I've never installed an Ebony Foreend tip with Gorilla Glue. I've been quite impressed with this product on other types of applications since its inception. Has anyone ever used this product for installing foreend tips on rifle stocks? If so what were the results when doing so?

I've been dearly impressed with the standard "carpenter's" glue....Elmer's glue and other glues of this kind.....and I believe Gorilla glue is of this type.

However they want to be strongly clamped to have the holding power they are capable of. Properly clamped they are great glues.....but I've never been able to clamp a forend tip to a stock....maybe others do it but it's not for me.

Get yourself some 2-ton epoxy (not the 5-minute stuff) in the double barrel tube and clean the pieces to be adjoined with acetone to remove natural oils and mix the epoxy and set the two pieces together. Come back in a couple hours and try to separate them.....ain't gonna happen!

I've also used Brownells glass bedding compound as a glue and it too works great....but let it set 24 hours instead.

I don't like it due to the expanding foam effect. I fear it would leave a line that would not take a finish.

heck NO .. it will expand and leave a line, and it has no sheer strength

quote:

Originally posted by alvinmack:
I've never installed an Ebony Foreend tip with Gorilla Glue. I've been quite impressed with this product on other types of applications since its inception. Has anyone ever used this product for installing foreend tips on rifle stocks? If so what were the results when doing so?

Dowel it and use epoxy use black color and it will blend with Ebony.

quote:

Dowel it and use epoxy use black color and it will blend with Ebony

+1

The oil in the ebony would concern me with a glue that is moisture activated as well as other normal wood glues. I do drill a few small holes in the ebony as well to add a little physical bond

I do some woodworking and am not fond of Gorilla glue. It will expand and for really fine fit and finish work, I think there are better options.

Titebond is the wood workers glue i use and damn near every time I use the stuff it's stronger then the wood when dry. It's nice having a Rockler woodworkers store near by

2 small-dia dowels (with tiny vent holes to prevent air trap voids in the black-dyed EPOXY), whole thing clamped/held together for 24 hrs with rubber surgical tubing. EPOXY!
Regards, Joe

What J.D.Steele said.

Don't even think about trying to glue two end grain surfaces together without some sort of tenon (ie: dowels). The joint will fail, period.

Hi,

I, too, agree with kc, J.D., gnoahhh and all others recommending against Gorilla Glue. I have yet to find an application for the product I like better than epoxy or any of the well known carpenter glues.

As others stated, use, at the minimum, two 1/4" dowels that are striated to relieve the hydraulic pressure developed by clamping the forend. Want to ruin your day quickly?, use regular dowel stock in a tight hole. Some thing will split, guaranteed.

Most epoxies work best and hold best in a non-starvation joint. Carpenter glues are the opposite. After fitting the forend cap to a seamless joint slightly relieve the mating surfaces (inside the final stock lines, of course) a bit with a barrel channel scraper or sharp gouge-.005-.010" will work. Color your epoxy to closely match the cap. Liberally coat all surfaces involved in the joinery and clamp. I use long pipe clamps. They work well. When using the pipe clamps tighten slowly to allow entrapped air a chance to work its way out. Don't forget to coat the dowels and the holes well-everywhere.

Another reason for using epoxy is flexibility it allows should Murphy be helping. Carpenter glues set rather quicklly and once set, you're done and they can not be colored. I go to my paint supplier and ask for various wood colored pigments in smallish pill bottle size to keep on hand. Some miraculous saves on finished wood are possible using this pigment in epoxy. Cheap, too.

The epoxy I recomment is West System. It was primarily developed for boat building and is well researched for its application. Check it out on line.

I need a nap.

Stephen

As VapoDog says using a quality epoxy an wiping end grain back with acetone or lacquer thinner will remove natural oils .

If you choose not to use a blind spline ,biscuit waver or dowels ; Then inside of the perimeter use 60 , 80 grit belt sanding abrasive as it works best . DON'T go too the edges just inside on both pieces to be joined , your making a " Etched surface " for epoxy to grip . Now as end grain will suck up adhesives ,I suggest applying a coat to each piece letting them set apart for a short period ( depends on epoxy gel time ) then reapply another coat prior to mating . Using a quality masking tape around edges of both pieces to be joined makes cleaning up neat an simple . You can also add color too epoxy for a seamless joint , most wood glue don't allow that luxury .

The only Ebony forend tip I installed was by using a dowell and Black CONOP epoxy. CONOP comes in clear, black and white, so no need for dying clear epoxy.