Help with USGI Fiberglass Stock
- Thread starter Recce21
- Start date
- Location
- land of f-cktards
others will chime in but this is the way i would tackle it , hypodermic needle with either devcon,jb weld or fiberglass resin, in that order , with a layer of maybe fibre glass but it may be too thick ,
Hungry , and M14 doctor can def give you some steerage on this i would talk to them first ........
take care
Hungry , and M14 doctor can def give you some steerage on this i would talk to them first ........
take care
Craftsman 441
CGN Regular
- Location
- Wainwright
Where on the stock is the crack?
Vital question because you won't want a gap to simply be filled if it changes how the receiver fits and/or makes the receiver sit loose.
Other areas may not be critical and you can use a host of different methods.
Layering up with FG is something I'd consider....making a pseudo NM fat bastard stock
Craftsman 441
CGN Regular
- Location
- Wainwright
I wouldn't just inject it with an adhesive.
To properly repair fibreglass, it'll take some work, but your repair will last.
You'll need a handheld sander (a double action like used for autobody is ideal, though a palm sander works well), fibreglass mat, scissors, fibreglass resin and hardener, small paintbrushes (1" or so), tongue depressors (to stir with) paper cups, wax paper, rags and acetone. It will help greatly to have a fibreglass roller for this. Also, you might want to make sure you aren't wearing that nice cardigan Nanna gave you for Christmas.
Don't forget your safety gear: Respiratory (fibreglass has an effect similar to asbestos on your insidey parts, plus the resin fumes are posionous); latex or plastic gloves; and eye/face protection.
Point to note: Even the smallest drop of hardener (MEK) in your eyes will BLIND you.
It's quite the shopping list, but try and get together with some buddies and reinforce your M14 stock forends to spread out the cost.
What you need to do is sand along the crack and VEE-out the area along the crack. It needs to be a shallow angle, because this is where a patch is going to go. A shallow angle means more area of contact with the patch. If it's too sharp of an angle, the repair will be difficult to make, and the patch will eventually come out as a big wedge. If that happens on the range, you'll look (and likely feel) like a real arseh0le. When you're sanding, you'll find the ends of the crack. Usually, it will be longer than it appears on the surface. When you find the ends, drill them with a 1/16" bit. This will stop the crack from getting bigger. Don't worry if you open a small slot in the stock, the patches will fit in there. If it's really big, make a single patch from the inside just before you place your outside stack of patches.
With the sanding and drilling done, you will need your mat and scissors and a sharpie. Draw the outer contour of the crack, plus 1/4" or so bigger, on the mat and cut it out. Place it over the repair area and trim if need be. That's the top. When you're happy with that (don't get carried away fitting it - you'll sand off the excess later), make another contour, but smaller. The idea is that you'll make a pile (literally) of these contours, and the thickness of the pile will be the thickness of the fibreglass you're repairing. Once you have enough, put some acetone on a rag and clean off the repair area. Mask off the parts of the stock that you don't want to get resin on.
Lay-out the wax paper. Taping it down will help. Mix some fibreglass resin. With the paintbrush, put some resin on the repair area. Pour some resin on the wax paper. Take the top layer of the patch and put it into the resin puddle. Roll over your first layer until it's saturated and there are no air bubbles trapped inside. Add more resin, put on another layer and roll it. Continue this with all the layers you cut out earlier. When you have your big sticky stack of patches, slide it into the repair area and try to roll it as best you can.
Once it's dry, you sand the patch to match the stock's shape. Clean with acetone, add some glazing putty and sand again. Hit it with whatever paintjob you want, and you're good to go.
Alternatively, you can just skip the repair procedure and mail me the stock and $25.
You won't get either back, though.
To properly repair fibreglass, it'll take some work, but your repair will last.
You'll need a handheld sander (a double action like used for autobody is ideal, though a palm sander works well), fibreglass mat, scissors, fibreglass resin and hardener, small paintbrushes (1" or so), tongue depressors (to stir with) paper cups, wax paper, rags and acetone. It will help greatly to have a fibreglass roller for this. Also, you might want to make sure you aren't wearing that nice cardigan Nanna gave you for Christmas.
Don't forget your safety gear: Respiratory (fibreglass has an effect similar to asbestos on your insidey parts, plus the resin fumes are posionous); latex or plastic gloves; and eye/face protection.
Point to note: Even the smallest drop of hardener (MEK) in your eyes will BLIND you.
It's quite the shopping list, but try and get together with some buddies and reinforce your M14 stock forends to spread out the cost.
What you need to do is sand along the crack and VEE-out the area along the crack. It needs to be a shallow angle, because this is where a patch is going to go. A shallow angle means more area of contact with the patch. If it's too sharp of an angle, the repair will be difficult to make, and the patch will eventually come out as a big wedge. If that happens on the range, you'll look (and likely feel) like a real arseh0le. When you're sanding, you'll find the ends of the crack. Usually, it will be longer than it appears on the surface. When you find the ends, drill them with a 1/16" bit. This will stop the crack from getting bigger. Don't worry if you open a small slot in the stock, the patches will fit in there. If it's really big, make a single patch from the inside just before you place your outside stack of patches.
With the sanding and drilling done, you will need your mat and scissors and a sharpie. Draw the outer contour of the crack, plus 1/4" or so bigger, on the mat and cut it out. Place it over the repair area and trim if need be. That's the top. When you're happy with that (don't get carried away fitting it - you'll sand off the excess later), make another contour, but smaller. The idea is that you'll make a pile (literally) of these contours, and the thickness of the pile will be the thickness of the fibreglass you're repairing. Once you have enough, put some acetone on a rag and clean off the repair area. Mask off the parts of the stock that you don't want to get resin on.
