Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Bedding compounds, who made this runny Accraglass Chit #*!

I have always used Steel Bed, but everyone is out in my area. I have read that a lot of you use Accraglass. I found some, mixed it up according to the instructions and "hoped" it would thicken up a bit before applying. I waited an hour, nothing, still runny, stir stir stir, nothing. I added a smidge more hardner, just trying to get a feel for the stuff. It suddenly got hot in about a minute, kicked and was a hard blob in two minutes. WOWWWW...that was fast@! I didn't want to apply it runny and have it go into every orifice, nook and cranny, but kicking that fast made me scratch my head. The instructions said that adding more hardener actually slows down the kicking process. Hmmm...interesting.

I mixed up a second batch according to instructions and it wouldn't harden at all. I added a bit more hardner, even though the instructions say not to. It started to get warm, so I quickly applied it into the laminate stock and slightly tightened the action screws on the 700 action. The crap went everywhere. It was running out the bottom, gushing out the sides, running down the barrel channel (no I didn't put that much in the stock, it was just really runny). I was wiping and cleaning like a mad man hoping it would "kick" and stop running. I applied a lot of release agent and tape everywhere and I was REALLY glad I did. How do you control this crap? Why the heck do they make it so runny and unpredictable?

I was scared to death I would never get the action out of the stock,since the material was running everywhere, but it popped out easily and looks pretty good, although I have some cleanup to do in the magazine well and barrel channel where it ran.

I'm done with this stuff and going back to steel bed, which is a thick goop and EASY to control. It stays where it is supposed to. Flinch

Can't imagine using plain Acraglass to bed a rifle precisely because of the issue you had.
Acraglass Gel on the other hand is thick like a stiff peanut butter and it works really well.

Steel Bed is the stuff I have used for the last 5 years because of such great results everytime. I think the regular acraglass is better used for repairing things liked cracked stocks and such. I can't even imagine using that stuff to bed with. Sounds like you can never imagine it again either??

That's a characteristic of epoxy, hardening (cross-linking) is an exothermic reaction. It starts to harden, generates heat, hardens faster, generates more heat and so forth. In bulk it can get damned hot, epoxy is mixed in small quantities for immediate use.

For the runny part you add glass floc, chopped glass fibers, to thicken, hence the old term glass bedding. Or more recently powdered metals. I use the gel version which I surmise is thick because of a nylon component and have no problems.

"Stick" ( ) with the ratios given, so many hardener molecules cross-link with so many resin molecules. Leftover molecules of either flavor weaken the product though a little either way isn't a big deal with consumer epoxies. Some industrial versions are pretty fussy.

The box says all over it, "Recommended by top gunsmiths for bedding actions in stocks." I looked all over the box for how thick the material is. There isn't much information on it. The kit did come with a tiny bag (maybe a gram) of fiberglass flocking. It is hardly enough to do much with, so I didn't use it, plus the instructions said nothing about it, which I found odd.

It's nice to know there is a "gel" version. Anything would be better than the syrup version I used. Live and learn. I will still stick with the Steel Bed. I like it a lot. Thanks for the heads up on the different types of Accraglass. Flinch

Hey whatever works. I always use Acraglas Gel and don't try anything else because it does what I want and more importantly I've used it long enough that there are no more surprises.

I have used both and the preference for gel or liquid depends on the application. For small nook and cranies like the tang or recoil lug I like the gel. When bedding barrel channels and such where I want a lot of fill, I like the liquid. When using the liquid forms one might work in smaller quantities and build dams of modeling clay to keep it contained. Have a good idea of where excesses might go and get those areas taped so one can lift off spill.

I won't use any Acraglass product ever again...I use probed 2000 and nothing has ever come close to it in ease of use, setup time and finished product.

I've found that acraglass isn't even as strong as J-B weld so I stopped using it too and use the cheaper J-B for most of my bedding projects.

I've only used the gel formula for the last 13+ years.. Works wonderfully and easy to mix, color and apply.. It's never failed me yet..

Devcon steel putty (a) and Kiwi neutral boot polish as release agent. Works time and time again.
I wouldn't use any other.

I prefer to stay away from the various epoxy putties. Hard and strong they may be, but there is an important step lacking with their use. To get the very best bond one is well advised to wet out the area with un-thickened epoxy first, then thicken the remainder with whatever you're using and apply it. Wetting out means the lower viscosity un-thickened epoxy will soak into the surface of the substrate giving a better grip than if one went straight to the thick stuff. In that regard, the old original Acraglass liquid is better in my opinion. Just be sure to follow the "destructions" and have patience. Rule of thumb in the world of epoxy: the longer it takes to cure, the stronger it'll be in the end. There are exceptions but not many. (1/2 an adult lifetime spent in the custom yacht building industry has given me a little insight into the ways of epoxy. My consumption of epoxy was measured in 50-gallon drums.)

The last couple of guns I bedded with West System epoxy, thickened with colloidal silica. Works fine. You don't need to spen tons of money for exotic bedding compounds. In the end it's all just epoxy with proprietary fillers added that or may not be beneficial to this job of bedding.

Redneck, no doubt the gel would be the ticket. I thought it was all one in the same using Accraglass. I didn't realize there was a gel.

I've used the Devcon putty as well, but I just couldn't get it to "squish" into the places it needed to go. I found I had to torque down the action hard in order to get it to work. I didn't like it at all. I dug it out and went to steel bed. I think I will stick with Steel Bed.

Thanks for all the tips and heads up guys. Flinch

I use nothing but the Accraglass Gel and always purchase the Shop Kit from Brownell. It works every time.

I've only ever used AcraGlass (red box) once. Since then it's been AcraGlass Gel (green box). Most recently I've been using the bulk epoxy supplies from Stocky's. Same consistency and mixing ratios as AcraGlass, but half the price. (Note to self - need to order more.)

I made the switch from the gel to Devcon 10110 and am loving it...

+1 regular Accraglass is for repairs, the Gel works much better for bedding, IME.

No Marine Tex users here?

Plus one there.

Marinetex I"ve tried too and was ok but I was happier with steel bed... but the swap to 10110 I"m happier. But its a personal preference

I'm getting ready to do some bedding and was thinking about grabbing a can of Devcon. I'm currently doing a couple of lightweights, how heavy is the Devcon 10110 compared to say marine tex?