Gilbert kit says 24 hours. Various tutorials said 8 to 12 to 16. Thoughts?

There's no way I didn't use enough release agent. (Seriously I went through some...) But now I'm paranoid about my bedrock/hardener mix. Went as close to 1 to 1 as I could, but man the bedrock is tough to scoop and measure. It's like Venkman with the slime in the library.

(Yes, I know I should just follow the kit's directions, but waiting isn't fun.)

I use pro bed 2000
Made here in Albuquerque. As much as I hate to wait. I make myself LEAVE IT ALONE FOR 24 hrs. I got in a hurry 20 some years ago not waiting while using Accraglass. What a mess . Be patient

I always keep the extra, that you dont use, and check to see how its hardening up. If the action screws go through the new bedding and into the action, ill pull those after about 10 hours, before the epoxy has fully set up, because i want to be sure the action screws will back out and are not seized into the action. Pull one at a time, clean the screw, re-apply release agent and put the screw back in. If you are using inletting screws, there's no need to do that. With a proper glass bedding job, you always want to be patient, but should also be mindful of things.

Yes, save a test piece. I'll take things apart when the epoxy reaches a firm but still a little rubbery state. If you mess up and it sticks or you discover a mechanical lock you can still pull it apart and scrape the bulk of it off and start over. If OK it will be plenty firm to hold its shape. And you can trim any excess. I use a sharpened plastic knife or a hobby knife.

+1

I've used Acraglass for 20+ years w/o a problem... But I do the bedding about 3 pm in the afternoon and let it set overnight - then knock out the action and clean it all up next day...

I save a test piece but let it set at least 24 hours, and I use Marine Tex or Devcon 99.9% of the time

UPDATE: I waited the full 24. A little stubborn, but one pop with a rubber mallet and it freed up. The tang bedded perfectly. The lug area is a B+/A-. The job is accomplished, but it's not the most elegant thing you've ever seen. Two tiny (pinhead) areas that didn't fill... I'm assuming that was trapped air? Anyhow, floated the barrel tonight all the way down to the end of the chamber where the bedding starts. This is shaping up to be one that'll get passed down to the kiddos. (Can't be many kids who inherit a 7x64 on a Mauser action with double set triggers, right? I keep telling myself, anyway...)

Thanks again for all the help, gents.

If I set marine text in sun, I can pull it at 5 hours and it is brick hard

As with any chemical process heat speeds the reaction exponentially. If you're relying on the high viscosity of the epoxy to keep the goo where you want it, watch the heat. Viscosity lessens with heat.

Somebody (OP?) mentioned trying to get the resin/hardener ratio exactly right. Components of bedding compounds for hand mixing are selected to work with a tolerance for some inaccuracy. And yes, the more accurate the better. But do your best and don't obsess over it.

BTW Epoxy generates heat as it cures. I don't think it's possible with bedding compounds as they use a slow cure hardener but it's possible for epoxy to get itself hot enough to self combust. Yes, I had to try it. Mix up about 6 ounces of fast cure Epoxy in a Styrofoam cup. Do it somewhere outside, nasty fumes.

I worked in aerospace for about 18 years and we used a lot of Devcon. You can mix a little more hardener in and it will kick quicker. You can also run it in a microwave and it will kick really fast (but that is not recommended as it can get you fired ) but it will kick REALLY quick.

Brick is actually quite soft...

Accelerating epoxy curing speed reduces its strength significantly.

a buddy of mine uses the epoxy that is used in concrete studs

I always do my bedding jobs (Acraglass) at the end of the day then pop the action out the next morning. The bedding compound is not hard enough to stand recoil after 12 to 15 hours but plenty hard to work with.

6
Heat speeds the reaction but not necessarily to an exponential rate.

In physical chemistry, the Arrhenius equation is a formula for the temperature dependence of reaction rates.