Marine Tex bedding question

[tylerk3303]

I’ve got the action tighten up and it’s been sitting in place for 2 hours. I cleaned up around the action after sinching it down.

How many hours do I wait until I remove and do trimming. I’ve heard of guys doing this before the 24 hour cure bc it’s a lot easier. Thoughts?

 

[jkohler]

I'd let it set for a day before you tear it apart. Second you really shouldn't tighten anything down when your bedding. You'll just induce stress in the bedding job. Use headless bolts for a guide.

 

[mram10]

Did you already clean up the overflow with qtips and alcohol or wd40?

 

[tylerk3303]

I forgot to mention this is my first time doing this


Yeah I cleaned up the overflow and then took barreled action off at 3hr mark to clean mag housing and trigger area. It was hardened up but obviously not completely cured.

I’ve read various methods of people who clean up 3-5 hours after and then those who wait. I’m wondering what’s the consequences of taking the barreled action off early?
I did put it back on after a few hours.

 

[mram10]

I immediately clean as much overflow as possible. Then I leave it till the next day before taking apart and touching up with a dermal and file. I wait till it’s dry to avoid moving it around while the bedding is shrinking and curing.

 

[Shrek]

I keep the paper plate I mix the Marine-Tex on with the excess on it. When it gets hard enough to snap instead of flex I take the action out and clean up. I don’t put the rifle back into the stock for a couple of days. The time it takes the Marine-Tex to set varies with the temperature. Set it out in the sun on a hot summer day and an hour and a half later it’s hard. Inside and 68* and it might take five hours. The only reason I don’t put the rifle back into the stock is I don’t want to put tension on it with screws while it’s not fully cured and I don’t have any reason to tape it back into the stock as it does nothing.
I take it out at the first possible time and clean up because it’s easier to clean up while it’s not fully cured. Fully cured Marine-Tex is pretty hard.

 

[tylerk3303]

That makes sense thank you for the input. I wasn’t quite there but pretty close. This is it

 

[tylerk3303]

When bedding with marine Tex do you torque the action to like 30 in-lb or less than that?

 

[Shrek]

No tension on the screws while bedding. I cut the heads off a couple of long bolts and slotted the ends for a screwdriver. I cut the threaded end down to about four threads so the thread shoulder comes up tight to the action. They get coated in release agent and just keep the screw holes in the action plugged and make the screw holes in the stock. I drill the screw holes in the stock oversized after done bedding so nothing touches the screws for a proper pillar bed. When it’s fully cured I use 50 in/lb front and 25 in/lb rear on the action screws. Just what I do but I’m just a DIY’er. The Marine-Tex will be plenty strong enough for any screw torque you choose without compressing.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

So that void around the front screw- did that come off onto the action when you pulled it loose early? Id dremel all that out and leave a little spot at the front and back and do it again. Dremel it out because it doesnt look thick enough in places plus itll give you practice, and itll look better next time. Dont pull it out and trim early just let it sit. I put a lamp on the action with a real bulb so it doesnt get hot but dont absorb the cold- epoxy needs heat to cure. I do my bedding around the same time in the afternoons so i let it sit for 24hrs- with a lamp on it its fully cured and ready to mill out.

 

[Toolbreaker]

For a first-time bedding job, that isn't all that bad. My first one was a real voided, mucked-up mess. Anyhoo, have a look at the link I'm putting below. It's probably the best written/pictured tutorial I've seen on bedding. I would suggest using Play-Doh instead of clay or plumber's putty as filler, though. For myself, it's a whole lot easier to work with beforehand and to remove after the fact.

http://www.6mmbr.com/pillarbedding.html

 

[mram10]

It will look better if you immediately remove all excess with qtips and wd40 or alcohol. Then go back when dry and touch up with file and dremel. If I don’t use pillars, then I drill out the action screw areas to allow for “wet pillars”.
Torque during is debated. Some use rubber banding material, surgical tube, etc. I use my action screws and lightly torque. Every couple hours I lightly adjust them so they don’t stick and to account for shrinking. Works for me because I feel the pressure squeezes the devcon throughout better.

 

[Dgd6mm]

Watch a Richard Franklin or Darrell Holland video.. you will not find any better.
Especially Richard Franklin
I need to get with the times, DVD.

 

[Ledd Slinger]

I'd let it set for a day before you tear it apart. Second you really shouldn't tighten anything down when your bedding. You'll just induce stress in the bedding job. Use headless bolts for a guide.

All this ^^^, but especially the second part.

 

[tylerk3303]

Thank you all for the input. I’m heading out to the range now and will shoot a couple groups with it. We’ll see how it goes fingers crossed

 

[Shrek]

Btw , how the bedding job looks is mostly for you. Minor voids and such will never be seen and will not degrade accuracy , poor fit over much of the action will. As long as the release agent wasn’t too thick it should be fine.

 

[tylerk3303]

So here’s the results. I was expecting worse so overall I’m pleased. I’ve learned a few lessons for my next go round. Conditions at the range were windy I think in doing my part I can get to 3/4 minute shooting GMM 168s. Here’s a couple pictures...

 

[tylerk3303]

 

[knguyen]

good Job Tyler

 

[Alex Wheeler]

The most important thing is you gave it a shot. I have tried so many different methods of bedding over the years constantly trying to improve the process. The best advice I can give is learn how to test it with a test indicator. Check your work and change things until you can't improve any more. That goes for almost anything in rifle building.