Specifically, aluminium or steel?

I have some clean off cuts of Aluminium that I was considering filing and collecting the resulting filings, then mixing in with the Epoxy.

How many of you do this? Devcon is real pricey and I have been using an excellent New Zealand made two pack marine epoxy called Norski that has zero shrinkage, for building up parts of my Bansner stock and was considering using Norski for bedding my rifle.

I have mixed chopped fiberglass (Hence the term, glass bedding) , saw dust, aluminum powder, dye, steel plates, wood pieces, carbon fiber strands, into bedding compound; works fine. Do it.

I don't see any issue either. I have used everything from blown attic insulation to walnut sanding dust. It all acts as aggregate just like with concrete. Devcon steel filled is just epoxy mixed with SS powder. JB Weld here in the USA is a thick paste using steel powder that you knead together. My favorite is a 50:50 mix of walnut sawdust with Devcon 45 min cure epoxy. I can't tell you how many Browning Auto Five stocks I have repaired with it. None have ever returned.

The marine epoxies (the types meant to plug holes in boats) seem to work pretty good for bedding. They are generally harder, cut nicer with power tools and are more chemical resistant than garden variety epoxies. I have tossed hardened cups of Acraglass, Devcon, Micro Bed Marine Tex and others into my solvent tank for a few days and fished them out. The Marine Tex has held up the best so far. It's sort of designed to slosh around in water, oil, gas and diesel fuel on the bottom of a boat so it does stand to reason.

I no longer use fillers but I have in the past. You want to make sure that the granular size of your filler is not so large that it will hold your object to be bedded higher than its supposed to be. A lot of fillers will also thicken up your epoxy so that it won't flow properly and you will get air pockets more often. That was the primary reason that I abandoned them. Too many voids. Aluminum powder is pretty cheap as long as you are not buying the atomized stuff so you may just be creating a make work project. Just sayin.

I might add.
If you should need to thin epoxie.
I use acetone. Kenny

When using West Marine 105 or 205 Epoxy one can use West Marine 403 or 404 Polyester filler, and color pigments to thicken and match colors of your stocks.

Nat Lambeth

you are trying to duplicate what are usually referred to as a "toughened" adhesive. these usually contain various fibers and or rubber compounds. dont worry, they arent rubbery! marine-tex is a great compound and easily available. another favorite of mine for 'secondary bonding operations' which are just like bedding an action is loctite's Hysol9460. only downside is that it is gray.but nobody is going to see your bedding right? k

You could always use left over stainless steel tumbling media !!

I believe that the "Norski" product already has some pickled Herring mixed in with the base epoxy

in regards the orig. question by kiwi cat,...

> does adding a filler really add any benefit for when bedding a rifle?

IN the case of a McMillan stock, its the epoxy resin added that gives rigid structural form to the glass and carbon fibre sheet.

You could make a totally epoxy shell stock and it would be relatively rigid,
but you cannot make the same solid rigid form from just glass or carbon fibre sheet alone.


The glass/carbon weave sheeting has its own inherent strength charectersistics, which compliment well with epoxy resin.

I consider that fibre woven sheet material more like a skeletal system all held in the desired position with epoxy 'muscle',
If you know what I mean.