Gunsmithing - West System for Bedding? (2024)

The first bedding job I did was over 40 years ago using Acraglas. Now, it appears Marine-Tex and Devcon are the popular compounds. I have used West System extensively from fiberglass repair & bedding to construction projects bedding structural steel.

Has anyone used West System, or is it not a suitable bedding compound for firearms.

ktdLS7

Re: West System for Bedding?

I presume west system is just a laminating resin without filler.
Of course one could use a laminating resin if one selects a type
that is not over reactive for the wall section one fills. Then one should choose a filler to control the viscosity and adjust physical properties.
One can blend and mix fillers. Metall powders have the advantage of transfering heat. Short glass fibers or carbon fibers increase stiffness and strength. Ceramic powders can increase hardness.
I only use resin systems to bed, main reason is that I use the same resin that I use to make the stocks and can choose up to 6hr potlife. Temper profile for oven curing is the same as the stock.
My favourite version is a blend of carbon fibers to create a very stiff strong bedding material that is very similar to the fill of the action area and is light weight on top.

edi

Re: West System for Bedding?

West System has ALOT of fillers based on need. I was wondering this myself as West Sys can be metered out in EXACT doses of both resin, catalyst, and followed by using filler of choice. With West Sys you can use the filler to make anywhere from a soupy mess to butter, to peanut butter to clay like. I dare try it but am glad someone else has the same question. Enquiring minds want to know

.

Re: West System for Bedding?

i looked at them for filler and the tech section is really handy. good vids on helpful stuff. im sure they can make anything from talking with a guy about the issues a had with some devcon i got in small 1 oz tubes. i couldnt get peaks when i wanted to texture my stock. in the end, its easy enought to just get marine tex or devcon or pc7 at local boat or hardware stores. i found everything i needed locally, just in larger amounts than i wanted to buy. pc7 was the most economical, but it was clay and not peanut butter like its supposed to be. that can must have gotten frozen or something. ill try again with pc7, ive seen pictures of how its supposed to be

Re: West System for Bedding?

KeyDiver,

You are on target. The precise metering and the flexibility of viscosity, set-up time, and the fiber/filler is what intrigued me. Unlike other compounds, this stuff can be finely tailored to the application. A client I consult for suggested using WestSys on a project, and it has become my preferred epoxy-based compound for the last six years.

West System is available at most large marine product distributors, like West Marine (no affiliation).

Tech Info:
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/products/
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/product-selection-chart
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/typical-physical-properties/

There are some builders on the Hide that I hold in high regard, and was curious if any of them (or knew anyone) had tried West System.

Re: West System for Bedding?

West System is fiberglass: resin, filler etc. It is not the same as the epoxy material in Marine Tex. Marine Tex will dry a lot harder and be more durable for bedding material the West System. YMMV

Good luck

Jerry

Re: West System for Bedding?

Jerry M,

Thanks. I figured there had to be a reason. I had some "after project" samples that appeared hard, but did not have any MarineTex to compare.

Re: West System for Bedding?

I find more shrinkage with West Sys...I use it a lot for adhesion purposes and filling gaps in joints...but I can usually see a little concavity in the filled joint. Doesn't matter in furniture, but wouldn't want it in my bedding. Devcon has experimented and tailored the resin/filler for optimum results. JMHO

Re: West System for Bedding?

I think it would depend on the filler used. You should be able to get steel or stainless steel dust. That should help control the shrinkage. I built a woden boat using the stitch and glue method and I don't remember any shrinkage problems using wood flour as an filler.

Re: West System for Bedding?

In perspective and not bashing. Shrinkage in a boat is more forgiving than a rifle. One thing about Marine Tex is almost zero shrinkage. Meaning measurable to a thousandth of an inch. I swear by WestSys for boats, guns I am thinking no way Jose.

Re: West System for Bedding?

West System's Epoxy will work fine for bedding. You can mix in some glass fibers or ground fibers (flock) to thicken it up. It works about like Tap Plastic's epoxies. Just choose the one with the highest temperature resistance and chemical resistance. Any of the metal fillers will also work. About the only filler you don't want to use for bedding the action is the hollow glass microspheres. You use that to make a lightweight epoxy blend for filling in oversize barrel channels.