My gunsmithing qualifications are:
I own a dremmel tool and have an imagination.

What would be the best bedding compound for someone like me, the least messy, forgiving and simple.
At the same time, could someone explain what the difference in the quality or stability one compound offers over another.

If I take my time I could use whatever is best,not neccessarily easiest but I have to really concentrate.

They all make a mess, How big a mess depends on you.
I recommend the Brownells Acraglass GEL kit. Comes with almost everything you need and good instructions plus the Brownells techs will answer any questions you have. I favor the gel version - easy to mix and does not run like the standard version. You will need stock maker screws to do it correctly. Use lots of release agent and be sure to fill in any holes with clay or wax to keep the epoxy out.

And it is exciting the first time you bed one and go to take it apart. You wonder the whole time the epoxy is setting up, if it will ever come apart again.

thanks for the tips, what can you use as release agent?

Express,
I use carnuba wax for a release agent. Put a couple of coats on and do not buff it, leave it on. BTW, a dremel tool is not an asset to a gunsmith but more of a liability. It does have the capability of ruining things much quicker than doing it by hand. I agree with acraglass gel. It sits there almost like clay and lets your push it around where you want it.

I think Brownells Accraglas is the most popular of the glass bedding kits. Get the gel as it will give you more time to set up and is less messy. You can use Johnson's paste wax or even beter, Carnuba. Don't get the steel based
kit unless you're bedding a big boomer. I agree with avoiding the dremel tool. You can get into a lot of trouble with it unless you have a high degree of expertise with it. Best wishes.

Cal - Montreal

I hope I will not be shot for posting this but.I use J-B WELD,and Simonize car wax as the releace agent.And a hand turned drill to grind.Never a dremel.

...guys the dremmel thing was meant to be a joke...

It didn't take me long to learn that it is a destructive little bugger...

Express,
Sorry, I always over react when I see that word. Kind of like Dracula and crucifixes. Okay maybe worse than that.

There are a number of very good compounds out there...various kinds of Acraglas from Brownells; Bisonite; Marine-Tex; Devcon A, F, and B; etc. All work well if you proceed with care.



My personal favorite is Microbed, available from either Brownells, or from the Micro-Sight Company, 242 Harbor Boulevard, Belmont, CA. It is a dead easy to mix concoction, 1-to-1 by volume. When mixed it is just the right consistency to both go where needed and to not run to where it is not needed. It is also not inclined to end up with "bubbles" in the hardened bedding. I have introduced several gun shops to this product, and they all love it.



As in bluing, the most important thing in epoxy bedding is to do ALL of your preparation work carefully and thoroughly before even thinking of opening the bedding kit.



A few hints...



1. Be sure and mask off any exterior part of the stock that you don't want bedding stuck to. Use two layers of masking tape.



2. Rip off at least half a dozen paper towels and spread them in strategic spots around the work area before you start. Epoxy is messy, and when you need a towel, you don't want to be trying to get it with hands that have epoxy on them.



3. Wear old clothes that you actually plan to throw away, with absolutely no regrets, immediately after the bedding job is done. Epoxy inevitably seems to get on some part of your clothing in the bedding process, and there is danged near nothing that will remove it from cloth.



4. Put a drop cloth on the floor in such a way that anything that misses your work bench will land on the drop cloth. Epoxy is also almost impossible to get off of either concrete or, horror of horrors, carpet.



5. To avoid stuck action screws, etc., watch your epoxy as it hardens. When it gets to be just plastic...i.e, bends without sticking to you, use a razor blade or Exacto knife and cut away any that has squeezed out of the stock. Then loosen the action screws (if you used them to guide the barrled action and stock together) about two or three turns, then screw them back in, snug. The epoxy at this point is weak enough you can turn the screws, but has set well enough that it will not run into the screw holes or adhere to the screws.



6. Let the bedding set for at least 48 hours before shooting the rifle. A week is better.



7. To remove the barreled action from the stock, do NOT slap the barrel or tug on it. Put a long blunt punch of about 3/16" diameter through the front action screw hole and tap on it with a hammer. That way you will not be levering against any of the new bedding.



8. If you want a really, really close fit of barreled action to stock, let the bedding set for 48 hours. Then mix some regular Acraglass (not the gel version) and paint a very, very thin coat over the bedding. Reassemble the firearm, and let this coat "set". Of course, you will need to recoat the barreled action with release agent before doing this.



ALL bedding materials shrink some on setting. As the second coat, or paint coat, is so thin, the % that it shrinks will amount to almost virtually nothing.



9. On your first attempt or two, PRAY a lot. Then afterward, make some written notes on what you wish you had done better/different. Read them twice just before the next time you bed a rifle.



