Gunsmithing creative taping and stock texturing:done-ish

[AXEMAN]

i hope...

so i searched the web, found a flame pattern that i could use and still pull the mask off. not too pointy, gotta have a decent width of flames. and im doing something different with the punisher deal too. ok here we go...

i printed the flames and used clear packing tape to "laminate" them and add some weight and stiffness.

i used some household cement to help keep them still while i transfered the outline onto the tape.

after that its xacto time. curves are easy after a little practice.

cut and peel it off

i grabbed the bipod to make sure i kept the texture away from that area.

ok the skull i plan to apply smooth. i wanted eyes. so i made these little butterfly things for eyes.

take some tape and fold it in half

crease it good and draw half an eye on one side, half on the other.

i use the tab to pull the eye off and leave a hole. hope it works. ill let you know...

i printed the skull off the net, taped the back, traced around it on the stock and made eyes. ill carve the nose i guess.


ok i just did the skull...

more as i progress. with a little thought, and careful taping, you can put whatever you want on your stock or your gear or tool box or whatever.

you know i spread some out on some cardboard and ive been hitting it with a plastic bag wrapped around my finger, its not peaking. gets a little rough then smooths right over. ill try it again thicker and in a warmer place. but im not gonna put it on my stock if i cant get some better texture. i tapped it every five minutes or so all the way til it stopped grabbing the plastic bag. like i said, ill try with a thicker application. its just an experiment

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

What are you using for the texture?

Anything other then stuff like Steel-Bed or Devcon will want to self level and won't hold the peeks.

JB-Weld and stuff like that don't do well for texture.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

its devcon. devcon in the two tube blister pack. i dont think its like the 10110 and i think i may have to try a thicker layer as well as doing it in a warmer place. its pretty cool here and i am thinking it may have held the peaks had it been warmer and set faster. plus while it was a thin layer, i was pulling up peaks. they just fell and went smooth. i bought plenty, so i will experiment with a thicker layer and warmer temps. i havent even peeked at the skull yet...


i think im going to look into adding something to the epoxy for either texture or to thicken it. aluminum oxide or some silica or something with grit i can either mix in or sprinkle on. or i recall reading some DIYs where they mentioned thickening the epoxy. it really darkens after it cures, the skull looks good

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

The Devcon you are using is like JB-Weld or other epoxy of the same type. It wants to self level and won't work well for texture, it's too thin.

If Steel-Bed or the 10110 Devcon is used it goes on very thin and will hold the peeks very well to the point when dry they're sharp and will need to be sanded down to knock the sharpness off.

Not sure what would happen if you added filler, that might work, but putting it on thinker isn't going to help, other then just being thicker.

Keep us posted.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

here we go.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/

one guy said ...

It is darned near the same consistency, maybe the Marine-Tex is a little smoother but the difference for our purposes here is negligible. You can thicken the mixture with colloidial silica, chopped fiberglass fibers, micro-balloons, powdered graphite, talcum power, baby power, powdered aluminum, etc.. It wont affect the cure, merely the consistency and machineability of the cured product. EG: Powdered Aluminum will be much harder to sand in the cured epoxy than the talcum powder or wood flour will. Check out the "West Epoxy" site for many good tips on working with epoxy. Marine-Tex, PC-7, etc. are merely thickened epoxy compositions and all rules for working with "Regular" epoxy apply. You can even thicken standard epoxy resin and hardeners with various additives and create your very own version of bedding compounds such as "Devcon, PC-7, Marine-Tex" etc.


plus after reading thru the posts over on sniper central, guys who had the same problem had an easier time getting peaks with the same product by just using it at a warmer temp so that it set faster and doesnt have the chance to level. it was cold here when i did the skull last night. ill try a few things


here, i cut the nose.

im thinkning about adding texture like a media if i cant find the right additive to make this thick or whatever it needs to be, im still working on it

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Why not just use the Devcon 10110 or Steel-Bed?

