[John W in SC]

Does heat inside the handguards cause any problems with finish in those areas? I want to apply stain or dye, followed by oil, poly or spar varnish. Do some finishing materials work better than others there? Should I leave those areas unfinished, or color but not clearcoat?

What are the long term effects from heat to the finish inside the handguards? I've never done this before, so I want to avoid problems.

Thanks!

John W in SC

 

[Dawg180]

Extreme barrel heat may discolor or char the wood, or with some finishes it may temporarily soften them (or even make them craze or crack a bit) but I would rather have damaged finish on the insides of the handguards than no finish at all.

If you are getting the weapon hot enough to char the wood or damage the interior wood finish, you probably got bigger problems than the finish being daamged, like hordes of Mujhadeen overrunning your Russian firebase in Afghanistan. :wink:

 

[Cabhammer]

One way to protect the wood is to put a thin coat of epoxy (JB-Weld) on the inside.

Once it dries you can sand it smooth. The epoxy will keep the heat off the wood.

Get the JB-Weld that has the slower (1 hour) dry time so you can get it thin and smooth when you apply it.

-Cabby