Gunsmithing How long till I remove from bedding

Re: How long till I remove from bedding

do you still have some in the mixing cup?

if so check periodically and when it's firm enough that you finger nail leaves an impression, but it's solid and not sticky to the touch...

then pop it out and trim w/ an xacto knife
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: force_multiplier</div><div class="ubbcode-body">do you still have some in the mixing cup?

if so check periodically and when it's firm enough that you finger nail leaves an impression, but it's solid and not sticky to the touch...

then pop it out and trim w/ an xacto knife </div></div>
This is good advice . No way do you leave any bedding compound for 3 days unless you want to risk a glue in.
After you do the above clean up all the metalwork and the stock and put a very thin layer of release agent on the action and then refit the action back in the stock . Tighten to a bit less than normal screw pressure and " then " leave it for a few days to final cure. After that pull it out clean off the release agent and do what else you need and bolt it back in with normal screw pressure.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

I know it's common practice and it makes it really easy to clean up with an xacto, but I've never conceptually liked popping the action out of the stock when the bedding is that soft, unless you are going to put it back in after trimming and make sure the action bolts are torqued a bit tighter than the first run, but still a bit less than full value.

I figure if I can dent it with a fingernail then the action of popping it out can easily compress/expand other areas even if only slightly. I always let it set up at least 24 hours and then pop it, clean it and put it back without shooting it for a few days. Clean up takes longer and is more messy, and I guess you chance a glue in being worse, but I know the bedding is essentially non-compressible when I remove it. The other obviously works for people as well, I just prefer to let it be more solid.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: C. Dixon</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Just because epoxy is hard to the touch it doesn't mean its fully cured.

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You mean I can't apply 50,000 psi with my fingernail as a test?
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Re: How long till I remove from bedding

The tip with 3 days sounds best.
I think for any epoxy resin 24h min, or 12h in an oven.
Why would one want to demould when it is soft? One could mess
up a perfectly good bedding job for the sake of saving 5 minutes with the dremel.
edi
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: edi</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The tip with 3 days sounds best.
I think for any epoxy resin 24h min, or 12h in an oven.
Why would one want to demould when it is soft? One could mess
up a perfectly good bedding job for the sake of saving 5 minutes with the dremel.
edi</div></div>

I have not found MarineTex to be "soft" after 4-6 hours. If you're going to trim, reinstall per the above, and not shoot for a few days, I don't see any problem. No way would I wait 3 days to pull out!
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

It all depends on what bedding material you use and how well you have prepared with release agent etc.
A well done job might pop out easy after 3 days but a rough job may not. A mate of mine left his gun for a week and in the end cracked the forend of the stock getting it out. The bedding material had flowed around the trigger and into the magazine well to some degree making it rock solid.
I told him what to do but he did not listen.
As a general guide for amatures with plain timber or cheap composite stocks when the sample material is hard and resists deformation gently pull it out.
It is just as detrimental to the bedding if you have to bend the stock with excess pressure to get it loose.
Pulling on the forend will bend the stock at it's weakest point the recoil lug recess . The very place you don't want to upset the bedding.
With very rigid stocks you have more leverage to play with without risking cracking the bedding loose.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

24 hours w/Devcon and pop the barrel with a mallot. It should release easily if you taped the front & sides of the recoil lug with at least 2 layers of masking tape. After that, you have about 5 minutes with the Dremel tool.

Otherwise..you are on your own!
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: BigBore56</div><div class="ubbcode-body">24 hours w/Devcon and pop the barrel with a mallot. It should release easily if you taped the front & sides of the recoil lug with at least 2 layers of masking tape. After that, you have about 5 minutes with the Dremel tool.

Otherwise..you are on your own! </div></div>
On a REm 700 type recoil lug you tape the front sides and base as you don't want the base of the lug pressing down with action screw pressure.
On a Mauser style recoil lug witha the action screw into the lug you tape the sides and front only as you want the recoil lug to bed down firm with action screw pressure.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

The main reason for taping the sides and front is to allow clearance for getting it out . Although ir also makes sure the recoil lug only applies pressure straight back . The tape stops it from sticking and allows air to get in as it comes out.
If the lug is a perfect fit then the action of pulling it out could twist or crack the bedding in the recoil lug area.
Sometimes the bedding can look perfect from the top but underneath it is broken loose some place. Sometimes it will not matter and other times it will.
However if you only intend to fit a short section of the lug it should be no problem . The round action of a Rem 700 gives very good sideways support anyway. It's the flat bottom actions that could benifit the most from your idea especially if the barrel is "fully " floated.
The bit of thin bedding at the sides of the front action ring and the stock in this area is usually quite thin and weak add a heavy barrel and sideways movement may be possible. Although if the recoil lug is machined nice and square accross the line of the bore and bedded correctly it should just recoil straight back . However barrel vibration could change that I don't know.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PBinWA</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got impatient with JB Weld the other weekend. Needless to say 6 hours is not long enough.
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That's why it is imperative that you mix more than you need and monitor that left over material.
Setting times vary wildly in different places depending on temprature .
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: PBinWA</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got impatient with JB Weld the other weekend. Needless to say 6 hours is not long enough.
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must be temps or humidity or mixture. my JB was great on the 5th hour. i spread a bunch out where i mixed it and let a pad of 1/16 to 1/8 to cure.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

Yeah, it was cold and a little humid. It was after the SuperBowl and I had a few beers down and wasn't really thinking straight.

Live and learn. It's my learning gun anyways so I'm glad I screwed up on it.
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Re: How long till I remove from bedding

The air temp is very important to Marine Tex for cure times. You want to leave it at least 12 hours at 70f and warmer. I leave the bedding to cure under a heat lamp for 24 hours and have never had a problem. Also remember the thinner the Marine Tex is the longer it takes to cure. I have used it for many years and on many rifles and have NEVER come close to "glueing a action in" now a mechanical lock is another thing, I guess the hard lessons learned are the best haha. Just remember to prep the surfaces properly and use a good release agent, I use Kiwi (as do most).

One more thing about Marine Tex, I am a Caterpillar truck engine mechanic and have used Marine Tex for many years reparing engine pitting in cooling systems to great success. These are very harsh enviroments and it holds up well if the surfaces are properly prepped and the Marine Tex is properly mixed and applied. I have repaired engines and then tore tham back down after 800,000 miles or more and found it to be in good condition.
 
Re: How long till I remove from bedding

I'm thinking by how long it takes to get a rifle back from a lot of gunsmiths after they have all your parts that some must let it cure for at least a year before they finish it up. (weak attempt at humor) I typically just follow the instructions.

<span style="color: #3333FF">CURE TIME: 24 hours at a constant temperature of 72F. Lower temperatures will create longer cure times. It is not recommended to apply the product in temperatures below 55F</span>

I'm sure an extra day won't hurt anything.