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

if i cant get this to thicken, ill have to try another product. this is the stuff midway sells for bedding, but its not thick like 10110 so if i cant use some sort of thickening agent ill try something else, but until i use all this up, ill try to thicken. talc isnt working so far. im experimenting with addditives. i tossed some corn cob just to see how it looked.

plus i dont want to buy a pound of devcon and they dont sell small amounts. i can look for smaller marine-tex quantites. but the link said several things can be added to this thinner epoxy formula to give it different thickness or texture. im already doing flames maybe grit additives would feel better.

i will say this, i have a big square of cardboard im mixing this on and trying additives and drying times and whatever. but all the stuff thats dried was smooth and high gloss. its all slick and hard. just an observation

 

[Scimitar]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Love the skull. Great ideas but HateCA is right. Just use Devcon Steel Putty or Brownells Steel Bed for the texturing.

 

[Aries_Ranger]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

whats another option for Textureing the MArine Tex? Ive heard of a "Zip Loc Bag" Technique but havent found any details with the search engine......

TIA

 

[JALVI]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Steel bed and popsicle sticks!!! This works awesome for a good solid texture. And like HateCa said you can sand it down to your liking if it is to sharp.

Check HateCa's website for a great DIY on texture.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

im waiting on a hair dryer. i read some posts on sniper central, guys had the same issues with peaks falling. they solved it by warming up the epoxy and keeping the blow dryer on it til it cures with peaks. i just want to see if this can be made useable for this purpose.

aires ranger, i used a plain sandwich bag and found that worked best wadded up. as far as a ziplock technique, open a zip lock and zip it back closed with air in it. use that and see how it works. not too firm. vary pressure

 

[Chris F]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Here's what I did on a rifle for my almost 80yr old dad. Marine tex, waited until it set up a little bit. No filler.

I can't figure out why he doesn't reach for this rifle first though.

 

[TCA4570]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Axeman,
Have you thought about adding some plain walnut to your expoxy?
looks like ya only got a little to fill and texture.
(just use for fill, not basecoat.)
Closer in density to expoxy, and doesn't cut like glass.

 

[jasonZ]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Looks good man, I've been foolin around with a stock that i have lying around with different things. Think i'm gonna get some marinetex and make an attempt at building palm swells to see what happens.

 

[RBell24]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

pretty neat idea

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

tca 4570, when you say walnut, do you mean a powder like wood flour? i have tried talc so far and it helped a little. but i have a hair dryer coming so that should help.

chris f, nice looking flames.

ok i just hit this stuff with a hair dryer. no dice. it actually seems to get thinner and level itsself faster when its warmer. so other than adding some type of powder as a thickener, im going to move on. this may be good material for bedding, but its not useable as is for anything other than a flat glossy finish like on my skull. next its either Pc7 or marine-tex as they sell both in smaller than a pound quantities

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

let me ask this from those that have done this. even when you get the texture part right, does this stuff all feel like hard smooth plastic? i guess what i am after is a more rubbery texture than the hard plastic that this epoxy feels like. i am considering adding something to the mixture or sprinkling it on after i apply the epoxy. i did try with some corn media. im just not digging the hard plastic feel after it cures. im wondering if even with the peaks and texture added, does it still feel hard and plastic-y?? im really looking towards bedliner or some anti slip type coatings

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: AXEMAN</div><div class="ubbcode-body">let me ask this from those that have done this. even when you get the texture part right, does this stuff all feel like hard smooth plastic? i guess what i am after is a more rubbery texture than the hard plastic that this epoxy feels like. i am considering adding something to the mixture or sprinkling it on after i apply the epoxy. i did try with some corn media. im just not digging the hard plastic feel after it cures. im wondering if even with the peaks and texture added, does it still feel hard and plastic-y?? im really looking towards bedliner or some anti slip type coatings </div></div>

Not if you use Devcon Steel Putty or Steel-Bed. When these are used it will feel just like the texture that is on a McMillan stock, and once painted one can't tell the difference unless you tell them.

