Does anyone have any advice or warnings of 'gotchas' in casting a large lump of fiberglass?
I want to fill the magazine well of a 1903. What I want to accomplish is to provide support to a M1922 magazine such as was originally provided by the small cutout that was left in the floor of the M1922 action as opposed to the large opening in the floor of the M1903 action. Also, since the floor of the M1922 provides the location for the mounting of the M1922 magazine catch/spring, I hope to locate the top of of this caasting such that mounting the M1922 magazine catch/spring on top of the casting will position it the same as mounting it to the bottom of the M1922 action.
I have a M1922 to work from. I figure I can mount the action upside down, introduce a piece of some sort of flat stock to close off the top of the mag well. A properly located cutout in that flat stock will properly position the top end of the M1922 mag. Seal the top edge of the (upside down) mag well at the action with clay. Seal around the top of the M1922 mag with clay. Put a layer of tape on the mag to create clearance in the casting. Coat everything with release agent. Fill the mag well with fiberglas/epoxy and put the floorplate in place to position the bottom of the mag.
I'd been thinking of casting aluminum or something but then the thought of the fiberglass came to me. One advantage I perceive in the fiberglass is that it is easy easy to shape to final dimensions, easy to build a little more onto it to perfect my block and could even be sliced in half and rejoined if that proves necessary to install the magazine catch/spring in the block in the magazine passage.
My biggest questions are: Would a large block of fiberglass like this shrink or contort too much to work? Will the curing create enough heat to damage the temper of the magazine? For materials, could I use a bodywork package from the auto parts store, scissor the fiberglass mat into a pile of fibers and mix it into the epoxy in the kit?
All advice gratefully accepted - whether or not I heed it!
I had thought about just 'whittling' this block from a chunk of aluminum, but casting seems like it might make a nicely fitting block a bit easier to come up with.
Or, ultimately, maybe I should just give up and epoxy a plate into the bottom of the M1903 action? I had rejected that but I'm coming back around to it.
I want to fill the magazine well of a 1903. What I want to accomplish is to provide support to a M1922 magazine such as was originally provided by the small cutout that was left in the floor of the M1922 action as opposed to the large opening in the floor of the M1903 action. Also, since the floor of the M1922 provides the location for the mounting of the M1922 magazine catch/spring, I hope to locate the top of of this caasting such that mounting the M1922 magazine catch/spring on top of the casting will position it the same as mounting it to the bottom of the M1922 action.
I have a M1922 to work from. I figure I can mount the action upside down, introduce a piece of some sort of flat stock to close off the top of the mag well. A properly located cutout in that flat stock will properly position the top end of the M1922 mag. Seal the top edge of the (upside down) mag well at the action with clay. Seal around the top of the M1922 mag with clay. Put a layer of tape on the mag to create clearance in the casting. Coat everything with release agent. Fill the mag well with fiberglas/epoxy and put the floorplate in place to position the bottom of the mag.
I'd been thinking of casting aluminum or something but then the thought of the fiberglass came to me. One advantage I perceive in the fiberglass is that it is easy easy to shape to final dimensions, easy to build a little more onto it to perfect my block and could even be sliced in half and rejoined if that proves necessary to install the magazine catch/spring in the block in the magazine passage.
My biggest questions are: Would a large block of fiberglass like this shrink or contort too much to work? Will the curing create enough heat to damage the temper of the magazine? For materials, could I use a bodywork package from the auto parts store, scissor the fiberglass mat into a pile of fibers and mix it into the epoxy in the kit?
All advice gratefully accepted - whether or not I heed it!
I had thought about just 'whittling' this block from a chunk of aluminum, but casting seems like it might make a nicely fitting block a bit easier to come up with.
Or, ultimately, maybe I should just give up and epoxy a plate into the bottom of the M1903 action? I had rejected that but I'm coming back around to it.
