The subject came up about epoxy resin. I’d really like to learn the proper technics for this project. I have watched “youtube” about it and it really sounds like a fun productive project.
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What kind of projects? I’ve always found resin work fascinating.
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2 part epoxy casting resin or uv?
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I recommend starting small with coasters. Its less expensive if you mess up. Heres a coaster i made for my daughters soccer coach recently
Heres another recent project
I’ve watched several hundreds of hours of youtube vids on this subject, so if you have any questions, hit me up
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I agree with jwithers. Start small. Use test pieces before going to your finish piece. Use wood that has a tight grain. I have done epoxy lettering on red oak and it bleeds outside the lettering.
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My first question is where do you buy the ingredients at?
Next is what kind of preparation is needed, as in covering and mixing containers, and extra tools needed?
Lets start with what are you wanting to make? Your project will determine on what type and how much epoxy you will need.
As for consumable good. Any hardware store, Amazon… should have what you need.
I have gotten my epoxy from Jesse Busennitz in whitewater.
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I’m not sure just yet but I do want to do some testing in this area to find out of this is for me. I’ve watched the projects on YouTube and it blows me away what these folks are doing.
If you spray some poly on the letters a few hours before you apply epoxy, it wont bleed
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I buy 2 gallon kits of superclear table top epoxy off amazon for $120. Its about $15 cheaper if you buy from the manufacturer, but their shipping department is pretty incompetent and the 2 times ive ordered from them, my orders have gotten lost and took 3-4 weeks. I get them off amazon and its consistantly about 4-5 days(2 days with prime). They also have 1 gallon kits for $75.
Its zero voc, but i still recommend a $20 respirator from 3M, and i use it everytime i pour.
If you use this brand, pour in layers of a quarter inch or less or it will cause very undesirable results. If you want to do pours of 1-3 inches at a time, i recommed liquid glass deep pour epoxy, but make sure the pours are a min of an inch, or it wont cure well.
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Black diamond and eye candy pigments are my go-to’s for quality pigments. I got a text this morning and thought id share.
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I’m not sure at the moment. I’m open to suggestions.
I just want to start a project, just lost on where to start.
You’ll never learn how to swim until you get in the water.
Smooth-On is an industry leader, available by mail and at hobby stores and has a very comprehensive website with projects, and information. Check it out.
I like the suggestion from John to make coasters.
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I 2nd smooth-on. They’ve got a ton of useful YouTube videos and products for every type of epoxy or mold making.
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there are casting resins by the gallon on Amazon. I am doing keyfobs and memorabilia, so may take longer than shelf life to use that up. One caution, the fumes of SOME can destroy airways … so well-ventilated or use only the low/no VOC chemicals indoors. There are choices.
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I too am interested. And I bought a live edge plank to make an outdoor bench. And then have been keeping my eyes open for an outdoor (UV stabilized) epoxy for that bench plank. Still haven’t started sanding it to slightly round the edges off so it doesn’t puddle rainwater.
If this works out well, I may try an epoxy “river tabletop” for my family room. I like the cypress table a lot. I might have added silica powder to flat it so it shines less. Lower glare. I have a 5lb bag of said powder if anyone wants to try some on coasters to observe the effect. I think it lets the woodgrain show better.
I haven’t watchd hundreds of YouTube videos, but I have watched quite a few.
My background in aerospace composites means I’m comfortable with epoxy and how to troubleshoot problems. There isn’t a LOT of commonality between the pourable epoxies and aerospace resins. But the chemistry and strengths of many epoxies … are familiar to me. I can help repeat the cautions we hear in the videos, but … encouraging help is what most of us need. I try. We are all friends at MakeICT, right?
And my asthma will encourage me to wear the proper respirator when exposure will be more than a few minutes. Or when vapors or fumes are trapped in a low ventilation space.
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From my understanding, most uv resistant resins will eventually turn yellowish and/or crack with lengthy exposure to direct sunlight.
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