Reposting here at staff request...
Finished up a couple boards this last weekend. My first two attempts at epoxy resin.
Will go through my process and some of the issues I encountered, no so much for education, but to see from any of you more experienced where I may have fallen short... so please be blunt, it's how I learn. Thread derailments are also welcome as it generates discussion that others may find useful.
Will start with my first one... a dear friend of mine and his wife moved to Florida this past year. Their new house was a bit 'eccentric' and so they had to do a lot of work to make it more to their liking. One item they kept as is was the counter tops. They are a funky black with glitter. It goes well in the house, though. Their cabinets are white with black pulls. I wanted to make them a couple boards as a gift. I had gotten a maple board some time back for this very project. I cut the board to fit my mold and mixed up epoxy for the first time. I used TotalBoat thickset. The cure time is much longer, but also gives me more working time and more time to allow bubbles to rise.
Getting a match on the epoxy wasnt difficult but I did notice much of the glitter had fallen to the bottom. I guess I could have poured a layer at the top with more glitter. I'll have to research that more to see how I can avoid settling. Still, I think the end result matched pretty well. First lesson... make sure your table is level before pouring. I did not. Next lesson... babysit for a couple hours to pop bubbles. I popped bubbles with a torch for 15 min or so and then went on about my day. I came back to multiple bubbles that had risen and now set up on top. They were planed away later, but initially, my heart sank.
After waiting till the next weekend for it to cure, I ran through the planer. Caused a huge mess in the shop. Need to work on my dust containment a bit. I did end up with some sniping from my cheap planer and I'm not sure if that's a result of it being a cheap planer, something I was doing or not doing, or just the nature of the beast with planers. In any case, 80grit on the orbital and it was removed easily enough. I went up through the grits a bit on this to 2000 grit and ended up satisfied. However... next lesson.... dont leave your work piece out in the hot sun while working on other things. I ended up with some slight warping so when I attached the rubber feet, I needed some shims to make it sit level. Attached the handles and this one was good. Used Walrus oil to finish out. Thought here... I think I should have did the black about 1/4 inch from the top of the wood and then put a clear layer on top so to have a bit of 3D effect where one could easily see the live edge.
So on the second board, I corrected the table leveling issue, but this board was to be different. My buddy had given me a nice section of live edge walnut some years back and it was near perfect size for a wall plaque for his shop. Inserting another lesson here. Plane the board before going in the mold with epoxy. I failed to do that on the first one. He is a Marine vet (Army here) and he and I both are heavy into shooting sports. I asked him for a 'no questions asked' favor and had him mail me some of his range brass. He and I both reload so we always have brass. I could have used my own, but wanted to use brass that he has shot. I did my first pour of about 1/8 or so of black resin. I let that cure enough so brass wouldnt sink in and did another pour of black, appx 1/8 inch so the brass would appear as though they are sinking. Next lesson... I should have mixed more epoxy here...After settling, there are a couple spots where you can see the first layer underneath. Also, I should have painted up the live edge on the first pour to seal it and minimize bubbles. I placed the brass... after that cured, I placed the medallion. Then, finally did the clear layer. I did babysit this one most of the day popping bubbles. I did miss one bubble peeking out from one piece of brass, though. Another lesson learned from the other board was to cover your work so bugs, etc doesnt get inside. After curing, I did my trimming and planing as I did with the other board. Then on to sanding...With this one, I went up to 3000 grit (at least on the resin part) and then used an abrasive compound with a buffing pad. I still struggle with the little 'curly q's' from the orbital. I'm not sure how to remedy that. I guess I could get sanding discs without holes in them? I was also careful to NOT leave this one out in the sun. The picture shown is after one coat of oil. Can see where the walnut sucked in some of the oil and I've since added multiple more coats so the finish is much more consistent on it. I decided to not chamfer edges on this one. Mostly because I was afraid of chipping or mucking it up. I just have a palm router. At this point, I was done... except one issue. I cannot place a hanger on it to hang on the wall. If I do, you will see the screws at the top through the epoxy so next lesson... should have made the clear part at the bottom and the wood on top so I could easily attach a hanger. Instead, I forged out some hangers from horseshoe nails and he can place the plaque on top of the hangers and perhaps use a command strip to ensure it doesnt tip over.
I do have one more board ready to finish. I did another pour with blue epoxy and used another section of maple for this one. I'm hoping to learn from my prior mistakes and perhaps the brain trust here can shed light on other things I may have missed!
edit... the holes in the walnut that are not filled in 'level' were by design. I wanted a bit more rustic look to this since it's not intended as a serving tray and only a wall hanger. I'm undecided on if that look is favorable or just looks like I did shoddy work and failed to fill in holes properly.
