Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Good release agent for a Ceracoated action?

I'm attempting my first action bedding job on my Weatherby Vanguard S2 with Ceracoated barreled action. I know a lot of people use KIWI Shoe polish. I haven't been able to find any locally. Will it take a different type of release agent for the Ceracoated action? I have a large roll of weather proofing puty. Would this type be OK to block off the holes in the barreled action and stock? I plan to use Marine Tex. I've watched youtube videos where they let bedding set 4 to 5 hours. They then removed barreled action and did trimming work with a razor knife. Then they reinstalled the barreled action until fully cured. I think they were using Acraglass. Could this trim method be used with the Marine Tex also? I'm waiting for Marine Tex and inletting guide rods to arrive. I'm wanting to do everything I can to have things ready when the supplies get here. By no means am I a Gunsmith so any suggestions, will be greatly appreciated! Thanks

I used Brownell's release agent and Acraglas on a Ceracoated Vanguard. It worked fine for me. I let the Acraglas cure for around 12 hours before I removed the action.

Did you remove trim, and then put it back in? Thanks!

Try looking at a local drugstore like Walgreens. I found it there when I needed it for a bedding project recently.

I'll check, we've got a Walgreens. Trying to make up my mind if I want to try the whole action or, just lug and tang being my first bedding. I've got a YouTube showing whole action directions. Of course the main thing is not to glue it in the stock lol! Thanks

Never take any bedding compound apart before it's cured.

Marine Tex cure time is 24 hrs with temps in the low 70's. The cooler the temp, the longer the cure time. When forced to use Marine Tex, I leave for 48 hours before it comes apart....even at 70 degrees.

Any decent paste wax or mold parting compound will make a good release agent. Give it several coats, buffing between coats. Don't use anything like Pam, aerosol Pledge, spray case lube, etc. Avoid the blue poly vinyl release agent that comes in the Brownells kits. Play Doh works better than modeling clay for filling holes and the cleanup is much easier.

Good shootin' -Al

Going through my things I found my can of Renaissance wax would that be good for a release agent?

Haven't used it personally but I heard that Hornady 1Shot works well.

I think I'll apply some of the wax to a bolt shoulder and apply some JB WELD to it and see what happens.

Here is the video I planned to follow for my action bedding job. I would appreciate some opinions about this method. I trust the input here as I've had good luck following the input from the highly experienced members on these forums Thanks!

I did, after cleaning things up I put the action back in the stock to let if finish curing. But I'm not sure it was necessary, as the Acraglas was pretty hard after 12 hours.

Thanks, I've been prepping the stock and barreled action. I hope the Marine Tex works out ok. This is my first bedding attempt. The thing that scares me is the possibility of the action getting stuck in the stock. I've been watching the video I posted over and over. I have trouble understanding the guy though. I bought plenty of play doh. My supplies should be here tomorrow so I'm trying to finish up prepping everything Thanks again!

Did you get some of those flanged sleeves for the guide pins?

Have used Hornady One Shot. No issues.

I forgot to get the flanges. Will I have problems without them?

Silly Putty is the best I've found for plugging holes and slots you don't want the epoxy to flow into. It cleans up much quicker than play doh or modeling clay. Simply pull it out with no residue. I've used the same little batch for years.

I do all cleanup when the epoxy is still workable. I stick a toothpick in the leftover epoxy and when it just starts to stay up without re-pooling it's ready for cleanup, usually about 30-60 minutes depending on temp.

I use cut up credit cards like tiny trowels for most of epoxy cleanup running the sharp corner along the stock/action seam for the majority of the excess removal...rounded card corners work well where needed. Credit card stock does not scratch bluing or Ceracote like a knife will.

I finish up with ear swabs moistened, not saturated, in brake cleaner or epoxy thinner for final cleanup depending on the paint or coating on the stock.

I used plumbers putty and boy there's a lot of tiny left over bits of putty I've got to deal with now. I read that mineral spirits will work. I'm going to try that along with a tooth brush and I have some plastic pick tools. I left it sit for 24 hours. The room temp was 80 degrees and humidity between 45 and 50 percent. How long should I wait before shooting with the Marine Tex? Thanks

To plug recesses I use white modeling clay from Walmart's crafty section. Easy enough to work, and rigid enough to not get pushed out by pressure from the bedding compound, which, is kinda sorta a big deal. Cleans up easy from the tight spots with WD40 and Qtips.

Release agent,

Best there is for any bedding job. Two coats for insurance.

Amazon......

HORNADY ONE SHOT CASE LUBE..

