How do you make 'poured' pillars?

[AJ Peacock]

I've heard from time to time that some folks make their own pillars by 'pouring' then from Devcon.

Anybody do this and maybe even have pictures of the best process?

thanks,
AJ

 

[Boss Hoss]

Why not just drill a hole and use G10?

 

[trueblue]

Boss,
what is G10?

 

[AJ Peacock]

Why not just drill a hole and use G10?

I don't have any G10. And I've heard that nice pillars can be made by pouring them, I've got a bunch of steel bed and was curious how to make them.

AJ

 

[Boss Hoss]

"Nema Grade G10 FR4 tubing is an electrical-grade epoxy resin system combined with a glass fabric substrate, cast to a specific size and either formed or ground down to the desired specifications. G10 FR4 tubes also offer excellent chemical resistance and electrical properties under dry and humid conditions. G10 FR Tubing also features high flexural, impact, superior mechanical strength and bond strength at temperatures up to 130°C. Applications include antenna masts, heat exchangers, coils and inducters. G10 fiberglass tubing is ideal for spcaers and stand offs. G 10 FR 4 tube also works well for bushings. G10 FR 4 Tubes are available in standard and custom sizes up to 6 " in diameter."

This is what Speedy uses to make all of the pillars from on the rifles he builds for himself (he ran out last summer and I sent him 6 feet of it) as well as others. All of my rifles use G10.

 

[dogdinger]

AJ, i think if i were doing it i would just drill out the action screw holes to about 3/4 inch, pour them full of the resin , let harden and then re-drill the action screw hole through the resin. this would give you the same basic thing as the pillar bedding technique, only using epoxy instead of alum.....sounds pretty simple...AJ

 

[AJ Peacock]

AJ, i think if i were doing it i would just drill out the action screw holes to about 3/4 inch, pour them full of the resin , let harden and then re-drill the action screw hole through the resin. this would give you the same basic thing as the pillar bedding technique, only using epoxy instead of alum.....sounds pretty simple...AJ

Not exactly, you'd need to drill them in the right place and on the right angle, you'd also have to worry about the bottom metal and inletting for it. With pillars, all that is ignored, because they are held in exactly the correct position and are cut to the correct length for the bottom metal before they are installed. But I have thought about doing it they way you described.

AJ

 

[ZebDeming]

Never heard of poured pillars before, but the idea sounds interesting. If I were to go about it, I would turn down some action screws/guidepins. they would have the correct threads for the reciever and then step up to a larger diameter then step back down to the normal size. The larger dia. part would be as long as the distance between the reciever and the bottom metal, basicly it would set the "pillar" length. Drill out the stock as you would to install pillars, clamp the reciever lightly in the stock with it upside down, apply a good release agent to the stepped screws and thread into the reciever (I guess that you would thread them into the reciever before putting it into the stock as that would be easier and you would want to coat the part of the reciever that the bedding would touch with release agent also) Then pour the holes with what you're going to use, clamp the bottom metal on using the guide pins to allign, It should come to rest on the stepped portion of the guidepin. When it's all dried up remove everything and you should have a pillar with a hole that's not going to touch your action screws. If you can measure everything up AJ, shoot me the dimensions, and I'll turn you down some guidepins, only fee is that you have to report back on how it worked out. Let me know.

Zeb

 

[AJ Peacock]

Never heard of poured pillars before, but the idea sounds interesting. If I were to go about it, I would turn down some action screws/guidepins. they would have the correct threads for the reciever and then step up to a larger diameter then step back down to the normal size. The larger dia. part would be as long as the distance between the reciever and the bottom metal, basicly it would set the "pillar" length. Drill out the stock as you would to install pillars, clamp the reciever lightly in the stock with it upside down, apply a good release agent to the stepped screws and thread into the reciever (I guess that you would thread them into the reciever before putting it into the stock as that would be easier and you would want to coat the part of the reciever that the bedding would touch with release agent also) Then pour the holes with what you're going to use, clamp the bottom metal on using the guide pins to allign, It should come to rest on the stepped portion of the guidepin. When it's all dried up remove everything and you should have a pillar with a hole that's not going to touch your action screws. If you can measure everything up AJ, shoot me the dimensions, and I'll turn you down some guidepins, only fee is that you have to report back on how it worked out. Let me know.

Zeb

Zeb, that makes sense and would work. I was thinking more along the lines of duplicating the look of aluminum pillars, but make them out of steel bed. Then cut/install them the same way you would with the aluminum pillars. It makes sense to me that the pillars and the bedding should be the same material, so any shrinkage/swelling due to temperature would be completely consisten.

I was thinking about pouring some wax into a pan, drilling a stepped hole into the wax, then pouring it full of steelbed. After it sets up, remove the pillar and drill my center hole through it. Voila! poured pillars.

What do you think?

AJ

 

[ZebDeming]

Oh gotcha, here I am over thinking everything again. Sounds like that would work AJ. Accually a pretty good idea.

Zeb

 

[J E Custom]

AJ

Steel bed and some of the harder/tougher bedding compounds can be machined ,so all you
have to do is cast a cylinder using a cleaning rod plastic tube slightly larger than the pillar
needs to be and after it hardens 2 or 3 days place the tube and all in your lathe and machine
and drill the pillars just like you would the steel ones.

The larger tube will give it extra strength while machining and the plastic will simply be removed
by the lathe.

J E CUSTOM

 

[7mmSendaro]

AJ,

The Best of the West videos show how to pour pillars using Marine-Tex but I'm sure the Devcon would work the same. If you'd like to borrow my DVDs, shoot me a PM.

Brian

 

[eddybo]

You could try it in a two step process and not worry about getting the holes all that square. Drill the hole from the top almost all the way through then bed the action as you described. The drill the bottom and bed it in using your bottom metal. Your holes would not be critical doing it in that method.