DIY Glass bedding

[dave tengdin]

I want to glass bed a couple of my rifles, but am a bit put off by the pricing of the so-called "kits" on line. $59.95 at Cabella's seems too much for me for about $10 worth of epoxy. Does anyone have the recipe to do it yourself that wouldn't be so expensive? It would seem to me that the mould release agent is the most critical part to get just right.

[ZvenoMan]

You tube can be your best friend.
Kits are great for some people, nothing wrong with them.

Release agent, there are many; a good paste wax seems to be pretty popular.
Modeling clay (need the good quality) and BluTac are good for making dams, and much blue painters tape; cover everything you don't want the glass on.
You can buy AcraGlass alone (not in a kit). I have used JBWeld (Walmart, home improvement/hardware stores) with great success as many others have. It dries gray, so looks like JB Weld, not the off-white or clear other materials are.
Marine-Tex is another epoxy may people use for this, I have not tried it myself but expect it is fine.

Assuming you are not doing a restoration or tying to duplicate something specific, there are many ways that will work just fine to get a rifle properly bedded. And of course the "best" material can be mixed wrong, poorly prepared or otherwise fail miserably.

Nothing against Cabellas, but they don't have the product depth to be efficient at gunsmithing, reloading, ammo, whatever.
Go to Brownells, you will get a kit for much less than $60 if you want.

YouTube! It's not impossible to do well on your 1st.
JH

[dave tengdin]

I got a kit as a gift a few years ago and used it to bed my 52-D competition gun. The kit seemed to work pretty well. This will be used on my CMP Rem 40-X HB .22 that I use for shooting at 200 meters, and plinking from a bench out at 240 yards. Obviously, at that range hyper precision accuracy is tantamount.

I've built several muzzle loaders from a blank before, and poured pewter nose caps too, so none of this is going to be a heavy lift for me to figure out.

One trick I figured out with epoxy is to put the unused portion of the tub of it in the freezer. That seems to keep it alive for at least another day, and sometimes longer.

I use the same technique with varnish on paint brushes when I'm going to be varnishing things over several days and am too lazy to clean it properly between coats. Just put it in a plastic bag and wrap it up.

[Splashmonster18]

On bolt actions, I use JB Weld with a little "atomized steel" ( Brownells).. a moderate coat of Rig Universal for a release agent... be careful to fill areas you don't want epoxies with modeling clay,, especially the threads in the action,,, ask me how I know this...

[knappusmc]

I also have used JB weld and Johnsons paste wax.......works great! Started using JB years ago because could not see paying the high price for the kits. But am part Scottish and take the light bulb out of my refrigerator because no one can prove the light goes out when the door is closed.

[broomhandle]

Hi Fellows,

I seem to recall any good paste wax - a good coating of thin grease and or PAM cooking spray, singly or a combination was the go, for using release agents years ago.

Modeling clay IS one of the most important things to get right!
The clay HAD to be TOTALLY flush with surrounding surfaces or your in for a major problem! I always gave all the areas with modeling clay a light coat of grease so it would not absorb the Pam or compress a area with putting the wax on that area.

CHECK the entire receiver area THREE times! ​It's amazing how you can BLINDLY miss a surface - have someone else check it!

Of course CLEAR any excess epoxy off the stock, when it still soft! It's amazing how hard it is to remover a small over hang on your quality wood stock neatly!

Enjoy,
broom

[la Fiere]

Devcon 52345 which comes in two (2) 1-ounce tubes is inexpensive (+/- $10) and will easily bed one rifle.

It's available from Midway and a number of other suppliers. Here's the Midway link:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/22...scription-link


I've always used Brownells release agent and never had any problems.

[Wireman134]

By all means get Jerry Kuhnhausen's Shop Manual for your learning

[Muddyboots]

What is better than owning a boat? Knowing someone that owns a boat.

Do you know someone with a boat?
The U.S. .30 Caliber Gas Operated Service Rifles: A Shop Manual
Jerry Kuhnhausen
Pages 192 - 209 for bedding methods

Re:

Originally Posted by 2182637

By all means get Jerry Kuhnhausen's Shop Manual for your learning