Marine tex question

[kennyg]

I have a wood stock that I am working on. I am planning to use Marine Tex grey when I bed it, but there are a few other areas of the stock that I would like to add some extra strength to. (It is all going to get painted) I know I could buy some epoxy resin and fiberglass, but I do not want to pay 50 bucks to buy a quart of west systems epoxy. I was just wondering if there is anything I could mix in with the Marine Tex to give it more strength? Maybe chopped up fiberglass? I know this is kind of a weird question. Thanks for the help!

 

[watercam]

It is not weird at all. I mix Marine-Tex and chopped glass strands all the time for boat repair. I don't feel it makes an ideal bedding compound though simply because it will not flow and form as well. If you want to fill larger voids and then grind it to shape, that would work well and should be nearly as strong as the wood. I have used glass cloth and liquid epoxy to fill in areas too wide to bridge with straight epoxy putty but lately I have been using thin pieces of aluminum plate to fill in areas too wide to fill with just bedding material (latest job was converting inletting meant for a Stolle action to work with a Win. 70 action). Basically glue them in place and then bed within them.
Without knowing exactly what you are up to that is all I can advise.
Mike T.
P.S. I prefer Devcon Steel reinforced epoxy lately

 

[kennyg]

My stock is a thumbhole modified to be ambidexerous (more like a manners T5a), and I feel like the wood on the top and bottom of the thumbhole cutout is a little thin. It will probably be fine, but I would rather it be too strong then not strong enough.

 

[watercam]

Perhaps there is room to insert an aluminum (or, what the heck, steel) rod through those thin parts of the stock?
Could be drilled from inside the inletting on top (if there is room) and/or, with a longer drill bit, through the butt area for the lower. If you used threaded rod it would hold epoxy a bit better to glue them in. The rod does not need to be overly large to work.
I did something similar to a sporting rifle in a heavy caliber with 1/4" aluminum tubing and it has been the sole support for the bottom half of a butt pad for almost 1000 rounds of full house loads.
MIke

 

[kennyg]

I really like this idea, I think I will try that. Thanks a lot!