'T wipe it off. Then bed it.
 
Most kits do include a release agent, if you buy the kits. I like to buy my bedding compound in bulk - a gallon at a time. They don't include release agents then.

Dfariswheel, try Turtle brand car wax - I've had good luck with it. Any of the carwaxes that contain real carnuba wax seem to work too, but watch the labels - some new stuff I've found doesn't have wax in it. I'd hate to mess up a gun like that! (Floorwax, eh? Hadn't thought of that one...)
 
Marine Tex

It's what I use too. I use PVC mold release agent, but the guys at rimfirecentral.com swear by PAM cooking spray.

Regards.
 
Thanks guys. This is for an epoxy paste rather than fiberglass. I just did a test surface with dabs of the epoxy and checked it a minute ago.

Paste wax worked great (Turtle Wax). Saddle soap did ok, about 2 to 5 % bonding. Teflon spray, vaseline and mold release agent didn't prevent bonding. We don't have any floor wax. We do have Pam, so I'll test it and see.

What is dry moly and where is it found? This lug is smooth and well surfaced but there are other projects. Specifically I have a Title II collectors item with a terribly loose detachable stock I've been thinking about fixing too.

Also, what is the best way to prepare the surface for waxing?

M&M
 
Try Kiwi Neutral Shoe Polish. I've had success with that.

And remember, if you do manage to bind your action into the stock, an industrial deep freeze or dry ice can be your best friend.
 
Bedding: IMHO "Pro-Bed 2000" from www.scorehi.com is the best there is. Less than $20 in different colors and uses micro-balloons at the cellular level; won't compress, strengthens, yet lightens the epoxy weight too. I've used Marine-tex too and it too is great stuff. I'd say I easily got more than twice as much Pro-Bed for the price compared to M-tex -- choice is yours.

Release agent: Pro-Bed comes with wax and is a full kit. Most swear by Johnson's paste wax, I swear by the Pam spray. I use candle wax, clay, or celophane tape to cover/fill in holes or voids in the actions in places to be bedded.
 
I use Johnsons Paste Wax- it's cheap and one tin last forever. It can be thinned with turpentine...

I use wax to close voids and create dams now. Clay is ok but it will mush out of shape easily and has a lower heat tolerance before it gives...

The wax I have is for making sculptures to be cast in bronze for the "lost wax process". It works after being warmed in your hand but is harder at room temp and then can be carved and polished with a toothbrush or a pair of old nylon stockings... It takes a little longer but you can do intricate bedding by restricting the epoxy and it leaves a nice finish too.

I degrease with acetone before and after.
 
I use wax to close voids and create dams now.
Click to expand...
This is a brown, kind of sticky wax which is soft enough to mold by hand? I've seen it before. It would be easier to use probably than clay and less likely to cause rust.

And remember, if you do manage to bind your action into the stock, an industrial deep freeze or dry ice can be your best friend.
Click to expand...

How? Does the freezer make the epoxy let go?
 
M&M-

That's the stuff. Give it a try if you can get some! Naturally, paint it with what ever release agent you choose...
 
The cold in the deep freeze or from the dry ice makes the bedding and action shrink, which helps break loose any places where you're glued together.

When I've done this, I've packed the rifle in dry ice (a friend stuck one REALLY good by forgetting the release agent) and left it go for at least 4 hours; 8 or even 10 is better.

When you take the rifle out, you HAVE to wear thermal gloves so you don't get frost bite. Sometimes you can work the action out by hand, but often a soft mallet is required to get the action out.
 
Thanks, Guys! Great results in the end!

I tested my Turtle Wax and some borrowed Johnson's Paste Wax for cars and the results were the same so I went with the Johnson's wax on basis of more folks here having experiance with it and the fact my can of Turtle Wax has dried out a bit with very old age.

Degreasing was done with denatured alcohol (as I had to work indoors and acetone fumes get too strong). Three light layers of the paste wax were used then the slow setting epoxy was put into the oversized hole for the recoil lug. The stock was screwed in and left overnight.

All it took to release the stock was a single blow to the top of the comb with my trusty red wooden mallet. The end result looks better than the epoxy in the original broken stock.

M&M
 
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