Pro Bed 2000

[Jud96]

So I bedded a rifle with Pro Bed. I followed the instructions and weighed the resin and hardener using the ratio in the instructions, 100 parts resin to 77 parts hardener. According to Charlie at Score Hi this stuff is very forgiving on the ratio. Well after about 32 hours the bedding is still able to be scratched with a fingernail. This stuff seems much softer than Devcon 10110 or it’s not curing properly? The rifle is in my basement and it’s about 65 degrees down there. I put a space heater on the bench to warm up the stock and even after 10 hours with the space heater the bedding still isn’t any harder. Thoughts? Thank you

 

[AlNyhus]

Is it still together?

 

[Jud96]

Is it still together?

Yeah I haven’t touched it. I have some extra bedding leftover from the same batch that I have been checking. The extra I had isn’t playable but I can press the tip of a screwdriver into the surface and scratch it with my thumbnail. That

 

[AlNyhus]

For some reason, the left over bedding always seems to take longer to harden up than the bedding in the stock. It might have something to do with it being compressed when curing.

I'm taking one apart this morning...24 hour cure time.

 

[Jud96]

For some reason, the left over bedding always seems to take longer to harden up than the bedding in the stock. It might have something to do with it being compressed when curing.

I'm taking one apart this morning...24 hour cure time.

How hard is Pro Bed typically after it’s cured? I know with Devcon 10110 I can’t really indent or scratch it with my fingernail. I know that’s not scientific at all, but it’s how I judge the cure on bedding typically.

 

[AlNyhus]

How hard is Pro Bed typically after it’s cured? I know with Devcon 10110 I can’t really indent or scratch it with my fingernail. I know that’s not scientific at all, but it’s how I judge the cure on bedding typically.

It's hard initially. It does seem to change over the the next 48-72 hours after its technical cure time. I'm just basing this on how it sounds when when cutting and finishing it on the mill or with hand tools.

My normal proceedure is to take it apart, do the initial clean up to eliminate any stress points on edges and angles, then put it back together for 48 hours. Then the final clean up and any mill work gets done.

 

[Jud96]

It's hard initially. It does seem to change over the the next 48-72 hours after its technical cure time. I'm just basing this on how it sounds when when cutting and finishing it on the mill or with hand tools.

My normal proceedure is to take it apart, do the initial clean up to eliminate any stress points on edges and angles, then put it back together for 48 hours. Then the final clean up and any mill work gets done.

Maybe I just didn’t mix it right or something. I took the piece that was leftover and broke it up with a hammer and it shattered and it was not pliable and didn’t seem soft. I also machined the extra chunk of bedding with an endmill on the mill and it machined good and wasn’t soft and didn’t seem to melt or anything like that. I’m just concerned with how I can indent it with a sharp edge with less force than Devcon 10110. Maybe I’m overthinking this or the surface hardness isn’t as high as Devcon. This is my first go with this stuff and I don’t know what to expect.

 

[AlNyhus]

Step back, pour yourself a cup of coffee and relax. The mill work on the left over piece (smart thing to do, by the way), validated that your mixing ratio was correct.

I feel how it 'skins' when simply air drying versus when it's 'captive' (between stock and receiver) actually points to one of it's best attributes. It may be a characteristic of the carbon/graphite content....we see the same characteristics at the race shop working with carbon/graphite and epoxy matrix.

FWIW, my mixing method is 1:1 by volume. I've only had problems twice and they were both my fault. Once, I pushed the cure time a bit when my gun room was a little cool. The other time was when I aerated the mix....it's better to just fold it into itself slowly over and over. Then let it sit and relax for 10 minutes or so. If you load it into a syringe, it's easy to trap air in it so be cautious.

 

[Jud96]

Well I ripped it apart. This is images before I clean it up. The bedding in the stock is pretty dang hard. I poked around it in a few non critical locations with the point of a razor blade and it seems pretty hard. I bolted it back together and will let it sit until I mill out the trigger pocket and a couple other spots.

 

[AlNyhus]

Nice result!

Changing bedding compounds is always a leap of faith when we're used to using something else. They all have unique characteristics. When we're doing a bolt in, those characteristics are a much bigger deal than with a glue in...at least in my experience.

