Fibreglassing over wooden stock

[RDavies]

I have a new laminated BR stock which is a bit flimsy for the long range barrels I will be hanging off it. Weight of the stock Isnt a problem as the stock is already fairly light, so I was thinking of fibre glassing over some of the stock to stiffen it up a bit. Has anyone done this? Does the fibre glass bond to the wood? I was hoping to get one of the packeted firberglass kits from the local hardware shop, will this kind of fibre glass be OK?

 

[watercam]

I have reinforced laminated stocks with glass before and it works well. Obviously one needs to remove finish first. The problem becomes one of thickness. I used 1/4' steel rod parallel with the line of the barreled action where it was weak. Fiberglass on its own isn't that strong unless it is fairly thick. Find a Marine hardware store,West Marine and the like) and look for West Systems repair kits. They are one once packets of epoxy resin in proper proportions that one mixes in a small container. One layer of fiberglass matte and one layer of light weight cloth makes a layer about 1/8' thick or less. If you haven't glassed before don't use too much resin. Just enough to wet the layers one at a time and have them pre-cut any ready to go since the pot life of the resin is about 10-15 minutes depending upon ambient temperature. I'd practice on some other piece of wood first.

Good luck, MT

 

[RDavies]

I have bought one of the fibreglass kits and will start the job in a few days. Luckily there is no finish on the stock yet, and it is wood is open pored so hopefully the resin will fit in well.
Is it best to do all the fibreglassing at once, or is it OK if I go back over it with another layer the next day and again the day after? I have some intricate sort of work to do and work on top and bottom, so it would be good if I could do it in pieces.

 

[watercam]

With the epoxy resin layering in intervals is fine. With polyester resin one needs a 'laminating' resin as opposed to a 'finishing' resin as polyester sets up completely only in the absence of air. Finishing resin has a layer of wax in it that settles on the surface of the last layer to eliminate air and let the resin set. If one were to use polyester one could either clean the wax off with solvent after it appears hard and then apply another layer or use two different resins.
Would love to see pics when you are done!

Have fun, use latex gloves!
MT

 

[RDavies]

It looks like I have the wrong resin, it says it can only be layered when the resin is still wet, so maybe I need to look for another kind.

 

[watercam]

That is finishing resin. No worries, just wipe it down with alcohol or lighter fluid after it hardens and then apply the next layer. On the last layer do not wipe it down for a couple of days to allow it to fully cure. After last layer wipe down and fill as needed with Bondo before sanding.

 

[RDavies]

Thanks for the tips. I got a tin of polyester resin today and will use both of these to do the job.