Material to fill voids when glass bedding?

[Killroy]

I have been using plumbers putty to fill voids in the action and areas of the stock I don't want bedding. Works great. The cleanup is kinda a pain, especially when the putty gets in the wood of the stock.
I hear lots of people recommending modeling clay. Is there a specific brand of clay or different material that you have used that cleans up easier than plumbers putty?

 

[B Nettesheim]

Soft Sculpting Clay, 2 lbs.
https://www.mcmaster.com/product/6102T21

 

[Walt Krafft]

I get modeling clay at Hobby Lobby. PlayDo also works.

 

[AlNyhus]

Play Doh is what I use. After it dries up, it comes out of holes very easily with a sharp dental pick. For big areas like the mag cutout in the action or stock, a piece of polyethylene packing foam cut to fit works great...epoxy doesn't stick to it.

Best practice is not using an excessive amount of compound to start with. Make sure it has areas to flow freely into as the barrelled action goes in.

Good shootin' -Al

 

[LVLAaron]

Amazon.com

 

[DaveTooley]

Play dough here for 30 years. Let it sit for two days and it dries out and shrinks.

 

[AlNyhus]

Play dough here for 30 years. Let it sit for two days and it dries out and shrinks.

The beauty of Play Doh. After taking the b/a out of the bedding, do the cleanup and bolt it back together for a couple days. The next time it comes apart, the Play Doh comes out easy- peasy.

 

[ricco1949]

Original Silly Putty, it comes out in one piece and does not leave any residue behind....nearly zero cleanup.

I'm still using the first couple original egg containers after 10 years

Can't take credit for it.....learned this little tidbit from Dan Armstrong.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071K7BTR7?tag=accuratescom-20

 

[DR_2297]

I get modeling clay at Hobby Lobby. PlayDo also works.

Play doh will remove bluing… ask me how I know

 

[gunsandgunsmithing]

Hot glue for smaller areas works great too.

 

[tobnpr]

I spray the entire receiver (epoxy mold release) to make sure every nook/cranny gets it, then use the modeling clay to fill where needed. Mold release prevents the modeling clay from sticking to the receiver as well for easy clean-up.

 

[AlNyhus]

Play doh will remove bluing… ask me how I know

That's pretty weird. I can't count how many blued receivers I've done using Play Doh with zero issues. That includes this four that were done recently. There were some '70's-'80's 700 receivers that the bluing would be damaged if blood was left on them....had a couple of those.

 

[Killroy]

All great tips. I have been practicing bedding on some of my rifles. I have yet to perfect my technique. All my jobs are turning out pretty decent but never perfect. I usually get a void or some imperfection but I'm getting better every time.

I was thinking hitting the next one with the heat gun, before I set the action in, to help pop any air bubbles

 

[AlNyhus]

All great tips. I have been practicing bedding on some of my rifles. I have yet to perfect my technique. All my jobs are turning out pretty decent but never perfect. I usually get a void or some imperfection but I'm getting better every time.

I was thinking hitting the next one with the heat gun, before I set the action in, to help pop any air bubbles

Don't obsess too much over a couple of voids. There's a trick or two for keeping air bubbles out when you mix the two parts. Heat isn't one of them, though. -Al

 

[JPB3]

Put part of the mixed bedding compound on the action/recoil lug/tang and the other part in the stock itself.

With Marine Tex this procedure pretty much eliminates voids..

Good luck

 

[Killroy]

Don't obsess too much over a couple of voids. There's a trick or two for keeping air bubbles out when you mix the two parts. Heat isn't one of them, though. -Al

This one got a fisher in it. To me it seems completely cosmetic but I still think I can do better on the next one

 

[tobnpr]

Nothing wrong with that job, looks good...just a cosmetic void. The receiver isn't going to know it's there.
Voids can be from air bubbles entrapped when mixing or when placing the epoxy- or what it looks to me in this case, which is just a tad too little placed along the inside of the stock in that area not leaving enough for "squeeze-out".

 

[AlNyhus]

This one got a fisher in it. To me it seems completely cosmetic but I still think I can do better on the next one

The etching on the bottom of the receiver that transfers into the bedding is bad juju. If you're checking it with a dial.indicator, this is an area that will show you more movement than most realize.

 

[Killroy]

The etching on the bottom of the receiver that transfers into the bedding is bad juju. If you're checking it with a dial.indicator, this is an area that will show you more movement than most realize.

Thanks for confirming my suspicion! What is standard practice to correct this? Inlet the bedding slightly around the numbers?

 

[ELR LVR]

I get modeling clay at Hobby Lobby. PlayDo also works.

Agreed with Modeling clay / Hobby Clay, they have it in the toy or Hobby section of stores like Wamart
I have always used modeling clay, it is kinda sticky which I like so it adheres somewhat to the surface
If you keep it in a ziploc bag, it will last for YEARRRRRS