Do NOT use silicon as fill to add weight to your stock

[EngelseJohann]

Hi All

So two weeks ago I wanted to improve the balance of my Tikka Varmint rifle by adding some weight to the standard polymer stock, so I decided to fill some of the open sections with regular silicon.

Now the silicon did not touch the barrel/action at all, so being a rookie at fiddling with my rifles I assumed it would all be fine. Fast forward two weeks later and when I took my stock off I discovered large patches of rust had formed on the barrel and action. When I cleaned off the rust it looks like the blueing is completely eaten away!

After doing some googling it seems that silicon releases vapours which can react with moisture and create Acetic Acid - which can eat away the blueing!

So my question is - can I just purchase some blueing compound and repair it myself? I am looking for a budget friendly repair.

I hope this post will save the guy some trouble.

[Capt. Yoda]

Blixem, clean it with a good penetrating oil and some very fine steel wool.
If its going to bother you you can use "a cold" blue solution off the shelve to cover it up

[J le Roux]

Sterkte

Ek het al Birchwood Casey se paste met sukses gebruik, volg instruksies tot die letter

Sterkte

[EngelseJohann]

Ok so I thought I would follow up on this post with the results of using birchwood casey permablue.

I used the rough side of a regular dishwashing sponge to remove the rust as I could not find fine steel wool. Then I cleaned the surface with isopropyl alcohol and applied the paste, waited 1 minute, wiped it off, used the dishwashing sponge to smooth the surface, and repeat 3 times. Here are the pictures of before and after.

I am very happy with the results - thank you for your advice.

[J le Roux]

Welll done, I am glad it turned out so well.

[Alwin]

If you smell the regular silicon sealant, you will notice it smells a lot like cheap vinegar. That is because it has an acetic "solvent". When the acid evaporates it lets the silicone set. This stuff is also not good for use in brick buildings, as the acid will also eat away at normal cement. You get non-acetic silicone or acrylic sealers for these kind of jobs. Mirror adhesive is one of the stronger variants.

For filling the holes in a plastic stock, one of the many epoxy glues would be a better choice. They harden properly and help to stiffen the plastic. The Tikka is one of the most rigid plastic stocks on the market, but some more rigidity won't hurt. On some of the cheaper stocks, like the Hogue versions that are popular on Howa rifles, one should add some reinforcing bars in the fore end and glue them in place with epoxy. How much weight you want to add will determine whether you use steel rods, aluminium tubing, or something in between. (Some of the plastic webs have to be cut out to make space for reinforcing bars.)

The green scouring pad on your kitchen sponge is basically a version of "Scotch Brite". This is synthetic (plastic) fibres with tiny ceramic particles attached. These ceramic particles are highly abrasive and will quickly remove gun blue and many other finishes. It is much more aggressive than proper steel wool, and I would be very careful when using it on any kind of metal finish or coating.

I am glad your repair turned out so well. Lesson learned, I think.

[Capt. Yoda]

Looks good