1) I’m not familiar with the stock that he’s using but I surmise that it at worst case it’s a plastic-based material and at best case, it’s some sort of polymer stock. I don’t think that it’s a fiberglass, Kevlar, graphite, carbon fiber, or hybrid composite stock. As such, I’m not putting down plastic stocks; it’s just that other than an academic discussion, I don’t see a lot to be gained by glass bedding one as they are less rigid than composite or wood stocks - and unless you drill numerous holes plus scuff up a very rough surface to provide for a mechanical lock, with conventional fiberglass, polyester, or epoxy resins your chemical adhesion will be poor. If you are still determined, you would be better served to use a less brittle bedding material having the properties of Acraglas. No, it’s not a dead product as some would lead you to believe, it’s just not rock hard like Marine Tex, Devcon, etc. but it does bend before it breaks or shatters and it’s not nearly as brittle -n it also has better adhesion properties. Structurally, you’re not reinforcing the plastic stock so it will continue to give a little and bend sometimes and with the more brittle bedding materials - even thicknesses approaching 1.5mm that he’s suggests - will eventually crack and flake in thin areas and stress points.

As to the case if it’s polymer, there are several versions that have been used since WW2 for making stocks so it’s not something that’s untried. My experience with polymer stocks is that some continually seep stinky or pungent odors 30 or more years after being cast (and I think baked). I don’t know what conclusions can be drawn from that other that I have noticed that those that give off a strong smell seem to resist most of the epoxy and fiberglass resins that I’ve used, leaving the surface sticky, similar to the “blush” that resins get in high humidity applications. Other than that their physical qualities are similar to if not stronger than current technology.

2) He made a grievous error putting tape on the REAR wall of the recoil lug portion of the action - that is the primary recoil solid lock contact for the action; leaving a slight void as he suggests, places more recoil stress on other areas of the stock. If you want to make the action easier to extract, add build up with a few layers of masking tape to the front and sides of the recoil lug. Normally the stocks I do have either pillars, bedding blocks, or a linear chassis that provide full, solid metal-to-metal contact in critical areas. Since there’s not any in this stock the only compression stop you have when tightening the guard screws will be the bottom of the front recoil lug along with the bottom of the rear receiver at the rear guard screw. That being the case, in the front I would have hogged out at least 3/8” void under the front recoil lug and in the rear, I would have left a vertical, cylindrical “well” around the space left for the rear guard screw. (Just widen the area in the modeling clay.) In both these areas before doing the final bedding, I would mix up some fiberglass resin and pour it in both areas, then bolting the action in the stock - FINGER TIGHT ONLY - until the glass sets and hardens which will take less than 30-minutes - other than cracking the guard screws loose - I would let all sit for a couple of hours to be safe. It will continue to cure with the time you allow for bedding. Before pulling the action out crack the guard screws loose Of course the best solution would be to simply install simple aluminum pillars, front and rear, but that’s a lesson for another day, so to speak.

3) I’m not familiar with the epoxy he used but he only mixed it for seconds - I don’t know of any two-part resin that will completely mix in 20-seconds. If he’s rushing because it’s one of these 5-minute pot time glues, that’s the wrong stuff to bedding a rifle. Slower the cure, the stronger the cure. He did let cure for 36-hours but that doesn’t tell us anything.

4) I have tried just about every time of release agent, and for me nothing beats Johnson’s paste wax (I know it’s not made anymore but just hunt for it and stash it away. Do NOT let is sit open as that will dry it out. I use dry - 2 coats - sometimes buffed sometimes just let the coats dry - but I also have used it ‘wet’ with epoxy putties. I like that liquid shoe polish about as much as I like the idea rattle can painting a $500 rifle action.

5) He ground down the structural cross-ribs in the forearm with the dremel, I would have filled those voids between the ribs with industrial high-expansion foam. The stuff is incredibly rigid and tough but extremely lightweight, much lighter than any resin, even with microsphere filler. (Note this is not spray can crap.) Then I would have taped the barrel bottom-half and making cure it cleared, I would have bedded the barrel channel sealing the forarm void entirely. This would be the only real structural reinforcement achieved, but it would add substantial rigidity and probably totally eliminate any forarm flex.

6) I don’t know why you picked this guy unless he’s using the same rifle you have or because it may just seem simpler or easier, but there are much better instructional videos and pictorials freely available online, especially here on the fire but also on other shooting forums. These are my observations but based on my opinions of what’s right - doesn’t mean your mileage won’t vary 😊 but just know if I’m being overly critical it’s not of you but with the approach this guy takes. Also, feel free to PM me if there’s something more specific you need answered.