Acraglas epoxy substitute??

KMM696

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Brownells has been out of stock on AcraGlas for far too long, and I have a stock to repair that I don't want to put off any longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more commonly available epoxy equivalent to AcraGlas? I'm looking for a low viscosity, high strength clear epoxy with at least a 15 to 30 minute working time.

West systems 105 with their 206 slow hardener seems like it might be appropriate, anyone used it for repair work?

Thanks
 
Brownells has been out of stock on AcraGlas for far too long, and I have a stock to repair that I don't want to put off any longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more commonly available epoxy equivalent to AcraGlas? I'm looking for a low viscosity, high strength clear epoxy with at least a 15 to 30 minute working time.

West systems 105 with their 206 slow hardener seems like it might be appropriate, anyone used it for repair work?

Thanks

Amazon sells it. Not sure if the price is good though.

Amazon product ASIN B0028M5U4EView: https://www.amazon.com/Brownell-Acraglas-Gel-Misc/dp/B0028M5U4E
 
The Gel version is thicker than the original, and is better at stock bedding than repairs. It won't flow into cracks enough

It isn't nearly as good as Devcon 10110 Steel Putty for bedding though. That stuff stays where you put it.
 
Brownells has been out of stock on AcraGlas for far too long, and I have a stock to repair that I don't want to put off any longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more commonly available epoxy equivalent to AcraGlas? I'm looking for a low viscosity, high strength clear epoxy with at least a 15 to 30 minute working time.

West systems 105 with their 206 slow hardener seems like it might be appropriate, anyone used it for repair work?

Thanks
I just saw a photo series on FB ("Curios & Relics Central"), where someone bedded with West System. He's also into boats, so he already had it.
 
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Brownells has been out of stock on AcraGlas for far too long, and I have a stock to repair that I don't want to put off any longer. Does anyone have any suggestions for a more commonly available epoxy equivalent to AcraGlas? I'm looking for a low viscosity, high strength clear epoxy with at least a 15 to 30 minute working time.

West systems 105 with their 206 slow hardener seems like it might be appropriate, anyone used it for repair work?

Thanks
Clear I cant say for sure but
Marinetex, devcon, JB weld original
Im sure there are others
 
Clear I cant say for sure but
Marinetex, devcon, JB weld original
Im sure there are others

I have two out of three of those, all great choices for stock bedding. For stock repair work gluing things back together, the original Acraglas is the best I've found. Strong bond, and liquid enough to wet down the entire repair surface without building up too thick for wood to fit back together.

It's actually kind of a pain in the ass to bed a stock compared to the ones you listed. Viscosity is too low, so it likes running to places you had no intention of getting epoxy on and needs modeling clay dams and such to keep under control. Devcon steel putty is my favorite for bedding. Acraglas Gel is a better choice for that then the original recipe, but it's no Devcon
 
Hopefully I don't bore everyone.

I have looked at this material several times and have broken it down chemically several times. It's nothing special.

It's plasticized Epoxy is all.

Over the last few years certain resins and curatives became impossible to get. The feed stocks were wiped out.

Brownell doesn't make anything and has these products toll products for them.

My prior company was a major toller for many such resins.

The curative side is heavily cut with TETA. We were shut off from it most of 21 and well into 22. The supply was easing up just prior to my retirement. Brownell's toller was certainly in the same boat we were, no TETA and no curatives with TETA.

The resin side is Epoxide cut with a plasticizer. This is 100% for flexibility. Epoxy resin is rock hard without it.

I would caution against JB and the like as they are rigid systems with zero flex.

I believe things like Pro-Bed are well thought of.

My guess is if you look around the supply chain is coming back and many of these brands should be returning.
 
West system g flex may be a good option. Brownells states acraglass retains some flexibility after cure which gflex does but not many others do.
 
We used Marinetex in the USMC Precision Weapons Shop to bed the M40s and the DMRs. Not clear though (at least not the version we used).
 
Brownells has one of their original Acraglas retail size SKUs in stock, if anyone else needs some. Some of the larger quantities too, but not all of them. Their manufacturer must still be having trouble getting what they need.

ACRAGLAS®
 
ok, i was trying not to do that, but - what do you use it for, so it is needs to be exactly that compound?
 
The original Acraglas is a personal favorite for wood repair, especially working into cracks and chipped off pieces where the broken bit is recovered. The viscosity is low enough that it does a good job wetting out the repair surface without bulking up between the pieces, letting the wood grain fit back together. In this case it was an old repair around the tang of a Savage 720 I picked up, where the original glue failed while I was tearing it down for cleaning. Some kind of hide or wood glue I'm guessing, I could just scrape it off both wood surfaces after the piece fell off.

That low viscosity makes it awful for bedding. It likes running into places it shouldn't. Their Acraglas gel is a bit thicker, and tends to stay where it's put a bit better. For bedding I much prefer Devcon steel putty.
 
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