Acra Gel Question

[drdougrx]

Hi All,

I've got some acra gel that I've had awhile....a long while.  I was bedding a stock this morning and when I opened the resin (white) I noticed that it had a grainy texture.  Use or don't use?

[jedman]

  I don't know what the shelf life is on Acra Glas, I used it many times and it always has a grainy texture to the resin.
  I have used some of it maybe 2 years after opening and it still hardened just fine.     Jed

[Mckie Hollow]

I started bedding 20 yrs, ago using Acra Glass Gel. The bedding on my first 2 rifles never seemed to set up hard. I could easily cut it with a knife. I figured that possibly it had an old shelf life. Since, I have been using JB Weld Industro and like it much better. Although I have never used it, but popular opinion says that hte best would be Devcon Steel Putty. This is what I will order and use on a stock that I am doing now. Sounds like Your planning on skim bedding that bedding block, Doug. Good choice. Can't hurt and can always help.

[gunnut69]

I don't know but have used AcraGlass gel that was 5+ years old and opened! The only critical part is the mixing ratio... If you've had AcraGlass that didn't harden either the ratios were off or there was some chemical present that kept it from setting,,and I've not had that problem.. I love Devcon adhesives but have no knowledge of the steel putty mentioned. I would caution however that many forms of polyesther resins get too hard and the repeated impacts of recoil can cause shattering..  I usually cast a small amount and after the suggested cure time try to shatter it with a hammer blow..not really scientific but after doing a few the differences are apparent.. For gluing purposes I prefer the convenience of the Devcon slow set 4-ton epoxy over Acraglass although I've used both.. Brownells used to sell a product that came in a tube and acted like the acraglass gel.. Can't remember the name but that was the best thing I'd found to that point for those gluing jobs that can't be allowed to fail (forearm caps. crack repairs...). It's no longer in profuction and I miss it. They have a similar product in the book but I've not tried it? The Glues typified by 'GorillaGlue' that foam when in contact with water (moisture) are an abomination!!! the foaning action sounds great but it WILL pry open cracks that are not fully supported!!! And when fixing shattered stocks it's very difficult to completely support the entire crack with clamps.. Actually clamping is the biggest difficulty in fixing most such damage..and I've resorted to some really strange stuff in trying to hold it all together..

[drdougrx]

Hi All,

Mixed a bit up about 8:30 this morning and it's 1:30 now and it's as hard as a rock.  I think it will be fine.

McKie....just doing a recoil lug bed for now....seems I've got save all my extra $$$ for an upcoming hunt in Texas.

[Mckie Hollow]

The best stuff that I have found for crack repairs is The West Systems low viscosisty epoxy. It's made for boat repair and somewhat penetrates and petrifies. It is also very good as a base finish to weatherproof, but don't try to checker after using it.

[gunnut69]

All epoxy's are h##l on checkering tools but I Tried.. The gun was a Remonmgton 788 in 243. It shot great but to a different point of impact every week.. It was of course the sycamore stock. Don't remember the brand of epoxy I used but it was likely Herters bedding compound.. sorta ages things don't it?? Anyway I cut the mixed epoxy wuth lacquire thinner and applied the mixture to hot wood. I then wiped the excess off after it had kicker over. Smooth sanded and went to work with the tools. The resharpenable style cutter proved it's worth that day! I did it at 20 lines to the inch and no borders. Also I fully bedding the barreled action.. The rifle shot great and never changed zero again..  Don't know what it would have done as the barrel heated but I never shot it so fast as to heat it up. Killed a passel of deer and coyotes with that rifle. It was with many others stolen nearly 30 years ago.. It can be done and it will certainly seal a sood stock but is a true pain..and any staining (remember the sycamore) HAS to be done before the epoxy is applied. Or the stock will be blond forever!!!

[hoghunting]

 I had the same problem with the Acra Glas gel resin becoming stiff and grainy. Sent an email to Brownell's tech support, and the answer was to heat the resin by putting container in hot water or microwave. I put the container in hot water for a few minutes, then stirred it up and it had the buttery texture again. The gel worked perfectly.

