JB Weld as bedding material?

Tyler

Tyler

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Has anyone done this with their fiberglass stocked M-14 yet?

Does cold-weld work as well as bedding compound?

What did you use as a release agent?

Seeing as we use JB weld for filling in the selector cut-out and the op-rod retaining pin area, it would seem that JB weld would be a potential candidate for a bedding material....
 
Iused it for some small jobs like extending my stock ferrule.

It does a good job, but I wouldn't use it straight up for a bigger job like bedding because it's brittle. However, I think that it would be similar to devcon if you add some aluminum powder to the mix.

I used devcon for my bedding job, but since you have to buy a pound of it, it's pricey! Now I have enough to do several rifles and then some. In hindsight, for a one-off job like that I would try the jb/al powder mix. That's just my personal thoughts, it might not be so great but it makes sense to me.

A can of release agent is worth a fotune! So I went out and bought a can of pam for three bucks. It was great, I don't see how anything else would have worked better. I hear that neutral shoe polish is a good one too.

Make sure you are tedious with the modeling clay. Missing a spot with that will run you into trouble! I was paranoid about this.

Good luck!
 
Two more observations:

JB weld was easier to mix. 1:1 is way easier than 3:1 with a popsicle stick.

JB has a much lower viscosity, filling more crevices and creating less bubbles. The devcon was more like a thick peanut butter.
 
there is a product at marine hardware stores called "water tite epoxy filler" it is a 2 part formula mixed 1:1 . you can add aluminum powder to this as well. the stuff will bond chemically to fiberglass surfaces and once cured makes for amazing bedding qualities. Does not shrink during cure, and pam will work as a release.
 
I wonder if they handle that epoxy filler at Crappy Tire....

So regular boot polish will work as a release agent?

I wonder if it will work with Acraglass... though I don't want to screw around with that. The last thing I want to do is bond the stock and receiver together.... :eek:

The only problem I have is the deep machining grooves on the lower parts of the reciever. Maybe I should just fill them with modeling clay...
 
Neutral colour boot polish is what I heard, but I really can't rcommend it becuse I haven't tried it! I have to say again, PAM worked perfectly in my case.

My reciever has endmill marks all over it too, I just had to knock it out with a dowel on the first removal, and that was it.

There is a good guide for bedding the M14 on different's site: http://www.imageseek.com/m1a/ scroll down to "Bedding the M1A"
 
Loctite product line called devcon has always worked for me but fibreglass resin will work as well. A freind of mine uses lipstick to prevent bonding but bee's wax works as well.
 
I just used PAM for bedding 2 of Rooster33's M1A's at the Abbotsford Clinic back in 2004. You will see me applying the PAM with a cutip. Make several coats or passes just to be on the safe side.

I like using DEVCON for serious applications and also more permanent situations (Competition M1A in McMillan stock or Precision Rifle).

For minute-of-moose accuracy, I just skim bed the rear mortises of the receiver and the top of the receiver tang (you know the rear horseshoe behind the rear sights?) with JB Weld. I like working with JB Weld... easy to apply, long 45 min working time, easy to clean up while the epoxy is curing (I like acetone for the cleanup), easy to mix 1:1 ratio, lasts a long time, but you can still strip and assemble your rifle and still get decent hunting accuracy.
 
you can buy a 2 part marine epoxy, mixed 1:1, with about the same cure time as jb weld, it is availlable at home depot and is made by "goop", I believe the package is a bluish colour... costs about 4.50 and is enough to completely fill and bed and unaltered usgi stock or 2 (ie selector hole, oprod spring guide retaining pin area and any bedding of the action)
 
Thanks for the tips guys! Much appreciated.

OK, so JB weld is out if I want a more permanent solution. I only want to do this once...with this rifle. Seeing as this rifle is a range queen, (decent) accuracy will be required. So I guess I don't mind having to tap the action out of the stock everytime I clean the thing.

I've never done ANYTHING related to fiberglass or bedding, so the whole subject is a little alien to me, so forgive my... naiveté.

"Resin" is the clear goop that you spread over the fiberglass sheets, correct? Is marine epoxy basically the same thing? Most boat hulls are FG, so I'm *guessing* so.... Do I need to add aluminum powder? If so, how much? What does this do? Where can I get it?

Can I strengthen the forearm of the stock by adding sheets of fiberglass?

