Which epoxy and pigment ?

[Temp626]

I am currently building an oak frame for a bathroom mirror. In the frame I will be inlaying colored epoxy. The oak frame and the groove for the epoxy will be painted brown. The epoxy I plan to pour in will likely be tinted light blue or I may stay with clear. Does anyone have a experience with certain brands of epoxy that they would recommend or stay away from? Also, what would you use to color the epoxy? liquid colorant or powder, and what brands? any tips and or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for the help.

 

[DSWalker]

I don't have any suggestions for color, I did some epoxy work this week and my problem was with air bubbles. I did use some of the saw dust from the same lumber in the epoxy which was a suggestion on a previous post. Not sure if that had anything to do with the air bubbles or not.

 

[Jeff]

Interesting idea. I like West Systems epoxy (206 hardener, 20 minute open working time).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJPpVLFae6Q

TransTint liquid dyes and TransFast dyes with color charts.

http://homesteadfinishingproducts.com/products-we-offer/stains-and-colorants/

Why are you painting or staining the oak wood brown instead of using walnut wood for that brown color?

 

[Gilley23]

I've been using TotalBoat epoxy and I love it. It's more wallet friendly than West Systems. I use the 2:1 setup and have one jug of epoxy and 2 jugs of hardener: 1 slow cure and 1 fast cure. Personally I'd stay away from powders, go with liquid, it's just easier and it lasts forever when used on a hobby basis. Been using TransTint and it works like a champ every time!

 

[KenOfCary]

I also like the west system epoxies. With the different hardeners that allow great open time you can take your time doing the job. The pumps are also very useful for accurate measurement of the mix ratio.

I've used both Transtint liquid and the powdered Dyes and though both work fine I felt the powder gave a slightly more consistent color. I was using black dye so YMMV.

 

[Chilihead]

I’m curious what type of epoxy you were using? I got air bubbles with the quick 5-10 min setting stuff but not the slow setting

 

[KenOfCary]

If that question was for me, I used the very slow hardener that allows up to 40 minutes open time from mixing. No bubble problems here. You can find pictures in my gallery or in the threads about building my workbench several years ago.

 

[Jeff]

I’m curious what type of epoxy you were using? I got air bubbles with the quick 5-10 min setting stuff but not the slow setting

I believe the question was for DSWalker in reply #1

my problem was with air bubbles.

The reason: A slower setting epoxy mix doesn't heat up as fast or get viscous as fast so the air bubbles have a better chance to escape from the mixture in the wood. It's usually not a problem on smaller fill areas even with a faster setting mix.

 

[Chilihead]

Indeed. Thanks for clearing that up for me. And 1+ on your reasoning.

I believe the question was for DSWalker in reply #1

The reason: A slower setting epoxy mix doesn't heat up as fast or get viscous as fast so the air bubbles have a better chance to escape from the mixture in the wood. It's usually not a problem on smaller fill areas even with a faster setting mix.

 

[Phil S]

Several responses here referred to air bubbles. My experience has been the air bubbles are most likely not coming from the epoxy - unless you are mixing it so aggressively to create air bubbles in the mix.
Normally the bubbles are coming from the wood. Wood releases air as it warms up and this causes the bubbles within the epoxy
You can use a thinner epoxy mix that may allow the bubbles to escape thru the thin epoxy or/and you can use a slower curing epoxy that will give the bubbles more time to escape.

But it would be best to avoid the bubbles at the source. Following these practices should help:

Do not apply epoxy in the sun
Do not warm up the wood to speed up the curing process
Do not epoxy while the temperature is rising

Apply epoxy when the shop temp is dropping, late afternoon or early evening is perfect.

 

[unimog]

I used to get bubbles on the surface every time epoxy was mixed or applied to fill wood holes.
But few weeks ago, I learned that a small flame (barbecue butane lighter) applied to the surface quickly (fraction of seconds) pops the bubble. You just need to spend some time as the bubbles takes time to make their way to the surface.