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Posted: 2/13/2014 9:37:03 AM EDT
| I was reading a recommendation on another site that suggested attaching the (oversize/ grind to fit recoil pad) to the stock and then freezing it before finishing. The idea is that by freezing the pad before finishing, it is easier to get that professional look. Is there any truth to that, or is it bull? |
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Depends on the pad. A hard rubber pad will sand just fine, be careful not to get it too hot.
A Kick-Ez or similar spongy type pad is different. They will tear and undercut if you get too aggressive. I use a disc sander to rough it in within about a 1/16" of my scribed line. Mount the pad. I then use a file with a few wraps of tape on the end to hold it up off of the stock. Once I get it down to just a hair above the stock I switch to an aluminum bar with adhesive sandpaper from an air file and with the wraps of tape like the file. Bring it down to the finished profile, just a little red hair proud of the stock. I like the way they come out, with the tape wraps on the file and bar lifts the nose slightly and gives the pad a slight angle where it "falls away" from the stock. It also minimizes any chance of scuffing the stock. Freezing? No, I tried it a couple of times and running in and out from house to shop was a pain and you could only sand for about 5 minutes before I had to stop, let it freeze again and repeat. Doing it the way I described takes some time but not as much as freeze, work 5 minutes, freeze etc. |
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I've only fitted a few on my own guns, but I found that a big factor is to use new, sharp high-quality abrasive sheets of an appropriate grit. Use a coarse grit for rough shaping and go finer as you near the line.
Using too fine a grit too early in the process only wastes time and builds up heat. Hot rubber becomes "smeary". IIRC, natural garnet (orange colored particles ) cut rubber recoil pads better than aluminum oxide or silicon carbide. (It certainly cuts wood much better than either of those, but it may have trouble cutting a very hard (Bakelite?) backer plate on some pads. Dunno.) Norton is a good brand for abrasives. |
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