And one last question: What is the name of the DEVCON stuff you guys use? I'm on the website now but I can't seem to find what you guys are referring to....

http://www.devcon.com/products.cfm
 
Devcon is the brand name, they make all kinds of stuff. Here are some candidates:

w w w .acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPortalWeb/WebSource/ProductDisplay/globalProductDetailDisplay.do?item_code=DVC10110

w w w .acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPortalWeb/WebSource/ProductDisplay/globalProductDetailDisplay.do?item_code=DVC10610

w w w .acklandsgrainger.com/AGIPortalWeb/WebSource/ProductDisplay/globalProductDetailDisplay.do?item_code=DVC10610 *i used this... I guess I was feeling spendy that day! I'm a sucker for milspec #'s. I have a LOT of it left over, so the cost will spread around... when you figure what J-B costs per POUND, it's fairly comparable to that considering that I use it for lots of other stuff around the workshop and will use it up eventually. The other two examples are far cheaper!

As far as the marine stuff goes, a lot of the stuff for fiberglass is polyester resin, not what you want to use. What you're looking for is an epoxy resin. As with everything, don't get too caught up with brand names. The devcon is a two part epoxy putty with powdered metal in it to give it cartain qualities. J-B weld is a two-part epoxy putty which is very similar, but marketed to a different target customer. I believe that if you add some powerded aluminum to the J-B weld, it will be identical in properties to devcon in as much as is necessary for the purpose of this project. In conclusion, I wouldn't give up on the J-B, and I would probably pick it over any of the fiberglass stuff. I just think it might be good to "tweak" it a little with aluminum powder, to make it able to withstand a lot more shock without cracking. For quantity, just eyeball it and don't go overboard. I don't think it's necessary to do, and I think that a J-B weld bedding job will work just fine for the life of your bedding job. This tweak however, removes any doubt. It just softens it up a little, like the metal in the devcon.

I have only done bedding once, the job I just finished on my M14. So I'm no expert here, and this is just my opinion. I'm sure the reason for so much debate in this matter on the net is that there are many products suitable for this job. It really is a simple thing, all you're doing is filling some gaps. You will get an improvement no matter what you use, but these were the products that my logic had me choose.

With regard to strengthening the forearm, it you really want to do this you don't need the glass, just the resin. The wood will do the same job as the glass, just hog out lots of channels and gouges to help it bond mechanically. I didn't do it on mine.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!
 
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Tyler said:
Where can I get it?
Click to expand...

oh yeah, I had in mind the aluminum powder used in aircraft fabric skins. Mind you, I had some left over from an aircraft covering project. That's why I thought of it.

(It's a process similar to composites, but works on a tautened dacron fabric rather than a mold, and remains flexible and light. The "dope" brushed and sprayed on is like a flexible resin, and some of the "build-up" coats have aluminum powder mixed in to make it opaque, protecting the fabric from UV)

You can get a little can of randolph 701 aluminum powder thru Leavens Aviation. (google it) If not, just ask around at an industrial supply place, I'm sure there are other applications. If that doesn't work, go to a metal supply or scrapyard and get a little chunk of 1100 or 3003 aluminum, and stick it in a power sander.

Fpr the devcon etc. and pretty much anything you'll ever need, Your Acklands in north bay is at 16 Venture Crescent. You're not going to get a bargain from them, but they literally HAVE EVERYTHING. They always get what I want by the next day. So if you need some one-off specialty thing like this, that's where I would look. Just remember that many other places have better prices.
 
THe "Marine" stuff you want to use is called "Marine-Tex". This and Devcon are the two best M14 bedding materials.You can also get Devcon with Titanium in it if you want that extra strength. Marine-Tex can be found at boating supply shops.

Devcon and Marine-Tex have been proven in competition by the U.S. Army and Marine shooting teams and used by them for years.

Pam or paste floor wax are good release agents.

Keep in mind that when you bed an M14, you do not want to be constantly removing the action from the stock. The more you remove the action from the stock, the more the bedding will wear and degrade.The hotter the loads/ammunition you use will also be hard on the bedding.

On my bedded M14s, I removed the action maybe twice a year for cleaning / lubrication.

Match M14s used by the Military were re-bedded every year.Depending on the amount of rounds, and how hot the rounds that are put through the rifle, you could probably go two to three years on a bedding job.

But eventually you will have to re-bed the action.

SKBY.
 
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