I have taught a lot of new guys to bed. Every time one has had a problem, it was with Wax. There is a learning curve to using wax, and few ever speak of educating the new guys, kinda like giving them the first step out of the 15.....
Keith, when walking someone through the process, I instruct them to warm up the receiver before putting the mold release wax on. It's buffed off and then a second coat goes on and is buffed off. Most people that get in trouble with waxes either don't do the two coats, get a mechanical lock due to not thinking through the epoxy flow or simply use too much bedding compound. Some QTips are great for getting wax into tight areas. Play Doh instead of modeling clay is another useful tip.
For screw threads, wax on the finger tips or a light oil works as long as it doesn't squeeze out around the threads when tightened.
Most of this is just basic common sense with a good dose of experience thrown in. Some of the stuff posted when this comes up shows that a clear understanding of what's trying to be achieved is not in place. 😉
Some of the best tutorials on bedding can be found in The Benchrest Shooting Primer. Most of these involve bolt ins and are directly applicable to hunting and live varmint rigs. Norman Johnson's articles on bedding that ran in the Varmint Hunter Magazine are also top notch.
Good shootin' -Al