Finished up a couple boards this last weekend. My first two attempts at epoxy resin.
Will go through my process and some of the issues I encountered, no so much for education, but to see from any of you more experienced where I may have fallen short... so please be blunt, it's how I learn. Thread derailments are also welcome as it generates discussion that others may find useful.
Will start with my first one... a dear friend of mine and his wife moved to Florida this past year. Their new house was a bit 'eccentric' and so they had to do a lot of work to make it more to their liking. One item they kept as is was the counter tops. They are a funky black with glitter. It goes well in the house, though. Their cabinets are white with black pulls. I wanted to make them a couple boards as a gift. I had gotten a maple board some time back for this very project. I cut the board to fit my mold and mixed up epoxy for the first time. I used TotalBoat thickset. The cure time is much longer, but also gives me more working time and more time to allow bubbles to rise.
Getting a match on the epoxy wasnt difficult but I did notice much of the glitter had fallen to the bottom. I guess I could have poured a layer at the top with more glitter. I'll have to research that more to see how I can avoid settling. Still, I think the end result matched pretty well. First lesson... make sure your table is level before pouring. I did not. Next lesson... babysit for a couple hours to pop bubbles. I popped bubbles with a torch for 15 min or so and then went on about my day. I came back to multiple bubbles that had risen and now set up on top. They were planed away later, but initially, my heart sank.
After waiting till the next weekend for it to cure, I ran through the planer. Caused a huge mess in the shop. Need to work on my dust containment a bit. I did end up with some sniping from my cheap planer and I'm not sure if that's a result of it being a cheap planer, something I was doing or not doing, or just the nature of the beast with planers. In any case, 80grit on the orbital and it was removed easily enough. I went up through the grits a bit on this to 2000 grit and ended up satisfied. However... next lesson.... dont leave your work piece out in the hot sun while working on other things. I ended up with some slight warping so when I attached the rubber feet, I needed some shims to make it sit level. Attached the handles and this one was good. Used Walrus oil to finish out. Thought here... I think I should have did the black about 1/4 inch from the top of the wood and then put a clear layer on top so to have a bit of 3D effect where one could easily see the live edge.
So on the second board, I corrected the table leveling issue, but this board was to be different. My buddy had given me a nice section of live edge walnut some years back and it was near perfect size for a wall plaque for his shop. Inserting another lesson here. Plane the board before going in the mold with epoxy. I failed to do that on the first one. He is a Marine vet (Army here) and he and I both are heavy into shooting sports. I asked him for a 'no questions asked' favor and had him mail me some of his range brass. He and I both reload so we always have brass. I could have used my own, but wanted to use brass that he has shot. I did my first pour of about 1/8 or so of black resin. I let that cure enough so brass wouldnt sink in and did another pour of black, appx 1/8 inch so the brass would appear as though they are sinking. Next lesson... I should have mixed more epoxy here...After settling, there are a couple spots where you can see the first layer underneath. Also, I should have painted up the live edge on the first pour to seal it and minimize bubbles. I placed the brass... after that cured, I placed the medallion. Then, finally did the clear layer. I did babysit this one most of the day popping bubbles. I did miss one bubble peeking out from one piece of brass, though. Another lesson learned from the other board was to cover your work so bugs, etc doesnt get inside. After curing, I did my trimming and planing as I did with the other board. Then on to sanding...With this one, I went up to 3000 grit (at least on the resin part) and then used an abrasive compound with a buffing pad. I still struggle with the little 'curly q's' from the orbital. I'm not sure how to remedy that. I guess I could get sanding discs without holes in them? I was also careful to NOT leave this one out in the sun. The picture shown is after one coat of oil. Can see where the walnut sucked in some of the oil and I've since added multiple more coats so the finish is much more consistent on it. I decided to not chamfer edges on this one. Mostly because I was afraid of chipping or mucking it up. I just have a palm router. At this point, I was done... except one issue. I cannot place a hanger on it to hang on the wall. If I do, you will see the screws at the top through the epoxy so next lesson... should have made the clear part at the bottom and the wood on top so I could easily attach a hanger. Instead, I forged out some hangers from horseshoe nails and he can place the plaque on top of the hangers and perhaps use a command strip to ensure it doesnt tip over.
I do have one more board ready to finish. I did another pour with blue epoxy and used another section of maple for this one. I'm hoping to learn from my prior mistakes and perhaps the brain trust here can shed light on other things I may have missed!
edit... the holes in the walnut that are not filled in 'level' were by design. I wanted a bit more rustic look to this since it's not intended as a serving tray and only a wall hanger. I'm undecided on if that look is favorable or just looks like I did shoddy work and failed to fill in holes properly.
