inlaying stone with epoxy

[srhardwoods]

Hello everyone, I have a project I'm going to start in a few days and will consist of doing crushed stone or turquoise inlay with epoxy to fill voids. This is going to be for a table style kitchen counters for our cabin. The base will be painted to compliment or match the turquoise inlayed into the cracks of the walnut countertop. question is, anyone familiar with this, what epoxy they have used. I'll be sealing it with orange shellac and then a conversion varnish topcoat. Thanks

Chris

 

[PeteM]

http://www.inlaceonline.com/

 

[Berta]

I have filled voids with epoxy and added stone chips, etc to it. It is not hard. Use epoxy that dries CLEAR. Have everything ready to go, including the paint thinner. I use bamboo skewers and toothpicks to try to keep my fingers out. Wear gloves and remember to put them on BEFORE you begin! Have some paper towels and/or rags ready 'just in case'. You can sand it when it is finished AND CURED! You can also add a bit more if needed. It is cool. It is not hard. It can get messy.

 

[srhardwoods]

What kind of epoxy did you use?

 

[Berta]

I am not sure. I buy two part that gets mixed on a small piece of scrap. I don't buy large containers of it because I don't expect that it keeps long after it is opened. I usually use it up, then discard the small amount left.

 

[Jeff]

What an interesting project and a neat idea. No personal experience here, but Berta says it's pretty easy. Are the stone granules like coarse sand or larger like pea gravel? Do they get inserted into a channel like a dado or groove or is it a larger area?

West System epoxy is an excellent product which cures clear, like glass. It's a single resin (#105), but they offer a variety of hardeners (#200 series) which provide a range of open working times. The optional metering pumps provide precise and independent dispensing of resin and hardener. Both the resin and hardener have an almost infinite shelf life and the pumps don't have to be cleaned between uses.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

 

[kooshball]

West systems epoxy will dry clear but only if you select the "slow" hardner, the fast hardner has an amber cast to it that will still show when mixed into the resin (which is crystal clear). I have used both hardeners with nothing but success on several projects, but never decorative stone.

FWIIW, I left too much mixed resin in the cup recently which I left on my concrete slab (for this reason), it cured too fast, got hot, melted the cup and spilled on the concrete a bit. It took a framing hammer to knock it loose and it took over 1/4" of concrete with it when it came up so you should have more than enough bite for your application.

 

[Jeremy Scuteri]

West systems epoxy will dry clear but only if you select the "slow" hardner, the fast hardner has an amber cast to it that will still show when mixed into the resin (which is crystal clear). I have used both hardeners with nothing but success on several projects, but never decorative stone.

FWIIW, I left too much mixed resin in the cup recently which I left on my concrete slab (for this reason), it cured too fast, got hot, melted the cup and spilled on the concrete a bit. It took a framing hammer to knock it loose and it took over 1/4" of concrete with it when it came up so you should have more than enough bite for your application.

I recently used West System Epoxy mixed with coffee grounds in a dixie cup to fill some voids in black walnut. I left about 1/3 of a dixie cup full for 10-20 minutes, and I was shocked at how hot the cup was. I started wondering if it was a fire hazard.....

 

[Jeff]

I recently used West System Epoxy mixed with coffee grounds in a dixie cup to fill some voids in black walnut. I left about 1/3 of a dixie cup full for 10-20 minutes, and I was shocked at how hot the cup was. I started wondering if it was a fire hazard.....

The chemical reaction between the resin and hardener is exothermic and the heat generated can be significant when mixed in larger batches. A disposable metal can is a better option for safety when mixing.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/general-safety-guidelines-2/

 

[kooshball]

Not sure if it could get hot enough to catch anything on fire but it did melt a plastic cup. I always place the residual mix on concrete, away from anything else just in case.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[Berta]

What an interesting project and a neat idea. No personal experience here, but Berta says it's pretty easy. Are the stone granules like coarse sand or larger like pea gravel? Do they get inserted into a channel like a dado or groove or is it a larger area?

West System epoxy is an excellent product which cures clear, like glass. It's a single resin (#105), but they offer a variety of hardeners (#200 series) which provide a range of open working times. The optional metering pumps provide precise and independent dispensing of resin and hardener. Both the resin and hardener have an almost infinite shelf life and the pumps don't have to be cleaned between uses.

http://www.westsystem.com/ss/

My 'ART' is birdhouses made from hollowed logs that I then decorate. This is not really woodworking, but I add small things I find to the natural voids, cracks and things in the log. This can be pea gravel, beads, just whatever I find interesting. I tend to use shiny things because it does seem to attract the birds.

 

[LB75]

Not sure if it applies, but when I've used epoxy to cover an inlay in something, a heat gun on low passed over the surface works great to get rid of any air bubbles in the epoxy.