Good luck...and keep smiling.



AC

EXPRESS: The best I have run into so far is the prokit from www.scorehi.com in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The stuff gives more than ample time to set up and is not runny. If I'm not mistaken, it give you about an hour to work on the project at a 70 degree room temperature, whereas, some of the others give you just 20 minutes. As a newbe, the extra time gives me time to go back and correct any mistakes should I make them, which, by the way, is almost never . The stuff comes with ample instructions and you can always call the fellow who makes it if you have questions. He also does custom gunsmithing work and is darn,and I mean darn good. I have nothing against Brownells (I have used two types of glassbed with this company) it is just that I like the scorehi better. I have glassbedded a Howa Lightning, a Ruger Mark II, a Winchester Model 70 Featherweight, a CZ 550 American and a CZ 527 Lux. I used Brownells on the first two rifles and scorehi on the last three. Good luck ... Tom Purdom

The last batch of Score-hi epoxy I bought set-up, sitting on the shelf, in less than two months of storage...and that's in a temperature and humidity controlled shop.



Sure I could have sent it back, but when you start paying postage two ways, it's not worth the hassle to me.



If you do buy Score-hi, I advise NOT buying it directly from the maker. It is MUCH cheaper from places such as Midway than direct from the manufacturer.



AC

Alberta: Looks like you and I have had different experiences with scorehi compound. I had a box of the two-rifle kit I opened, mixed the one-to-one ratio exactly, put the rest back in the box it came in and forgot abot it until about nine months later when a friend wanted me to glassbed the action area of his Model 70 Featherweight. It was just the way I left it nine months before and the job came out perfect. You are perfectly right about getting the stuff from someone other than the maker, though his website offers a whole lot more info than you can get from Midway or one of the others who sell it. Have a nice day if you are so inclined. Tom Purdom

Alberta gave some good advice. I would add a bottle of rubbing alcohol to the list. A paper towel damp or wet with alcohol will remove fresh epoxy, and it won't hurt plastic or most finishes. It's cheap too. Acetone is a bit hotter (aggressive), and will attack many finishes, but it's good for getting epoxy off metal such as cleaning up tools. Hardened epoxy can be softened with paint remover.

You can't go wrong with Brownell's Accuragel Kit. It's got mixing tubs, color, release agent, ect and doesn't cost a lot. One kit will do two rifles usually. Follow the directions EXACTLY and you'll do fine. Don't forget to fill all voids with modeling clay-if the gel flows into them you'll have a tough time getting your action out.
Good luck.

Another solvent for unhardened epoxy that works OK is white vinegar. Cheap and handy in a pinch and not as bad for you.

It is usually not the first one I use, but don't hesitate to use it if I don't have anything else.

My favorite release agent is Hornady One Shot case lube. It comes in an aerosol can, dries fast, and requires essentially zero cleanup after the job is done. It works as well as wax, but it is much easier to apply evenly for me.

Clemson

I reckon I do this a little different

1: I use plumberputty for filling in holes, actions, and for dams... works great, easy clean up, and cheap...

2: I use the brownell's spray release... AWESOME stuFF... never do another rifle without it

3: I've used about 8 different exopies, and brownell's GEL is still the best all around.. the acraglass is as runny as a summer cold, and just about as much fun

4: steelbed works perdactly like gel, just a tad stiffer

5: i use a syringe to lay down most of my glass... great big ole horse needle kind. I've been thinking of changing to the "cather" type as they have a cone right on them. about 1$ each.. and you can reuse them. If you haven't tried this, you'll be floored at the control and cleanup changes

6: I get some plastic forks and knives, and break them up for scrapers... no since is marring the finish

7: vineger WILL remove blue, it's just a question of when, so be careful

I prefer to bed barrels and actions before they are blued, if I have the choice... just works out better.

I usually also put two layers of duct tape down the barrel, to float it


ah, yeah, THE best tip...

Get some BLUE paper's tape, and tape off the stock... this will greatly improve clean up, reduce that time, allow you to see runs QUICKLY and the tape's glue cleans up with warm water.

jeffe

I was thinking along the lines of Clemson, why can't I use something as simple as WD40 as relaese agent?
Especially if you apply the action coated with DW40 once the compund is a little way set.

Exactly what does a release agent need to be to stop the beeding compound from sticking to the metal?

I have never heard of the material Customstox mentioned, where can you get it or what is an equivalent?

Prep work is the key. Bedding is easy. Jeff is right on Brownell's release and syringes. Mix up alot and squeeze it out when you put the action back in. Alcohol on a rag makes a nice finished edge when the bedding is still wet. Tape the stock, The whole stock. I like duct tape to cover the stock. Set it in wait 15 minutes, clean stock and remove access around barrel and top of the action, then DO NOT MESS WITH IT for at least 12 hours. finsh clean up and put it together. Let it stand for at least 5 days before you shoot it.