Lay-out the wax paper. Taping it down will help. Mix some fibreglass resin. With the paintbrush, put some resin on the repair area. Pour some resin on the wax paper. Take the top layer of the patch and put it into the resin puddle. Roll over your first layer until it's saturated and there are no air bubbles trapped inside. Add more resin, put on another layer and roll it. Continue this with all the layers you cut out earlier. When you have your big sticky stack of patches, slide it into the repair area and try to roll it as best you can.
Once it's dry, you sand the patch to match the stock's shape. Clean with acetone, add some glazing putty and sand again. Hit it with whatever paintjob you want, and you're good to go.
Alternatively, you can just skip the repair procedure and mail me the stock and $25.
You won't get either back, though.
- Location
- Edmonton, AB
I'll do it for free, you pay shipping. I make the same disclaimer as Craftsman though. You might not ever see it again
hmmm
it's so much more simpler than all of that.
get a dremmel with a 1/8 or smaller round ball bit.
follow the crack, making a shallow ditch, and do the same on the back side leaving a thin wall of material , do not blow right through the crack.
get some EPOXY putty and apply it to both sides, forcing it into the crack.
flex the stock so the crack spreads and sucks in some putty then let it set.
once set, sand with 80, then 120, then something finer and prime and paint.
your usgi fiberglass stock is epoxy based and should have epoxy based resins and putties used in mods or repairs.
working with these stocks is something i am intimately familiar with..... I do it on a daily basis...... and I get paid for it to boot. I have never had one customer come back with a failed repair or modification.
ymmv
it's so much more simpler than all of that.
get a dremmel with a 1/8 or smaller round ball bit.
follow the crack, making a shallow ditch, and do the same on the back side leaving a thin wall of material , do not blow right through the crack.
get some EPOXY putty and apply it to both sides, forcing it into the crack.
flex the stock so the crack spreads and sucks in some putty then let it set.
once set, sand with 80, then 120, then something finer and prime and paint.
your usgi fiberglass stock is epoxy based and should have epoxy based resins and putties used in mods or repairs.
working with these stocks is something i am intimately familiar with..... I do it on a daily basis...... and I get paid for it to boot. I have never had one customer come back with a failed repair or modification.
ymmv
Is there any way to save the texturing? The crack runs across the texturing and to the underside of the stock.
I like what everyone has suggested so far. I'm with Winz (personal bias) with adding layers of FG cloth and making something like a fatter profiled match stock, just like a McMillan Fat Bastard NM stock.
Craftsman441 and M14Doctor have the correct and nice looking fixes... Me? I'm all about the Fat Bastard look.
It all depends on your comfort level working with the materials Recce21... How far do you want to take this project; a fix or a total upgrade (stiffness, strength, looks?) ??
Either way, you will find this problem will turn out to be a learning opportunity. IF you are truly worried, I've got a spare USGI Glass stock!
Craftsman441 and M14Doctor have the correct and nice looking fixes... Me? I'm all about the Fat Bastard look.
It all depends on your comfort level working with the materials Recce21... How far do you want to take this project; a fix or a total upgrade (stiffness, strength, looks?) ??
Either way, you will find this problem will turn out to be a learning opportunity. IF you are truly worried, I've got a spare USGI Glass stock!
I like hungry's idea as well of layerering up for a better, fatter feel. Carbon fiber is availlable for those concerned about wieght and standard fiberglas 1.5oz matting is great as well. However for the best final result ..... use an epoxy resin , not a polyester such as bondo resin. System 3 is a great one for an epoxy resin, easy to mix and good working time.
have fun with your project and get back to us once she's done
have fun with your project and get back to us once she's done
Thanks
I just want to publicly thank Hungry for taking a look at my cracked stock while he was in the neighborhood! I will be taking his advise and creating a "fat boy" stock and hopefully not screw it up....
On that same note, it's nice to see that people in this sport can take the time to help one another out, whether it is through donating their time or spare parts. I will be definitely passing it forward. Thanks again Hungry.
I just want to publicly thank Hungry for taking a look at my cracked stock while he was in the neighborhood! I will be taking his advise and creating a "fat boy" stock and hopefully not screw it up....
On that same note, it's nice to see that people in this sport can take the time to help one another out, whether it is through donating their time or spare parts. I will be definitely passing it forward. Thanks again Hungry.
Hey, thanks for the opportunity to step up and throw down (so to speak) even while on vacation here in Alberta! It's all good. Now once you start working on that fat front end for that cracked USGI stock, you won't look back anymore. You'll wonder why you never got started with some Fiberglass Repair kits from Cambodian Tire in Okotoks! Soon you will be buying the epoxy pigment and start swirling up your own painted epoxy schemes on top of the fiberglass cloth you'll be reinforcing that front end with.
Hmmmm... maybe it's time for me to crank up another (yes, another ) fat bastard McMillan Wannabe stock (Hungry welfare method rides again) for the FAQ's; especially now that I've learned how to post pics! Yeeeeha.
Ryan, you are on your way.... PM me when I get back for some tactical looking screws for the front sling swivel. I gave away a krapload at the TSE hosted Calgary M14 Clinic. Got lots more now!!
Barney
Hmmmm... maybe it's time for me to crank up another (yes, another ) fat bastard McMillan Wannabe stock (Hungry welfare method rides again) for the FAQ's; especially now that I've learned how to post pics! Yeeeeha.
Ryan, you are on your way.... PM me when I get back for some tactical looking screws for the front sling swivel. I gave away a krapload at the TSE hosted Calgary M14 Clinic. Got lots more now!!
Barney
