I asked a while back if anyone had tried using JB Weld as a bedding compound. No one said they had but Devcon came up, as well as the buy this or that.

Well I tried it. I'm not sure why but it never really got hard. Possibly the lack of exposure to air caused it to set up soft. I tested a patch on a block of wood and set a piece of stainless tubing in it. It set up very hard and clean. The main reason for trying it was it is very dense and machinable. I figured it would be very stable as a bedding compound.

When I knocked the barreled action from the stock a piece of the epoxy came out with the lug. After messing with it, I found the stuff was plyable to some extent. I removed it with a little effort and a pick. Not what I was hoping for. Just thought I'd pass my experience along.

I got an Acra-glass Gel kit with my order today so will use that next time I get a few days off.

Perhaps you might try adding Vigara to the Devcon!

You didn't mention how long you let it set before you tried to remove the action...nor did you mention which type of Devcon you used. Hopefully you didn't use the Five-Minute stuff in the tubes that you buy at Home Depot.

I am reading right from a jar of Devcon Plastic Steel and it recommends a minimum of 16 hours for complete and functional curing time...at 75 degrees F.

I have also found that Devcon (and most other good bedding materials) are more or less dependent on very accurate mixing ratios for a good cure. Devcon Plastic Steel is supposed to be mixed nine to one...expoxy to hardener. I have found that you get a better mix if you measure by weight rather than volume and don't "whip it up" too much when mixing or you will end up with trapped air bubbles in the finished product.

The working time is 45 minutes so there really isn't that much of a rush.

If you really want some bomb-proof stuff try Devcon's Liquid Titanium expoxy.

Good luck!

Rick

Devcon makes some great products and it is pretty difficult to find any epoxy that is stronger.

I believe that Devcon made the product that the Marines used to use to repair broken parts on AMTRAC's. Some creative Marine armorers also used that stuff to bed and repair rifles during the VN war.

The uses for this stuff are only limited by your imagination.

Rick

The main bedding compounds you can find at a gunsmith's shop are:
Acraglas
Acraglas Gel
Micro-Bed
Steel-Bed
and maybe a Brownells home-made product or two.

Acraglas does not shrink and adds strength to the stock.
Steel-Bed does not shrink but does not add strength to the stock.
Acraglas Gel sets up like vinyl and there is play and elasticity in it.
Micro-bed is the only product I have ever seen American Rifleman say 'Never use this under any circumstances', but I stock it because every now and then people buy it.

Acraglas is the best I have found, no problems if done correctly.

-Spencer

I guess I could have been a lot clearer!

I used J.B. Weld, l mixed it by volume, and let it set up until the leftovers were hard to mark when pressing into it with a stir stick.
I cleaned it up the next day so it should have been completely hard. I couldn't find the Devcon.

The Gel Acraglass sets up soft? Thats dissapointing to hear. I'm bedding a M70 in a synthetic stock just to try get it to shoot a little more consitantly. Being pretty in-experienced at bedding I thought the gel would be easier to work with.

I've never heard of anyone using JB weld for bedding a rifle...not saying that it may not work, I've just never heard of it being used for that purpose. The uses for this product...as well as Brownells Acra-Weld...are normally limited to small repairs of wood, plastic and some metals.

Any gunsmithing supply, Marine supply, or Industrial tool supply store will normally have a good variety of epoxies suitable for bedding a rifle.

Brownell's sells their own line of "Acra" products as well as Devcon and Marine Tex. For your first go around I would suggest sticking with Brownell's Acra line if for no other reason than the instructions are specific to bedding a rifle, which the other products are not. Once you get the hang of it you can try out other products if you feel a need to.

I like Devcon just because I have used it so much that I am very familiar with its peculiarities for different uses. You can drill, tap and even machine fully cured Devcon plastic steel.

The advantages to either the Acra-Gel or the Devcon Putty is that they don't run as much if you are applying them to a more vertical surface. In bedding a rifle there are not many of those so I have never found a real need for the thicker products for that purpose.

If any of these products sets up "soft" it normally means you didn't mix it properly or you didn't let it cure as per the directions. Acra-Gel retains some amount of "flexability" when cured...according to Brownells advertizing...but I believe you can eliminate some of this by adding powdered metal to the mix. Of course, Brownells also sells the powdered metal.

Just my opinion...but I would "practice" on a wooden stock before I went to a synthetic one for my first bedding job. Wood is normally a little easier to relieve with hand tools to prepare the bedding areas.

