Attempting first bedding job tonight. I have everything prepped and ready to go (I think).

Is the Acraglas Gel suitable for the aluminum bedding blocks like on the HS stocks. Thats what I have and wanted to make sure it will adequately bond to the aluminum.

If I bed tonight, can I shoot Sunday. The instructions say best to wait 5 days but I plan to let the lead fly Sunday and was hoping to try out my newly bedded rifle. However, I do not want to jeapardize the integrity of the bedding.


Roads

i think if the temperature where you keep your gun is warm enough, you'd be ok shooting on sunday...however, i always give my rifles at least a week.

good luck w/ your bedding job.

Remember you can't use enough paste wax or release agent. From the little bedding I've done I'm inclined to think that the paste wax is better than the release agent.

I have shot as little as three days after a bedding job with no ill effects. While it's curing, I always store the rifle in a closet that's next to my water heater so it's pretty warm in there 24/7.

I have not bedded an aluminum block but I have quite a bit of experience with epoxies and metals. A thin skin of bedding material on the aluminum might flake or chip. If I were going to try it, I'd take some sandpaper and sand the aluminum down to bare metal getting rid of the aluminum oxide or the clear coat that prevents the oxide. Then, I'd take my dremel and carefully cut some shallow grooves into the area where the material will be. This would make some "key-slots" for lack of a better term for the material to grip into.

None of that may be necessay, and it may work just fine without these steps, but that's what I'd do.

JimF

BXRoads, let us get this straight. You have never bedded a rifle before. The directions say to wait five days. For some reason, you must know more than the manufacturers. Five days has to be too long, right? You're kind of anxious. You're "sure" a couple three days are good enough? Based upon what? Your own experience? The experience of people on the net who could also be wrong? If you are going to go to all this work and want the gun to be flawless, why not just follow the instructions and wait until next weekend to shoot?

Rolly,

Don't be such a Smart Ass!!!! I never ever insinuated that I knew anything about glass bedding, hence the question. The Acraglas Gel instructions state to wait for a period of 3 - 5 days. Maybe you need to do your homework before making such derogatory statements in the future. If I bed this afternoon, then 3 days would be Sunday afternoon (do the math on your fingers). I was only soliciting opinions from others regarding their experiences and made no claims of having any knowledge when it comes to smithing (although I do consider myself quite handy).

Have you ever bedded a rifle? If so, then tell me about your experiences. You did nothing in your post other than mock me.

Am I anxious to shoot Sunday, Hell Yes, whats the crime in that.

Roads

You're right. I was being a smart ass. But, you're the one who said that the instructions say it was best if you waited for 5 days. My question still stands, I guess, why would you not do what the recommended best is? I mean, based on my experience, I could recommend less than that but do you want to take a chance ? All smart ass aside, I'd still recommend following the recommendation of the manufacturer. The previous sentence is also intended to apologize. Ok? Can you forgive me, please?

bxroads--
Keep the rifle in a warm place for a couple of days and you won't have any problems. I've bedded 50+ rifles in the past 6 years and never had a problem, as long as I waited at least 48 hours.
Do, however, sand the aluminum block and degrease it with Gunscrubber or alcohol before bedding. They are usually rough enough to not need slots cut in the block, but it wouldn't hurt. Good luck on your first attempt... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I've used Acraglas Gel for a few rifles and recall that the instructions say something like 2.5 days minimum, "and a week is better." I usually do the job on a weekend when I can take my time, and shoot the following weekend. Yes, I know it seems like a long time.

bxroads
If you are going to bed it tonight and shoot it on Sunday the best thing to do for the strength of the epoxy is to let it set cool for at least 24 hours and only then do you put the heat to it. If you put it in a hot box to raise the temp to about 100F for 24 hours AFTER it sets, the epoxy will be significantly stronger than keeping it hot the whole time.

A hot box can be as simple as a light bulb in a box with a standard electric heat thermostat installed. I've used one that cost me about $15 for years...

I have tested this a number of times and a number of ways, but got the advice directly from a research chemist working at formulating epoxies for Industrial Formulators.
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