Removing bedding

[cowboybart]

I bought a used stock that has globs of bedding material in it. Other than a Dremel tool - is there a better way of getting the bedding material out??

[pietro]

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Not AFAIK.......

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[Texas by God]

Me either. Sometimes you can chip it out with a sharp chisel and hammer but most times you can't. Dremel and a dust mask I'm afraid is the method.

[country gent]

The dremil tool with a router bit does a pretty quick job of removing bedding. The burrs and rotaryfile work but aare slower and more prone to loading up. Micro bed acra glass marine tex and most other bedding agents arnt to bad to cut out. Steel putty and bisonite have hardened steel filings added will dull a carbide burr even. They are a little harder to remove. When doing this wear safety glasses and a face mask.

[LAGS]

Question ;
Are you going to totally refinish the stock ?
If you are, them you can use paint stripper / epoxy paint stripper.
You can still use the paint stripper to soften the bedding, if you are super careful and not get it on the rest of the stock if you do not intend a total refinish job.
A heat gun will also soften the Bedding Material and make it dis bond.
But then you have to direct the heat into the barrel channel and not overheat the wood.
But a heat gun will not work on a Plastic or composite stock, and epoxy remover would not be a good idea either on plastic stocks.
I use the Dremmel tool to clean up the edges after stripping the bulk of the bedding material out, and have too just used a Dremmel tool from start to finish.
I do about One stock a month, that either was bedded for a rifle like in your case then taken off the rifle for who knows what reason , or stocks or complete rifles that i bought cheap because the had a Bad or Bubba'ed bedding job.

[55fairlane]

Heat the bedding up with a hot air gun, should become plyable and should be able to work it loose

[Greg S]

Knock the heavy out with a burr on a dremel then use epoxy stripper to soften and scrape out the remainder. Pile the stipper on and cover with some saran/glad wrap to hold in the solvents allowing longer penetration time before re-coats.

[cowboybart]

OK, Thanx for all the tips.
I don't want to refinish the stock as the finish is quite good (why I got suckered into the stock)

[lefty o]

Heat the bedding up with a hot air gun, should become plyable and should be able to work it loose

this works, i use a hair dryer to avoid burning the stock. may take a bit longer to soften the epoxy, but it still works.

[waksupi]

Use a Dremel. Finish remover won't touch it.

[pietro]

Knock the heavy out with a burr on a dremel then use epoxy stripper to soften and scrape out the remainder.




FWIW, there's absolutely no need to totally remove old bedding compound, unless it's loose from the inletting.

As long as the old compound's top 1/16" or so is removed, along with total removal from critical areas (under, alongside & in front of the recoil lug, the sides of the action, and at the rear of the tang), the repair coating of bedding compound should cure all ills, provided the metal's taped off in clearance areas prior to applying the release wax (etc).


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[Stockcarver]

Air die grinder. 1/4" shank carbide cutters or "burrs".

Dremel too small, too slow. So says my Sasquatch neighbor.