What Liquid Epoxy?

arcstarter

arcstarter

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Which liquid epoxy would be free flowing enough to fill in all the gaps and be able to stand deflection without cracking and be somewhat light?

Here is what I'm trying to epoxy

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Got a fiberglass shop around that'll sell you some microballoons? They are glass bubbles. Good for bulking up the material without adding a lot of weight. A pound of them is about the size of a regular size paper grocery bag.

Maybe see if they will sell you some cabosil too. It makes the mixture thixotropic, resistant to flowing unless disturbed. Do some reading to figure out how much you would need.

Savage stock? You want to stiffen it up?

I'd be inclined towards mixing a very stiff mixture of microballoons into some West System (because I have it) and spooging it into place using a plastic bag as a piping bag. About any long term setting epoxy should work. say, 40 minutes or an hour rating.

Really stiff mixture, like about as hard to spread as thick peanut butter in the cold.

Filling the whole space with epoxy is both heavy and expensive.

Cheers
Trev
 
It's a stevens stock and it's gonna be my coyote gun, just looking to stiffen the forearm a bit. The thickest spot will be 17mm and the thinnest will be 10mm I only want to go 1/16th of a inch above the carbon fiber shafts as that will still give me 1/8th inch clearance between epoxy and bottom of barrel.
 
Gorilla Glue and a couple of drops of water mixed together foams up real nice and dries really stiff and lightweight. It is aslo easily sanded and then do a thin layer of epoxy on top of that. That is how I stiffened a Butler Creek 10/22 stock and it worked really well. If you haven't glued those arrow shafts in place yet rough them up a little with sandpaper and use the Gorilla Glue to foam-glue them in place. I just put a bead of glue in and spritz it with water from a little spray bottle. I anchored the shafts in place with small wood blocks and a wrap of masking tape. Once the glue is dry, 24hrs to total hardness, you can just trim off the wood blocks with a small knife.
Kim
 
A bud of mine picked up a Stevens this summer for gophers. He was talking about stiffening up the forend and mentioned carbon rods too. Same source of ideas, I'd have to bet. Or he was looking at yours.

I'd be willing to go with the microballoons and try it that way. The weight will be not much. The balloons will allow the places that the epoxy has to flex a wee bit of give, while still being relatively stiff.

If you are anywhere that has a Model Airplane Hobby Shop, they would be a source for smaller qty's of microballoons and good epoxy (as opposed to the five minute, grocery store stuff)
If you can track down some 3M 2216, it's good stuff and flexes when cured. But a can is about the same price as the Stevens, so... Maybe not. Looking at about $10 for enough epoxy to do about five jobs, if you buy the small bottle kit. Should be around that for a margarine tub of balloons. Maybe a lot less, depending on whether they are marking up pre-packed stuff, or buying bulk and re-packing it themselves.

I usually stop in the shop in 'Toon town, as I pass through towards Moose Jaw. Handy stop. There is a Robins Donuts across form it. :) Hobbyworld, on Idyllwild N., around 36/37 St area.
Good place to stretch the legs out on the way.

Cheers
Trev
 
I was going to check out Hobbyworld last time I was in Stoon but didn't get the chance, I guess after Christmas I'll have to go there. You suggest just slathering the epoxy into the channels then putting the rods in place and adding some more on top? Will the epoxy settle out into a smooth surface or will I have to find a way to do that myself?
 
Mix in microballoons to make a putty. They are a bit of a pain to work with, as they want to blow away. But they make up volume, without adding the weight that would come from using straight epoxy. from there, you get to decide how much and where.
I'd look at filling the entire channel, but I would probably look at just securing the carbon rods in plce and seeing if that would satisfy, and stop there if it does. Still with some microballoons in the mix, me. If not stiff enough at that, then fill the voids with epoxy putty.
A container of them feels empty. So you have to add them to the mixed epoxy, stirring pretty much the whole time.

Then you use it like bondo. Spread it in with a putty knife, or apply it using a cut plastic bag as a piping bag, like cake decorators use. Shape it to what you want using popsicle sticks, etc.

The Gorilla Glue Idea sounds interesting. That stuff is crazy. I am going to play with it a bit, next time I buy some for leather. My bottle is....dead.

Cheers
Trev
 
Well in an effort to save myself some money I just used the Devcon steel putty I had left. Total weight added to the stock is 1/4lb give or take so still lightweight and should be able to withstand an elephant trampling it haha :D

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