Epoxy resin.......

[Huddsgent]

Hi everyone, I make a considerable number of small items of furniture and have been experimenting with some exotic woods lately. However, I occasionally encounter bark inclusions and voids. So, I'm thinking of using black coloured epoxy resin, particularly for the darker woods. This is new to me and wondered if anyone could point me in the direction of suppliers and stockists of these materials. Any information will be welcome. Regards....

 

[segovia]

Zap Z-Poxy 12oz Epoxy Finishing Resin PT40, Model Shop Leeds

Z-Poxy is a filer used in instrument making to fill rosewood etc. It should dry transparent and flattened with a scraper and sanding. I have never used it but intend to soon.

 

[Fitzroy]

It’s all about the depth and size of the void. The deeper and larger the more potential for overheating during curing. I used epoxy from easy composites on my last build to fill a void, 80 x 50 x 50mm. They have lots of info on their website.

 

[Huddsgent]

It’s all about the depth and size of the void. The deeper and larger the more potential for overheating during curing. I used epoxy from easy composites on my last build to fill a void, 80 x 50 x 50mm. They have lots of info on their website.

Thanks for your help.

 

[sammy.se]

ITS (tool supplier) now stock an epoxy range including pigments

 

[Keith 66]

East coast fibreglass do a good range of all sorts of resins inc epoxies, primary problem with filling voids is getting air bubbles out or degassing.

 

[gog64]

+1 for easy composites, I’ve used a fair bit of their epoxy and like the results. Just to expand on what @Fitzroy said, they have several different formulations that suit different depths of pours. My most “ambitious” was a 70mm thick table top made with tinted epoxy and black walnut. Not all one pour of course, but it turned out very nicely. Another table top I did was pippy elm which had its fair share of small & large voids. That was a learning experience! Always make sure you have a way of stopping resin seeping all the way through a piece was a lesson I’d rather not have learnt by chipping resin off the workshop floor.

 

[Fitzroy]

And the slow cure resins take a long time to cure. Should be obvious but after 48hrs I flipped a slab I had filled and over the next few days the resin flowed out.

 

[MARK.B.]

Looks kinda cool though

 

[Huddsgent]

+1 for easy composites, I’ve used a fair bit of their epoxy and like the results. Just to expand on what @Fitzroy said, they have several different formulations that suit different depths of pours. My most “ambitious” was a 70mm thick table top made with tinted epoxy and black walnut. Not all one pour of course, but it turned out very nicely. Another table top I did was pippy elm which had its fair share of small & large voids. That was a learning experience! Always make sure you have a way of stopping resin seeping all the way through a piece was a lesson I’d rather not have learnt by chipping resin off the workshop floor.

Thank you.

 

[profchris]

Zap Z-Poxy 12oz Epoxy Finishing Resin PT40, Model Shop Leeds

Z-Poxy is a filer used in instrument making to fill rosewood etc. It should dry transparent and flattened with a scraper and sanding. I have never used it but intend to soon.

I've used Z-Poxy as a filler on instruments. It sets with a noticeable yellow tint. But I suspect you could buy lamp black from an art supplies place, mix that in, and then you'd not notice the yellow.

Z-Poxy is very runny though, so I doubt it would be suitable for deep fills.

 

[TominDales]

I've used Z-Poxy as a filler on instruments. It sets with a noticeable yellow tint. But I suspect you could buy lamp black from an art supplies place, mix that in, and then you'd not notice the yellow.

Be aware that additives can change the setting performance of resins, the extra surface area of the additive (its huge) can speed up the cure, and too much additive can affect the mechanical performance (you only need a little so you should be ok in most cases. I recommend you do a trial batch first if mixing your own additives. Good resin suppliers will either give instructions at what can be added or they will offer carbon black additives or other colours. Be careful mixing the additive, a low shear method is best eg as in paint tinting, or folding cake mix, stir slowly for a long time. High speed mixing/high shear can permanently alter the resin gel. Dont be put off though and good luck.

 

[TominDales]

And the slow cure resins take a long time to cure. Should be obvious but after 48hrs I flipped a slab I had filled and over the next few days the resin flowed out.

Nice photo, Deep fils are a much harder kettle of fish, especially if you want a clear finish. An option for faster cure on very deep fills of transparent/translucent resin is to use a UV cured one, the light penetrates down further - not an option for filled resins ie black ones as the filler absorbs the light... Otherwise for radical (normal 2 pot) cured you need to wait a long time. The time is hard to estimate as its dependent on a number of factors, temperature being one, so try to do it at normal room temperature every 10c halves the rate so warmer will have a big effect on time. However as the curing reaction gives of heat, too high an initial temperature can lead to overheating which can cause other problems such as degassing of the wood causing bubbles or a drop in viscosity causing seepage. So either fill in layers or do a bit of trial runs on thick stuff before doing the real thing.

 

[Dominik Pierog]

And the slow cure resins take a long time to cure. Should be obvious but after 48hrs I flipped a slab I had filled and over the next few days the resin flowed out.

One of my first mistakes...