You are using Devcon in a tube. This stuff has no filler like Steel-Bed and Steel Putty. The stuff in a tube is for filling cracks and gluing things together, it too thin and this is why it wants to self level.

Bedliner stuff like you buy in the auto parts store will feel different and will probably
give you the same feel you do not like now.

All of these stocks have Devcon Steel Putty texture, and none of them feel like plastic.

 

[Onemoretime]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

I follow Randy's approach from his website and they came out great. Plus, I love the fact that I can customize the courseness (if that's a word) to my taste.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

thanks hateCA. i am most likely gonna have to get some marine-tex. i just cant find the devcon in small quantities. i think this stuff would bed well if you thicken it, but i cant see it being as easy as thicker stuff. i still have a few tubes of this stuff so i am looking at some fillers from this epoxy place. i have a few tubes of it so its kinda just playing around now. i have tried talc but i am looking for a few other powders. heat is not good. it just makes it runny. i get to a point where i can pull great peaks, and then they melt away like snow in summer.

i also learned that epoxy is refered to in 4 ways. syrup, katsup, mayo and peanut butter. im trying to convert katsup to PB. its doable but i need the right filler

onemoretime, its a word, but its coarseness. i got ya though

 

[Nocalphoenix]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

If you want simple and a heavy grip feel on the cheap this has worked for me in the past. Lay out your design with tape and apply a medium thin layer of spar varnish. Sprinkle the fine paver sand over the top and let it dry, then followup with another layer of spar varnish and your good to paint with whatever you want. I know it sounds Ghetto but I did it to a 10-22 when I could barely afford ammo to feed it and it is still there.

I recently did a baby glock grip with the devcon and left it as spikey as possible for maximum gription (grip/traction). I took off enough to not draw blood and my Dad absolutly loves the fact the gun will no longer twist in his hand on long strings of fire.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

i found a solution. its called colloidial sillica. $8. i am going to try some glass beads or micro balloons. the order some marine tex. or send it to da-law-dog or hateCA. its all taped off. really now its just the challenge. i think marine tex or pc7 will work but i want to play with this since i have a few tubes. i could still need it thicker if i want to bed with it.

but i have thought about texturing like you said norcal, i can use this epoxy like the stuff you mentioned. ive been playing with different things for the grit

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

ok i bought some pc7. 2 part epoxy putty. im taking whats left back today. when i have seen this product used it looked nothing like it did when i opened the cans. its dry and gritty and very stiff. i was going to use a plastic knife to get it out and mix it, but no way would i have been able to without snapping it. i got it out and mixed it for 10 minutes or so and went to taouch it with a plastic bag. nothing. it was already set stiff and dry enought that i could not even get the plastic bag to stick to it. so i heated it with the hair dryer and got it softer. still too stiff to get defined peaks, or so runny that clumps came up or chunks of it pulled up on the bag. maybe its my house being too cold for doing this right. this texture is gritty in a way so that i kinda like, but i dont recall seeing it be so dry. its supposed to be peanut butter consistancy. well this isnt skippy or jif. its not even store brand PB. its more like the generic white laber PEANUT BUTTER on the bottom shelf of some government commodity PB. im disappointed. its either buy some marine tex and see how that works or crank the heat in my house for a warmer place try it or wait til summer or just pay someone to do it for me... not happy. maybe i got a bad batch? i have that kind of luck. it was the texture of that stuff you use to scrub your hands after working on a car. just dryer liike the old school stuff, not the new jelly like stuff. like a thick mortar kinda feel...

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Devcon, Steel-Bed and some others will go to crap if they sit around long enough or have been exposed to freezing temps. If that's the case nothing you do will bring it back to life.

That being said if the product is still good, but has been sitting for some time it will need to be mixed up to blend the product before it’s used.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

well the stuff was dry after i mixed the 2 parts, and until i heated it up a little i didnt get any adheasion to the plastic bag. do you mean mix up the individual component halves? they are so think, i cant see any easy way to get that done. im going to try marine tex. same cost as pc7, just not at the ace hardware where i can take it back.

