Has anybody used the West System 2 part Epoxy finish on their stocks? It's available from Lee Valley either in slow or fast cure? It's been successfully used in the boat industry, it's waterproof and sandable......don't see why it would not work on stocks. Can it be used over stain? Can the resin be slightly tinted? Can it be thinned with heat to penetrate the wood like "Accuglass"?
Thanks, Ron

West has a website that will answer all your questions. While never personally using it, I worked at a prototype shop and a fellow technician used it to make a weatherproof scale model of an 18-wheeler for wind tunnel testing. West over foam construction. He had never used it before and had excellent results first time using the supplied directions.

Had I a rifle stock to finish, I'd find out what Duane Wiebe does, and emulate that.

However... because the West System is perhaps the most efficacious of boat finishes, with the epoxy sanded down and covered with UV resistant varnish, you could have some assurance that your stock would be waterproof.

LOL.

flaco

rgg_7,

I've been planning to finish a stock with West System for some time now but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I think it should work very well and provide a durable, hard finish. It will certainly seal the wood from absorbing moisture. Epoxy is great for that.

I've had some beautiful looking results on wood (boat) using West as the base coats to provide waterproofing and durability and Epiphanes Varnish as the top coats to provide UV protection. I don't think a gunstock would need UV protection though.

Make sure you use the 207 Special Coating Hardner. This has a bit of an amber tint and looks nice on most wood. Epoxy can be tinted I think. The West website has a lot of info and they are quick to reply to questions too.

Applying over stain should be no problem as long as its properly sanded. With epoxy, you don't want to sand any finer than 80 grit, which seems wrong on a gunstock but will turn out perfectly smooth.

To encourage penetration, the epoxy can be warmed before application. It is also beneficial to heat the stock itself in the oven before application. As it cools it will help suck the epoxy in. Thinning epoxy with solvent degrades its quality so I wouldn't recommend that.

Be sure to let us know if you try it, I'll do the same.

quote:

However... because the West System is perhaps the most efficacious of boat finishes, with the epoxy sanded down and covered with UV resistant varnish, you could have some assurance that your stock would be waterproof.

LOL.

Not so fast, brother- if one had, say, a beech stock and was looking to make a bang-it-up truck gun, a coat applied all over, and a paint job to follow might make sense, utility-wise, that is.

I've read where the hotshot sniper gun outfits put a coat of marine paint in the barrel channel, receiver well, etc., to keep the moisture out.

If it was me, I'd sand paint it

I have a friend who uses the West stuff for wood that will be exposed to weather, etc. IIRC, he thins it by varying the mix, not by using a solvent.

Anyway, when I've watched him with it, the stuff is very runny.

I do lots of restoration carpentry on Victorian houses using West....

I have used it on my own boat work....

Always follow West's specific instructions!

Any variation in hardener/resin ratio will be a problem.They offer different hardener based on working time and temperature.

#207 is for clearcoating.Has a long work time,but a long cure time(18 hrs),this allows for less air bubbles in finished products.

Always use thier minipumps to dispense the ratio.I've tried cheating once by adding a little more hardener and was total disaster!Rock hard but no bonding strength.If you add way to much it will smoke!

Another caveat is the hardener discolors over time.It does not effect quality,only color of final product.So use fresh product for clearest results(it will always have a bit of amber caste).

Laquer thinner for cleanup and to degrease workpiece.Never anything petroleum based.Denatured alcohol also works between coats.

Sometimes with temp and humidity changes West dries with a tacky feel.Denatured alcohol wiped on will remove this.

I think if I were to try on a stock;I'd rig a turning jig like used for drying fishing poles when coating the thread wraps.

A cheap source would be found in Cabelas rod building catalog.

Good luck,let me know how this turns out...

Dan

Hello Guys

I have just completd a nice stock using an epoxy finish with oil over. For our wet climate here I am hopefull of a better than usual outcome on a rifle that will get hard usuage (although heaven help the guy with the checkering tools). I'll post a photo soon tonight.

I have done a lot of boatbuilding with resins and specifically epxoy. Epoxy is "set" with a hardner, where each resin molecule has to find a hardner molecule and join it in a "hand-shake", any significant number of uncompleted hand-shakes spoild the effect, as opposed to polyesters which use a catalyst. The effect as pointed out by Dan is that exact (EXACT) mix ratios must be used or you'll have a poor result (maybe not now, but certainly later).

Seconly most boatbuilding resins are not "thin"or viscous enough. You need to use what is commonly referred to in the US as CPERS or "Clear Penetrating Epoxy Resin" grade resin. You may be able to source an International Paints marine product called "Everdure", which is a product of this type, and is what I have used, and more importanly its use was confirmed to me by Dave McClunie, who is one of the top stock finish guys here in NZ.

It is good to have the epoxy warm, and if possible have the stock hot, Dave recomended more than 50 celsius, I am more cautious than that and used high 20's celsius.

The most important thing I found was that its a one shot process, you need to have everything ready and get the epoxy on, and keep putting it on till the wood won't take any more. I wouldn't apply it by any other means than a cloth, with very very thorough hand rubbing for at least 30-40 minutes after the stock refuses to take any more epoxy. Make sure you wear gloves for the hand rubbing. The hand rubbing is not to "rub the finish in", it is to smooth it so that there are NO areas of surplus finish. This takes time becuase it seems to accumulate just where/when you don't expect it.

One thoroughly set (4-5 days I think) it can be very lightly sanded (wet with blocks is best) and then apply a oil finish over the top, using very thin coats - rub it in/off (?) with hands/wet fine grit paper.

Your mileage may vary, but good luck - if in doubt try a test piece first.

Cheers - Foster

I have used it on several stocks I put slow cure epoxy on a warm stock hot to the touch but you can still hold it. Let epoxy suck into wood
as it cools & let it dry. Then finish sand 320 grit or finer. and do it once more. Then put oil finish over. Very stable & seals wood with
traditional oil finish look.
760 06 with this finish I feel it came out rather well.
https://forums.accuratereloading.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/...=826108649#826108649

Forgive my apparent ignorance .

What would the purpose be of using a lamination epoxy to coat , I'm assuming wooden stock ?.

What advantage is this over a spray able two
component urethane epoxy which is made for that
very purpose ?.

I fail to see any advantage using an adhesive or
lamination epoxy as a coating . JMO .

The tacky surface is normally caused by excessive humidity trapped in slow cure epoxy !.

West has 209 hardener for humid conditions .

I believe most Marine Aerospace and Industrial

facilities use Urethane as opposed to lamination epoxies for water proof coatings now days .