Before I ever attempted to bed a rifle I practiced inletting and bedding actions and trigger guards on small blocks of hard wood. Blank forearms for two piece stocks are pretty cheap (Numrich Arms sells them for about $3 bucks each) and they are the perfect size ( 11 inches long by 2 � inches square) and are made of the same hardwood as a full stock.

As with most work of this type the set-up and preparation is normally time well spent in assuring a good job. All other things being equal, a "poorly" bedded rifle won't shoot any better, and in most cases it will shoot worse, than one that isn't bedded at all.

Bedding a rifle for accuracy is not quite as simple or easy as allot of people (especially the ones selling the bedding tools and materials) will tell you. It is surprisingly easy to end up with your barrled action in a bind or sitting cockeyed in the stock if you aren't careful. This is especially true if you are pillar bedding since the pillars need to be kept exactly in aligment (vertically and horizontally) with each other to assure a non-binding seat for the action.

Good luck!

Rick

I have bedded lots of rifles from BR guns up to big game rifles with Marine Tex. I find the Marine Tex really good! It�s easy to work with, just right in softness and stickyness when bedding the rifle. It hardens rockhard and stand recoil and abuse really well.

The sad thing about Marine Tex here in Sweden is that we can�t get it here I have bougth two big jars when I have been in US a few years back. I�m about to finnish my second yar at the moment and we just got a note from Sinclair that they couldnt ship any outside US at the moment.......

I just found out that Devcon is avalible here In Swe. I have mailed the company that sell the stuff and I�m thinking about trying Devcon when I�m running out of Marine Tex!

The titanium putty sounds really interesting but I suppose the pricetag will make my hair stand on my head

What other Devcon putty is usable for bedding?

999 times out of a 100, if the glass does not set up properly its because it was mixed wrong or carelessly...

Ocassionaly someone may try to take the metal out too soon, even a bad mix will sometimes set up and cure given enough time..

I also like Marine Tex, from Brownells and like Devcon its a 1x5 mix.... Accraglass gel is very good stuff, and is a 50-50 mix which makes accurate measuring a lot easier..It is by far the best for someone that has not bedded a lot of stocks.

Micro bed is great for pattern stocks as you can warm it with a hair dryer and peal it out after it has cured..I don't much care for it as a glass bedding compound, but it will work and its easy to work with....

Devcon Titanium putty sells for around $60.00 (US) for a one pound jar.

The Devcon plastic steel putty sells for about $45.00 (US) per pound.

Their Plastic steel liquid sells for around $24.00 (US) per pound.

All three are machinable after curing.

A good source for Devcon products, as well as tools, machinist supplies, etc. is www.rutlandtool.com

It's one of those stores that if they don't carry something you probably don't really need it.

Rick

I tryed this stuff called PC woody . Its sold at hard ware stores. You guys should try it out. Use it on something else for a experiment. The stuff is very good.
ITS a 2 part epoxy and its hard ,strong,stuff, you can tap it and put a screw in it,
It spreads like peanut butter. I just got some agriglas gell to compare with this PC woody stuff.

Go to www.devcon.com and check out all their products.

They list "tech-sheets" for each product and they have something to cover just about any possible need when it comes to bonding, coating, gluing, repairing, etc.

Rick

What is the problem with Micro-Bed? I used it several years ago on a couple of rifles and it seemed to work fine. Both rifles shot better than before and the action screws tightened up with a good feel. By that I mean that they turned easily and then tightened up abruptly at the end. I used Accra-Glas one time on the forend of a Savage M99 and had a dickens of a time getting it loose. I finally got it loose by using the gun-in-the-freezer trick. I had put on two coats of the release agent included with the kit; it dried to a sort of skin on the metal. It seemed like when I applied the second coat that the brush partially removed the first coat. The next time I went to the rifle range, I met another guy that had the same problem. Another fellow said that he used petroleum jelly for the release agent and had no trouble. I have read though, that petroleum products attack epoxies.

Micro-Bed SHRINKS 3 - 5%.
It is used as a crack repair, and for small stuff it is OK.
I would never bed any rifle with it, Acraglas is the only way to go.
I personally do not like the Release Agent, as it turns into a sort of gel.
What I use is floor wax.
SIMONIZ to be precise, and the same can has lasted me 20+ years.
Be very liberal when you apply the wax and the barrel will lift off with nothing more than hand pressure, or if needs be a couple of raps with a rubber mallet.

-Spencer