The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Removing 1/8" Plastic Spacers Epoxied to a Wood StockGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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Years ago when my kids were small, I rescued a neglected/abused Remington 512 22RF from an Indianapolis pawn shop for $50. The gun was pretty rough, but it funcioned well, had a good bore & shot great so it was worth turning into a kids rifle. I had the barrel shortened to 19" & recrowned & the damaged magazine tube was shortened to 10rd LR capacity as well. I cut parallel 7/8" sections from the stock & glued 1/8" white acrylic to the sections to prevent splitting. The sections were made such that I could add them back as my kids grew.   Now that I have learned to rust blue I have become motivated to finish the rifle & use it myself for squirrel hunting. Here's the problem. While white seemed like a good color for the spacers @ the time, I would like to change them to black for a more subtle look. Does anyone have any ideas on how to remove the white plexiglas spacers in a home workshop? Can I get them hot enough for the epoxy to release W/O melting the plastic or excessively drying out the wood? A heat gun would most likely melt the plastic before the epoxy let go & an oven would dry out the wood. I have thought about making a fixture to hold the sections square on my disc sander, but that would have to be very exact to assure that the sections would still fit precisely. If an easy(cheap)solution is not feasable I will just have to leave it as is. I have a disc sander, an upright belt sander, a table saw & a drill press W/a traversing vise. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | ||
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Why bother? Just scuff the spacers, tape them off and spray with a black epoxy appliance paint. Voila, black spacers. | |||
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Off your topic, but that's a helluva nice job you did there. Those Remingtons shoot well, I have one, and the prices were (and are) right. The above painting suggestion sounds like a winner, IMO. Good luck with it. | |||
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Might try this Put them in a ziplock Put in freezer for 24 hours Tap on hard surface or Tap across the spacer with a hammer or use a wooden plank to keep hammer away from piece. opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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I did that about 18 years ago. I don't even remember how I went about it! I've been thinking about removing the spacers & I may have a solution. Since each layer is drilled for the next it would be easy to apply some sort of strip. I have some nice flat, clear 3/4" harwwood. If I srew apply that for a "handle" I can set my rip fence on the table saw to take off the plastic W/the blade. The 3/8" metal ferrules can be heated up W/a soldering gun to remove them. As long as I get the saw blade perfectly square W/the wood I should be able to shave off a little @ a time. Perform a little hand sanding to remove saw marks W/the paper lying flat on the saw table. Glue on the black spacers pre-trimmed a little oversize. Drill the ferrule & screw holes through the spacer on the dril press, (already located in the wood) glue in the ferrules & let then epoxy set. Screw the whole sandwich back together & sand it all back flush. Here is the rifle as it is now.  I need to D&T the receiver for Weaver #43 bases, rust blue the metal & finish the stock W/Minwax Antique Oil Finish. I think I will do the forend in an oberndorf style schnable. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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1. For the epoxy, I'd try a hair dryer on high. If that doesn't do it, forget the heat option, and leave them on. 2. Scuff the plastic spacers and see if they will take an aniline dye type stain. Some plastics will, some won't. The plastic might not dye dark, but might take on an amber/aged ivory hue. 3. Leave it as is and have custom lace on recoil pad made to fit and go kill squirrels. And yes, a very nice job on the adjustable spacers. | |||
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Go synthetic/find an original stock from someone who did. The work is way too cool to booger -- worth keeping as is. 2 cents _______________________ | |||
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Why not just carefully disk sand them off? http://www.facebook.com/profil...p?id=100001646464847 A.M. Little Bespoke Gunmakers LLC 682-554-0044 Michael08TDK@yahoo.com | |||
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That's an option I like if I can't easily remove them. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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What ever method I use, I must make something that will hold the piece square & true as it must line up precicely W/the ferrules when assemebled. I'm also thinking about mounting the sections on a true/square block of wood & clamping it in the traversing vice on my drill press. I think that option might be better than the table saw as I can slow down the drill press to prevent melting of the acrylic as I use an end mill to cut away the plastic. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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Let the spacers sit in a deep freeze for a week. If the epoxy does not turn loose you might try to find and even colder freezer. You can also submerge the plastic in an isopropanol (alcohol) solution with dry ice to get the temp down to about -78F. The plastic will shrink much faster than the wood and will pop loose. Solutions temps with dry ice Afraid of dry ice? Any milling machine will mow off the acrylic in 10 minutes. | |||
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Well that's what I intended W/the traversing (milling) vice in my drill press.  I do have a 1/2" end mill somewhere. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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aye. always a spare stock on eBay, too.   | |||
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I agree with this, I think you could put the stock pieces in something similar to a recoil pad jig and take it right down to the wood. I've sanded off epoxied-on recoil pads and you can actually sand them off without disturbing the wood, there is a layer of rubber/plastic and a layer of glue/epoxy which allows you to control the sanding very easily. ----------------------------------------------------- Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him. Proverbs 26-4 National Rifle Association Life Member | |||
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once you remove the spacers the wood pieces will not align properly.  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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I have one, but a recoil pad jig holds the piece perpendicular to the disc. I could make something, for the disc sander, but milling them off on the drill press W/my milling vice seems to be the easiest route W/the tools I have on hand. Sanding acrylic is problematic as it tend s to melt.I might use the disc sander to finish the surface after the acrylic is removed by other means. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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I will be replacing them W/a like thickness of black or transparant bronze acrylic. The pieces will be sanded to slightly oversize & glued to the wood. Then, the whole thing will be re-assembeled & sanded flush. They will fit/match perfectly as long as I keep the surfaces true. The reason I added the spacers is twofold. 1st they replace the wood removed by the table saw blade. 2nd, they help prevent splitting of the 7/8" thick slabs. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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Seems I missed the part about replacing the spacers with black. I suppose i should READ before replying.  Aut vincere aut mori | |||
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Personally, I would leave it alone. You did a neat job of work fitting them, and while white spacers aren't the height of gun fashion these days, they aren't objectionable. More importantly, they will serve as a reminder of the fun times you had with your kids shooting that .22- something sure to bring a smile to your face while sitting in the squirrel woods with it. A lace-on or velcro fastened leather cover as mentioned above would be a simple solution if you think it would look odd in the eyes of strangers- but who cares what they think?  | |||
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nice practical heirloom, too... | |||
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Now that you mention that aspect of it, my memory has been jogged. My 25 year old daughter, who is somewhat of an animal rights supporter, learned to shoot W/that rifle as well as my more blood sport inclined son. The only thing that she has asked for when I'm gone is that rifle, so it must hold some fond memories for her. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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Even an animal rights supporter should have good childhood memories...or a squirrel killing grandson! | |||
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Already on it! GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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I would absolutely leave it as is... You did a great job and it has many fond memories. I think it looks cool as it is. I bet your grandchildren will love just as it is... Mike Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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Well, I bid $65 when it was $46 & the winning bid was $66! I made the bid W/10 seconds left & didn't have time to re-bid.  That was a very nice pliece of walnut W/fiddleback in the butt. Thje seller thought that it was somehow "added" & that was why the stock was removed.  I should have bid $75. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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None of those have any character. They're just too plain for my tastes. I don't even think that the 2 originals are walnut. I know 1 of them isn't & the horrible stain job on the other hides the grain. Probably from '70s era rifles. GOOGLE HOTLINK FIX FOR BLOCKED PHOTOBUCKET IMAGES https://chrome.google.com/webs...inkfix=1516144253810 | |||
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The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Gunsmithing Removing 1/8" Plastic Spacers Epoxied to a Wood Stock
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