Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Devcon steel vs. Devcon aluminum for bedding

Just finished my first container of Devcon Steel Putty. I really like working with this stuff compared to Acraglas. But I am a bit concerned about rust being an issue down the road. Was wondering what methods have been used to seal it to keep it from rusting?

Also I need to buy more and was thinking of trying the Devcon Aluminum Putty #10610. Rust shouldn't be an issue but is this stuff as good as the steel for bedding?

Also where are you guys buying Devcon? I bought the steel at Fastenal for about $35 but they do not carry the aluminum.

As always, thanks for the info.

You can find the technical data sheets at this link. The steel has the lowest shrinkage. Yes if you polish it I suspect it could rust a bit. I have not noticed it though.

I think the ultimate way to bed is to use the putty for the first stage, and then do a final thin coat with the liquid. If you went that way you could use the steel putty to minimize shrinkage, and then the aluminum liquid for the final think coat. It would be so thin that shrinkage would not be a significant factor. The shrinkage only comes in when the layer is thick.

They also sell titanium!

Ron

I thought SS was an option as well?

Yes, they list it. Shrinkage is still not as good as the steel. I suspect the issue with these if finding someone that stocks it, and the cost.

http://www.devcon.com/prodfiles/pdfs/fam_tds_105.pdf

Ron

Interesting. Devcon Plastic Steel Putty (A) shrinkage 0.06% and Acraglas Gel (which I like) less than 0.10%. Though both are close enough unless you bed REALLY thick.

Ive never seen or even heard of an instance where Devcon Steel putty rusted.

The easiest way to avoid rust is Marine-Tex.

Ted

I also use Marine Tex...

I've seen quite a few reports of Acraglas not setting up properly. However, I suspect that may be due to not getting the proportions correct. With the stiff Devcon, I weigh each part with a powder scale to get the proportions exact. I put them on a small square of paper and subtract out the weight of the paper.

Ron

Proportions are critical for some high grade epoxies and important for all. Hardener molecules cross-link with resin molecules so the closer to the correct number of each the better the properties of the finished product. Weighing is good, I weigh aircraft-grade resin and hardener on a simple balance designed for the proper ratio.

Acraglas Gel mixes 1:1. I buy the bulk size in the jars. To measure I dip a plastic spoon into a jar and strike it off level with a popsicle stick. Then scrape the stuff off of the spoon and onto my mixing pad with a popsicle stick. Use a different stick for resin and hardener so you can dip the spoons back into the jar without contamination if you want more. Never had a problem with not hardening, curing times are very predictable.

I just had a problem with old Acraglas not hardening, it could be dented with a finger nail after two days. The bedding kit was purchased over 8 years ago. I was warned by a gunsmith he too had experienced failures to harden with old material. I did not weigh the portions of resin and hardner but took extra effort to obtain equal quantities. I re-did the job with JB Weld and it worked just fine - didn't weight these portions either.

Never used Acraglas, just the gel. The epoxies I have used had stated shelf life of something like 6 months to two years, that's for manufacturers guaranteed properties. Stored in the cool basement I have components way older than that that still work, though I wouldn't use them for anything critical. Consumer products I'm told are formulated with a relatively wide range of mixing ratios in mind. If the ratio is off it still hardens, but the properties aren't optimal. Good enough for general purpose applications though, if you loose 10-20% of tensile strength so what.

I have bedded quite a few riles with Devcon steel over the years and have never seen any of them rust.

Here is what my gunsmith uses..and it is some tough stuff made by Devcon

devcon titanium putty