Finishing an Epoxy pour.

[Hawk]

Well, I'm trying something different with a project. I've cut out the pattern but I plan to fill the holes with epoxy. The question I have that I hopping that someone can help with is. After I get this thing all sanded after the epoxy hardens, how or what do I use to finish the project? I tying to imagine something that will put a finish on the wood without dulling the epoxy?  But i got nothing.

Help!

Chris

[Scrappile]

You might test if on an test piece first,,, but I think you could finish your sanding and apply the finish you normally would.. I think a lacquer would work on the epoxy as it does on wood... I am only stating this from experience of making pens on the lathe.. I used epoxy on some and finished as I normally would.  But,, the normal finish for me on pens was CA glue.  

[Hawk]

12 minutes ago, Scrappile said:

You might test if on an test piece first,,, but I think you could finish your sanding and apply the finish you normally would.. I think a lacquer would work on the epoxy as it does on wood... I am only stating this from experience of making pens on the lathe.. I used epoxy on some and finished as I normally would.  But,, the normal finish for me on pens was CA glue.  

Worth a shot, Thanks !

[Dan]

I made a few signs and filled the letters with epoxy. I did all the finishing first because I used pigment in the epoxy and didn't want it to bleed into the wood fibers. It worked great. I've also done some sanding after the pour. I finished the piece with spray poly and it filled in any scuff marks on the epoxy. 

[Wichman]

How translucent is the epoxy?

 

[Hawk]

21 hours ago, Wichman said:

How translucent is the epoxy?

 

I have Red which is pretty translucent and black which is not.

[savethebeer]

On 11/13/2021 at 11:53 AM, Dan said:

I made a few signs and filled the letters with epoxy. I did all the finishing first because I used pigment in the epoxy and didn't want it to bleed into the wood fibers. It worked great. I've also done some sanding after the pour. I finished the piece with spray poly and it filled in any scuff marks on the epoxy. 

Hello Dan.

Hawk intends trying something new and I've been thinking of doing the same, so I have Polyester Resin that I'm going to use and I'm wondering about the epoxy when you pour it over the wood;

• does it mark the wood if you spill it on top of the wood whilst pouring into a hole.
• when you brush/push the epoxy into the hole from the top of the wood does it affect the finish of the epoxy. (as in I've seen the way epoxy settles clean and shiny when poured cleanly into a shape)

Bob

 

[Hawk]

1 hour ago, savethebeer said:

Hello Dan.

Hawk intends trying something new and I've been thinking of doing the same, so I have Polyester Resin that I'm going to use and I'm wondering about the epoxy when you pour it over the wood;

• does it mark the wood if you spill it on top of the wood whilst pouring into a hole.
• when you brush/push the epoxy into the hole from the top of the wood does it affect the finish of the epoxy. (as in I've seen the way epoxy settles clean and shiny when poured cleanly into a shape)

Bob

 

Here's what it looks like at this point. Time to bust out the ROS and spend a few days sanding.  I also did a test pour piece so I can try some different way to finish. Didn't take a pic, I can add tomorrow but although it appears to bleed into the wood around the cut out, it's very shallow and sanded out easily. 

Chris

[Dan]

3 hours ago, savethebeer said:

Hello Dan.

Hawk intends trying something new and I've been thinking of doing the same, so I have Polyester Resin that I'm going to use and I'm wondering about the epoxy when you pour it over the wood;

• does it mark the wood if you spill it on top of the wood whilst pouring into a hole.
• when you brush/push the epoxy into the hole from the top of the wood does it affect the finish of the epoxy. (as in I've seen the way epoxy settles clean and shiny when poured cleanly into a shape)

Bob

 

Hey Bob,

For the larger areas I just used a 6 oz. paper cut, folded a crease in the rim and poured into the holes. For the smaller areas to fill, I purchased some small bottles with a needle tip and sort of squirted them in. I got these bottles from Hobby Lobby, I'm not sure if they are in Ireland but I'm sure you can find a hobby store that sells something similar. The epoxy I used has a working time of almost an hour so I had plenty of time to do the pours. The down side is it required 48 hours to fully cure. I found out the hard way to not move the piece after the pour has set for several hours. 

Yes, it will stain the wood. I finished the wood with spray poly before I did the pour. Any epoxy that I got on the wood wiped right off without solvents. The poly protected the wood. The epoxy I used, Alumilite Amazing+ Clear Cast, was perfect because of the long working time. If I would have used something that starts to set in 15 minutes or less I think it would have been more of a problem cleaning up any spills. 

Below are pictures of the needle bottle, epoxy and the finished sign. Hope some of this helps. Cheers!

 

[merlin]

That turned out great Dan...Have to have a go some time...

[savethebeer]

Thanks Dan, That is a beautiful sign.

Thanks for the tips and we have several brands of shops similar to Hobby Lobby.

Bob