Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Acraglass Gel/Steelbed/Devcon

I use either steel-bed or Devcon.

I use to use Marine-Tex but, now I much prefer steel-bed or the Devcon by a fair margin.

I have used quite a few different products over the years; some specifically made for firearms, some not. My favorite for most use is the original Acraglas. It's a bit more difficult to use and a little bit quick in warm weather but it's hard, bonds well, and is impervious to almost any solvent. The Devcon products, Acraglas gel, J-B, and many others, will degrade if in contact with Hoppes#9. That's not a good trait in a material used on a rifle!
I also prefer the Acraglas to cast glass pillars. I will occasionally use Acraglas as a foundation bed then bed over it with Devcon. I do this because the Devcon will usually give a good final fit more easily than the Acraglas.
In using the Acraglas, I always add lots of fibreglass floc to thicken the mix. GD

Where are these online tutorials that were spoken of in this thread? I'll be undertaking my first bedding job and would LOVE the tips!

Selmer, I'm not sure what the rules are in posting links to other forums so I'm sending you a PM.

I have tried all of the mentioned formulas and they all work but I bedded my 30-06 and my 458 twenty-six years ago using Devcon mixed with iron filings and they have been in constant use here in Alaska ever since. Both are holding up great so I'll recommend the Devcon.

Thanks IAK, good etiquette on the link posting as well.

I've read this whole thread, and I wonder what the point of adding to the epoxy mixes is, i.e. iron filings or fiberglass flocking. I assume flocking is just fiberglass cloth pulled apart/shredded into fine fibers? I imagine it's an attempt to add strength to the epoxy, but is it useful in any of the mixes, or just some?

I added the iron filings - actually they were cuttings from under a lathe in a machine shop - to the Devcon when I built my 458 because it was the first big bore I had ever done and it seemed like a good idea. I can't say if it helped but twenty five years later it is still holding up.

Steelbed is my hands down favorite. Tried all of the others and they wok OK as well, it just seems that steelbed comes out better and is hell for strong for any rifle. It is easy to mix as well at 50-50. I have probably done 30 rifles with it now and am very happy with the results.

Some observations regarding epoxies in general: 1)Heating it, either to thin it or speed up the cure time will degrade it. If it's a structural application (ie: stock bedding) it won't have the integrity of non-heated epoxy. As a barrier coat in finishing I don't see where it matters. In general don't thin epoxies with solvents or try any fancy heating tricks- you'll only be tricking yourself. 2) If you wish to add more to a previous application that is fully cured be aware of a phenomenon called "amine blush" which occurs as a by-product of the curing process and is identified by the kind of wet, shiny, thin sheen that appears on the surface. It must be removed with a solvent. Failure to do so will result in a poor bond between the two applications. Scuffing the washed areas with sandpaper is further insurance of a good bond. 3) Most thickeners (most commonly colloidal silica) in powder form are nasty to breath in. They are an insidious cause of asbestiosis. One definitely wants to wear a face mask when mixing it into epoxy. I'm told by industry spokesmen that once the thickened epoxy cures it's safe. Sanding it won't re-release it into the air.

This is one area with direct cross-over knowledge between the wooden boat shops I spent most of the last two decades working in and firearms technology. The above examples I have witnessed/experienced myself, including a friend who has to live with an oxygen tank because he refused to wear a face mask.