 

[Dirt Bag]

Mornin' Gunut;
          We've used the thinned gel on the heads of a couple LC Smiths that we re stocked. The gunsmith gave me a can of epoxy thinner from Brownells....cut the mixed gel out to where it would run and penetrate deep before it came close to setting, and saturated all the inletting on the flimsy stock heads until they wouldn't take any more. Would think it helped to strengthen them some.. (they need it).
   When we did a little scraping here and there for the final fit up, the wood was very hard, and we could cut it in any direction without it wanting to tear. Read in one of Hughes' books about how he uses it that way as a sealer - just one thin coat. We also painted a complete stock with it once, and it took about half as many coats of sanded in oil to fill -- and yeah it does raise hell with the Dembart cutters, but the diamonds almost took on a polish, and there was no fuzzing or digging in as happens on fancy wood in places. This was on a round knob Superposed, and I think it made it easier to checker the bottom of the ball, which you know is a b$%*h to do. Been tinkering with a old Lefever... just the metal work so far, and when we stock it, we'll try this again on the wood inside and out. Can't hurt.
                                                             Best;                      D.B.

[gunnut69]

Ahhhh the LC Smith!!  I did a 12 guage light on a 20 gauge frame once and there just isn't enough wood left between the tangs and the lock plates.,. They should've had smaller locks! My solution was to complete the inletting..a chore in itself, then grind away the insides of the four fingers, top left and right and bottom left and right. Then each was poured as a seperate pour with acraglass...and re-enforced with fiberglass fibers unwound from flass cloth. when done clean up with a moto tool and be sure to watch those glass fibers!! They intch like crazy!!! The reenforce was continued into a hole drilled into the top of the wrist which was filled last.. A lot of pours but worked out ok.. and gravity levels it off great.. Bought a lefever at the sale of the guys who kinda fostered this gunsmithing interest of mine. It needs a restock but mechanical is fine. Last summer I bought a Lefever single trap on the cheap. It needs a extractor. The plate and stem and all are missing. Got lucky a few years ago and bought a bunch of 2 piece stock blamks(claro) with great firure.. and cheap of course.. Must be 6-7 of em down there.. ones going on the Lefever and one on a M71 Winchester that's broken all to heck.. Finishing putting the M1 Remington back together. The foreArm started in seven major pieces and the buttstock head is cracked and has a couple of chips in top the head... People should realize they need fixed or they'll just get worse.. I've not tried the trick you mentioned but it's one I will give a shot to.. A guy asked why I would work on the busted junk and I said because most folks won't pay me to work on their unbusted junk... LC's are good guns but making the stock such an itegral part of the action is a poor idea..

[Dirt Bag]

Have also heard of using Krazy Glue under and behind the lock plates on stocks that already have small cracks starting... supposed to be some strong stuff and will penetrate and keep things from moving around. Lots of guys are now epoxying inside the locks....even on new wood. Smiths get a bad rap for cracking. The two that we restored had no cracks, and the one our gunsmith has is fine too. I wonder if a lot of it isn't from loose screws and oily wood letting the action drive into the stock like a wedge. We bedded the heck out of the face of the stock (what little there is of it), but mostly behind the tabs on the back of the lock plates, and behind and under the tangs. Rooted out some extra wood to make room for plenty of glass, and none of it shows, although it makes the locks a little tight going in.
    Some of the purists who pay the really big bucks to have a gun stocked with fine wood sort of frown on using epoxy....or so I've read.  There are those who can spot in perfect inletting with full wood to metal contact.... I sure aint one of them, and we figure that if we can get the epoxy in so as that it doesn't show,  and it makes a better, stronger stock, then that can't be a bad thing.  Some actions just have a flatter face with a lot more bearing surface, and better contact than LCs, but we think that if a guys uses a tight stock blank and gets the glass in the right places, they are as good as any.
  You suppose that if the people who stocked those guns originaly would have had epoxy back then, they would have used it?  I bet they would have.
   Always good reading from you Gunut, and lots of luck with the Lefevers.
                      Hoping this finds everyone well;
                                                                                                D.B.

[mannyrock]

   I once mixed up some new accra-glass, and it never did harden.  It stayed tacky and somewhat soft.

   When I did the mix, I was in the garage in the late fall, so I think the temperature of the room was just way too cold.

   Other times I have used it with no problems whatsoever.

Manny

[gunnut69]

Acraglass gel is a bit temp sensitive, it just slows it down a bit but I've never had it stop the stuff from setting... For really high impact areas add a bit of aluminum dust to the mix.