 

[Hateca]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Yeah mix the parts up before you mix the two.

Steel-Bed the filler will want to settle to the bottom, Devcon not so bad.

With both of the above you will know as soon as you open the tub if the stuff is good. It will look wet and will be like peanut butter or a tad thinker and will stick to everything.

When you mix the two parts together it will thin out just a bit and will be the consistence of peanut butter.

 

[Powder_Burns]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Curious, anyone ever tried using Line-X or that Grizzly Grip stuff they paint the truckbeds with? Those little rubber granules should be real grippy!

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

there is one of the bed liners thats rubbery rather than hard and plastic-y. it dries with a shine to it and they splatter more on the base to give it a raised texture. its not line-x... hmmm

 

[packratt]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Rhino liner is the rubbery bed liner

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

ok... i have mentioned my luck before. i really believe i should test things for people and companies. so i bought some devcon in a tube. should be great for bedding, but it wont hold a peak anywhere along its curing. i played with additives and could thicken it, but still could not get a peak to stand. next i went to the hardware store and bought some PC7 after some guys on sniper central had good luck with it. set up my work area, cleaned the stock with mineral spirits and popped open the cans... it was all dried up in the can. i could still mix it, but there was not a chance it would peak at the stage it was. so i tracked down all the boat places in town and located some marine-tex. well the small is really small. like half the volume of a film canister (someone out there remembers film?) anyway that was so small i couldnt see it working and for the price of two, i could get the 14oz cans...but i dont need that much, anyway, i just decided to say screw it for now. but i had all that time and effort into making the mask and the flames looked so cool, lol. anyway, i went thru the hardware store and settled on some spray on tool handle dip by performix called plasti-dip in a spray can. comes in colors, but i got black. sprays on well, but if you do too much with out letting it dry it will sag and run just like paint. several light - medium coats work best. watch the cure time as you have to find a balance between pulling the tape off and getting the right amount on the stock to make a difference and having it cure on the tape. i wish i could have made it a little thicker, but i can always sand it off and go epoxy. anyway, it didnt turn out too bad. its not texture, but i think if it was cured some them sprayed lightly, the texture would be faint but there. anyway its an alternative. feels good, i tried it on a jack handle first. you decide...

excuse the blurriness, my dog stepped on my camera lens and i am using a manual focus back up

i had contacted a few people about quotes to texture my stock, i want to thank them. i may go that route, but i just didnt want to send my stock away and also i wanted to do it all myself.

 

[n8lusk]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

Can't argue with the way it looks. Nice job!

Also, I wanted to thank HateCA for the DIY tab on his site (here it is ---} DIY I used SteelBed). I have done several guns the way he recommends, including my duty rifle with great results and it was very simple. I couldn't remember where I saw it until I came across this post.

Thanks again,
Nathan

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

feels nice, its grippy with almost a tack. flames are gay, but whatever, lol. skull turned out nice. when the action goes in for a T&T i may give the stock another try, but ill see how it holds up first. its nothing some sanding wont cure

 

[n8lusk]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

[img:center]

[/img]

Here is the only pic I have of texture jobs I have done. You have inspire me to be more creative on the next one I finish.

 

[AXEMAN]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

nice rifle, sees in the dark huh? i just wanted to do something different. the skull was done in the epoxy i wanted to use for texturing, but ... well anyway. ill try again, i just dont need a pound of anything so i looked for an alternative way to do something. i want to try applying some of the dip directly with something in a few areas. over all its good. its not supposed to look new forever, nothing lasts forever.

 

[Irelander]

Re: creative taping and stock texturing

I tried texturing my stock with Marine-Tex and had the same prblem you did with the peaks falling. Mike at Tac Ops said to keep the texture coat very thin. If you make it too thick it will try to self level. I'm going to try and put another thin coat of Marine-Tex on this summer and get some peaks.