I like Devcon Steel Putty.




I glass bed the action and first few inches of barrel with Devcon Steel Putty from Brownell's. This costs dozens of times more money than Bondo Resin and catalyst, but not much per gun. I have tried the runny stuff, like Bondo or Accra glass, but it gets all over me and does not stay where it is supposed to.

An objective for me in bedding the action is to get it stiff for accuracy. I also like to get the action the right height. Once that is done I can go to the pillar and bedding the trigger guard.

I screw the front screw in finger tight, and then get the rear screw in finger tight, and then screw the front screw in as tight as I can and then screw the rear screw in half as hard as I can.

I want the front screw compressing the wood and the rear screw compressing the pillar, with the pillar connected to the wood with epoxy.

I remove lots of wood before bedding, both under the action and under the trigger guard. Once the action is bedded, I decide at what height I want the trigger guard. Here is the trick: Install the trigger guard and screw with the screws only in part way until the guard is the right height from the wood. Count the number of turns on the screws after engagement with the threads [for the right height]. Take the action out of the stock, reassemble out of the stock with the same number of turns, and measure the distance between the trigger guard and the tang with dial calipers. That is the length to cut the pillar.

I put the Devcon putty under the trigger guard in front and all around the pillar and all inside the pillar hole in the stock.

I use Wager's duck tape around the rear screw.

I learned another thing: It is always said to put the rifle in the freezer it it gets stuck on glass bedding, and it will pop right out. That steel shrinks .001" per 1" over 87 degrees F. This is also good for getting it apart without the bedding breaking in places and some sticking to the stock and some sticking to the metal. I bed in the 70 degree house, and then the next day leave the gun outside for 15 minutes in the 45 degree Seattle winter weather. I then pop the action or trigger guard out with greater success.

Once there are precision mating surfaces between the glassed stock and the action, they must be kept clean. Any relieving the stock for trigger take up adjustment screw makes saw dust that must be cleaned off the stock The mating is accurate to .0001", and very small debris can reduce the accuracy enhancing stiffness of the stock to action joint. I check this joint by banging it like a tuning fork. If it rattles or the tone dies out in a second, something has gone wrong.

I have yet to get a cheap injection molded after market stock to make the right sound. Old and new Turk and VZ24 stocks are easy to get the stiff connection.

Wager's page is a good read on this:
www272.pair.com/stevewag/turk/turkbed1.html
www272.pair.com/stevewag/turk/turkbed2.html
www272.pair.com/stevewag/turk/turkbed3.html


I punch out the old pillar.
I have 8' lengths of 3/8" outside diameter tubing in stainless, brass, and chrome moly steel. I should probably use the steel to avoid dissimilar metals, but I use the brass. The inside diameter is .3", and I probably got them from J&L industrial supply or MSC industrial supply.

--
A society that teaches evolution as fact will breed a generation of atheists that will destroy the society. It is Darwinian.

just a thought, but can you cut channel down the length of the forarm to fill with compound or even ad a "stiffener" in like an arrow shaft, like I have heard being used?

Why are you worried about the forearm being stiff? If anything, I would free float the barrel as part of the prep for glass bedding. The stiffness of the forearm does not play a significant role in accuracy. Rather it is maintaining constant pressure at the same points from shot to shot that can affect accuracy.

The only other thing I would add is to not do the whole stock at once. That is to say, bed the front of the action in the area under the recoil lug 1st. Read Brownell's instructions about this at least 3 times before you start. You can bed the tang if you wish and the barrel channel in separate operations. In the end, it will make life a lot simpler.

Also, if you should be aware to coat the inside of the action with some type of release agent. It becomes very embarassing to go to your local gunsmith with bedding compound all over the chamber.


Pete

7x57 -



I hope everyone has different experiences than mine with Score-Hi, and am glad you did.



Mine actually happened with TWO containers of it that I bought at the same time. May have been a bad lot, I have no idea.



Anyway, I'll not try it again. Too easy to just get Microbed, or Devcon which I also really like, or Bisonite which I used a lot when I was a "high-power" competitor (that's "full-bore" to my fellow Canucks).



Incidentally, I also wouldn't waste the extra money getting the Devcon with the more expensive metals like titanium in them. So far as my experience goes, I suspect it is the epoxy that determines the strength of the mixture, not the metal. So, might as well go with the aluminum stuff and put the saved weight in the barrel.



Best wishes,



AC

JB Weld and Hornady One Shot works very well for me. Jim