First of all, you need a nice slide fit, if you have to fight with it to get the sleeve on the barrel you are inviting trouble.... Some tape on one end of the barrel to form a collar to stop the sleeve where you want it should be all you need to position it.... If you can't do it easily dry, I wouldn't try it with the 638 on it.... Honestly, I can't imagine taking more than about 30 seconds at most to get the sleeve into place.... but I'll find out soon as I have one to do for the "Grizzly" .30 cal repeater.... If you're worried about having enough time, put the barrel in the fridge and cool it down before assembly.... You get a looser fit and slow down the setting time....I see no reason not to use a heat gun.... If you can hold onto the barrel it's not too hot.... We have a 24" stove (normal is 30") and a 27" barrel will fit diagonally from one back corner to the opposite top corner.... Don't forget the 175*F for 3 hours is a post-cure, you can let it set up overnight before doing that, so it's sure not going to bend at that point.... Nor are you going to get a mess because it's already cured, you are just hardening it completely....The initial cure can also be done by hanging the barrel vertically and warming it with a heat gun or hair dryer.... It cures in 4 hours at 40*C (104*F), which is barely warm.... that's how much difference a bit of heat makes.... Here is the Technical Data Sheet.... http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/638-EN.PDFBob
Yeah, a piece of tubing and a light bulb would be great.... better with a thermostat, of course.... Maybe from an old toaster oven?.... Bob
Well it will fit but the wife was giving me funny looks. I think I'll use the heat gun.
There is less benefit, unless you are supporting the barrel in a barrel band somewhere.... If the CF tube only starts at the breech, the barrel can still bend back and forth there (fundamental frequency) but the harmonics will be surpressed by the CF sleeve.... A barrel band surpresses the fundamental, but may emphacize the harmonics because it creates a node at the band.... That is why barrel band placement can be critical to accuracy.... For example, if the barrel band was exactly 2/3rds of the way from the breech to the muzzle, you would emphacize the 3rd harmonic.... the barrel between the breech and the band moving one way and the muzzle the other.... The added stiffness of the CF sleeve would help surpress that.... So would having the barrel band at, say 4/7ths of the distance from the breech to the muzzle instead of 2/3rds., where there is no naturally occurring node....If you are free-floating the barrel, then the CF tube should be into the breech at least 3 diameters for maximum effect....Bob