Re: Making a fore-end stiffer.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: aron</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Check out fibreglast.com for the carbon fiber too. You can also get it already impregnated with resin. Just add heat to cure it. You are going to want to use epoxy resin with carbon. </div></div>
"Pre Preg" or material that contains the resin is great stuff. The saturation is already taken care of for you and the ratios are spot on. (generally 1:1 based on weight. If its a lb of fabric, use a lb of resin)
The issue is its an oven cure process. Depending on what type of resin its saturated with will drive the curing temp/time.
There's no certainty however that the rest of the stock will tolerate the heat. Some of this stuff is quite high. It's not as simple as warming it up with a hot air gun or tossing it in the cerakote oven.
The other issue is storage. Leave it out and it'll deteriorate (harden).
I personally don't use prepreg. Instead I lay the material out on a glass plate, pour resin over it, and squeegie with a deck of cheap playing cards to work it into the fibers. It's more effort, but the resins I use will cure at room temperature.
The big trick is getting the barrel channel right. If you cut too deep and don't keep the barrel on the waterline it'll form a mechanical lock that's a devil to peel apart.
You also need to take measures to ensure the liquid resin doesn't creep back into the bedding area.
I then belt sand it near flat to the stock and block sand the rest. Polishing up the carbon starts with 600 grit, working up to 1500, and finally with a wheel using the "ruje".
Then its polishing compound like you use on paint. Gotta be careful not to burn the resin though.
It's a bit of work, but they do look pretty cool. Getting the fabric to "lay right" with the weave parallel to the stock is prolly the hardest to do. It's easy for it to twist up on the bias of the fabric.
40oz twill works good for me.
