Putty for Glass Bedding Jobs
Posted: Wed Nov 04, 2015 1:37 pm
I have been looking for an alternative to modeling clay or plasticine to use when setting up a rifle stock for glass or epoxy bedding. The clay is used to fill spaces in the barreled action where you do not want to epoxy to go, and to create 'dams' that keep the epoxy contained in the barrel channel. It is also used to keep it out of magazine wells, trigger areas, etc..
I have specifically been looking for something that is very inexpensive, and as close to being universally available as possible. The material has to be soft, pliable, slightly sticky, non-drying, and easy to remove once it has served its purpose.
What I have come up with is a mixture of "plumbers putty", a putty used for sealing around plumbing fixtures - with a bit of petroleum jelly mixed and kneaded in to give it a bit more flexibility and soften it so that it molds to shape more easily.
The plumbers putty I found has a linseed oil smell to it, which means that slowly but surely it does harden with time. Taking thumb-sized pieces of it and thoroughly kneading a small amount of petroleum jelly into it makes it softer and more pliable, also slowing its drying time so that it stores better.
It winds up being one-third or less the cost of modeling clay, and it keeps much better. Also, plumbers putty and petroleum jelly are very easy to find.
Since I have found this mixture to be useful, I thought I'd mention what I had found.
I have specifically been looking for something that is very inexpensive, and as close to being universally available as possible. The material has to be soft, pliable, slightly sticky, non-drying, and easy to remove once it has served its purpose.
What I have come up with is a mixture of "plumbers putty", a putty used for sealing around plumbing fixtures - with a bit of petroleum jelly mixed and kneaded in to give it a bit more flexibility and soften it so that it molds to shape more easily.
The plumbers putty I found has a linseed oil smell to it, which means that slowly but surely it does harden with time. Taking thumb-sized pieces of it and thoroughly kneading a small amount of petroleum jelly into it makes it softer and more pliable, also slowing its drying time so that it stores better.
It winds up being one-third or less the cost of modeling clay, and it keeps much better. Also, plumbers putty and petroleum jelly are very easy to find.
Since I have found this mixture to be useful, I thought I'd mention what I had found.