Looking forward to your observations after you do the rest of the mill work. -Al

 

[GT Accuracy]

I use devcon, Marine-tex, and probed in the shop. Customers have a request at times and I try to accomodate them. However, the dual cartridge setup of probed, for the days where you do 3-4 bedding jobs in a day, is NICE!. Just pull the trigger, mix, and bed.

They all work great but there is something slick about black compounds on polished actions. They just shine different

 

[Liven The Dream]

Well I ripped it apart. This is images before I clean it up. The bedding in the stock is pretty dang hard. I poked around it in a few non critical locations with the point of a razor blade and it seems pretty hard. I bolted it back together and will let it sit until I mill out the trigger pocket and a couple other spots. View attachment 1430939View attachment 1430940

Think your going to like the Stuff ?

 

[7mmmag]

I have used Pro Bed on all of my stocks , i usually take hair dryer to it to get it mixed up on paper plate . I have not noticed any shrinking as near as i can tell 5 year old stocks bedded with it are still as tight as the first day .
The only problem is you cant dye it to try to match a stock color but black works most of the time .

 

[boltfluter]

Well I ripped it apart. This is images before I clean it up. The bedding in the stock is pretty dang hard. I poked around it in a few non critical locations with the point of a razor blade and it seems pretty hard. I bolted it back together and will let it sit until I mill out the trigger pocket and a couple other spots. View attachment 1430939View attachment 1430940

Looks to be a very nice bedding job to me. Well done!
Paul

 

[Jud96]

Think your going to like the Stuff ?

I'm not sure yet. It was different to work with than what I am used to and I don't want to hold that against Pro Bed. I'm not a big fan of how long it took to cure, and it still doesn't seem to have the same hardness as Devcon 10110. I am not sure that's a problem, but it's something I am concerned with. I prefer the mixed texture and characteristics of Devcon over this, but that's what I am most familiar with and comfortable with. Maybe it will be harder in a couple days, but its been close to 60 hours and it hasn't gotten any harder than after 24 hours. It seems tough to break and it shatters when I hit the left over chunk with a brass hammer, however I can scratch the surface easier than I would expect. My guess is that its surface hardness isn't to the same level as Devcon 10110, but it's still pretty strong and not pliable or gummy.

 

[Edd]

Are you scratching the epoxy or are you just scratching the release agent?

Did you use so much release agent that you changed the composition of the surface of the epoxy?

 

[Jud96]

Are you scratching the epoxy or are you just scratching the release agent?

Did you use so much release agent that you changed the composition of the surface of the epoxy?

I used two coats of the mold release sold by Pro Bed. Each coat I buffed off with a shop towel. This is the same technique I use in every bedding job with the exception being this is the first time I have used this release agent. I typically use carnauba car wax. There was zero release agent on the extra bedding that I was using to test the setup and cure. I don't goop on the release because I don't want loose bedding or streaks in my bedding. I can physically scratch and indent the epoxy with a knife edge and even my finger nail on the edges.

 

[Phys86]

I used two coats of the mold release sold by Pro Bed. Each coat I buffed off with a shop towel. This is the same technique I use in every bedding job with the exception being this is the first time I have used this release agent. I typically use carnauba car wax. There was zero release agent on the extra bedding that I was using to test the setup and cure. I don't goop on the release because I don't want loose bedding or streaks in my bedding. I can physically scratch and indent the epoxy with a knife edge and even my finger nail on the edges.

How did that bedding jo end up working out?

And @AlNyhus , how long are you able to store opened pro bed before it needs to be tossed? I have some from 2020 that I've only bedded 2 stocks with.

 

[AlNyhus]

@AlNyhus , how long are you able to store opened pro bed before it needs to be tossed? I have some from 2020 that I've only bedded 2 stocks with.

I go through it so fast I don't have that problem. It can seperate a bit over time. Warm up some water in a pan, let it sit for a bit and then gently stir it to reblend. -Al

 

[LVLAaron]

It does seem to get a little stiff over time. My time includes 80 degrees in the summer and 40 in the winter. However, it's the nicest stuff to work with....

Devcon might be a better product, but it's a pain to mix correctly, and is absolute hell on tooling.