does not work. I said I'd report back if I ever tried it and I did last night. I'm bedding a Montana 1999 SA into a Winchester plastic take off stock.

I have been using Plastic Weld for years to repair leaks in PVC & ABS fittings (I repair spas, whirlpools & hot tubs) and it's wonderful stuff. Mixes easily, dries fast, cures hard but not brittle, never had a call back for a leak. I figured it might be good for plastic stocks.

The short of it is it doesn't adhere AT ALL to plastic stocks. Popped right out. When I first saw it didn't look good I thought it was going to be a bear to remove what was left but it took all of 5 minutes.

On the plus side, Silly Putty works much better than modeling clay for ease of clean-up.

FWIW.

Did you drill locks into the stock most tubberware stocks will not hold bedding with out some type of locking. I drill holes at differant angles.

Oh yeah, but the stuff doesn't even hold as well as MarineTex or Devcon steel bed. In fact I used Steel bed for it's twin (making up two identical guns) and I'll use it for this one too

This stuff is supposed to bond to plastic, it bonds to PVC. You can rub it off with your finger where it's thin. Just no good.

Thanks for the intel report.

LD

I am no expert, but have heard that the residual release agent on the injection molded stocks must be de-activated with an acid (vinegar apparently works well) prior to bedding.

quote:

Originally posted by mrlexma:
I am no expert, but have heard that the residual release agent on the injection molded stocks must be de-activated with an acid (vinegar apparently works well) prior to bedding.

Yes, that's true but this stuff didn't hold to the part of the stock I ground away so there was no release agent.

Ihave found that running a torch lightly over the surface helps adhesion greatly. Not enough to burn or melt, apparently you just want to change the surface's molecular structure. This was from another board member who I believe got it from a boat manufacturer.

I used JB weld (liquid, not stick) on my plastic Weatherby Vanguard stock -- seems to hold great.

You can't go light on the stuff -- I cut tons and tons of undercuts, degreased with lacquer thinner and acetone, then roughed up more and more....

The main problem with that plastic steel stuff is that it uses heavy duty solvents to etch the plastic before it can stick....

Many of those plastics used in gun stocks are very very solvent resistant (like PolyPropylene) -- as they don't want harsh gun cleaning chems and oils to mess up the stock... Plastics like Glass filled Nylon tend to get very brittle, swell, and crack with the sorts of solvents we use....

The other problem is the inherent flexy-ness of the plastic. If you can put enough undercuts and through-cuts into it, then fill it up full, it will minimize the flexing that pops the bedding right out.

Best regards

John

If I make traction cuts with a dovetail mill bit, the glass really hangs in there, but the stock can get too heavy.

The whole stock is flexable, and need to be real stiff from one end of the receiver to the other.

It is too much work and too heavy to get it right.
I give up.
I now pay the money and buy better to start with.

I do like Devcon brand steel putty. I don't have to fight time or gravity.

I went through all this with a Weatherby stock and wound up getting a Bell & Carlson from Brownells . Lucked out and got it on sale.

I used Brownell's acraglas gel on a m-70 plastic stock a few years ago and it didn't adhere worth beans either. I just sandwiched the layer of acraglass between the stock and barreled action and the gun shot fairly good. I told the guy that I did it for and he took the gun to Alasks Caribou hunting with no trouble and is still using it that way today.

RecoilB, glad to hear of that updaye myself. I just inquired about its use ie., Devcon Plastic Steel. I will just stick to Marine-tex doing my wood stock.

quote:

Originally posted by grizz007:
RecoilB, glad to hear of that updaye myself. I just inquired about its use ie., Devcon Plastic Steel. I will just stick to Marine-tex doing my wood stock.

Gentlemen,

Please be aware that I was testing a specific Devcon Product called Plastic Weld. It comes in the double syringe format, is blister packed and usually found hanging next to the cash register aat the local True Value store. I have used it for years to mend PVC and other plastics so I thought it might work well on plastic stocks. I found this not to be thye case.

This has nothing to do with JB Weld or other Devcon products such as Steel Bed. They all, as well as Marine-Tex, need to be mechanically anchored in a plastic stock.

The tip about torching the stock seems to work very well though on all types of bedding materials in plastic stocks and is worth your atttention. I used on of those little blow torch type cigar lighters and just passed it over the area to be bedded. You don't want to melt the plastic at all, just pass it over the surface. Seems to improve adhesion by polarizing the plastic.

I got this tip from member "imhance" who got it from a repair kit of Old Town Canoes.

"I have some Old Town Kayaks.
In the instructions on a PolyLink3â„¢ repair kit used on Polyethylene
Canoes and Kayaks it used to say it polarized the plastic allowing the epoxy to stick. The Old Town Repair Instruction Say; “Step 2. Flaming. “Flaming†will allow the resin to adhere to the surface. The process does not involve melting or blackening the surface. Light the hand held propane torch. The flame will have an inner cone and an outer cone. Adjust the flame so that the inner cone extends about 1†from the nozzle. Moving smoothly and quickly, bring the tip of the inner cone in contact with the surface of the canoe, and sweep back and forth over the area. The flame should touch the hull in any one spot only momentarily.
If you feel that you might have missed a spot, wait about 20 minutes and repeat the process.â€

Scuff the inside with the highest grit you can.. 60 works, and I have had good luck with steelbed and marinetex for plastic stocks

jeffe

I second your recommendation on using Silly Putty. I happened onto that trick quite a few years ago when my son was little. I've also used Plumbers Putty with good results but Silly Putty works better. Thanks for the info on DEVCON Plastic Weld.