Popular Post Hawk Posted January 13 Popular Post Report Share Posted January 13 Well, it's been some time since I've posted here, so I apologize if this is a bit long. After seeing the awesome work some have done with epoxy fill on their work I gave it a try, several times (lol) and each time, in my opinion was an epic fail. I just couldn't get the epoxy to be bubble free. I really wanted it to look like stained glass. So then the little voice in my head went " just use actual stained glass". I really shouldn't listen to that voice, but I tried. I've learned that I suck at cutting glass, result..epic fail #2. Then while at work and pondering my dilemma about how cool the stained glass stuff is and how talented those folks who can create those awesome looking pieces and I really wanted to do something like that except with wood on my scrollsaw! So after many attempts I came up with this. As this is only a test I used basswood to keep cost down and colored acrylic, which I cut on my scrollsaw (win-win) ! The acrylic is in the middle so it looks the same from both sides. For me this is a success, so on to different woods and more complex patterns, I'm thinking that Intarsia patterns might be a good fit for this. Now to dig thru all my Intarsia patterns. Chris Be_O_Be, Fish, Wichman and 21 others 23 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrappile Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 That is a very fine job! danny 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter N White Posted January 13 Report Share Posted January 13 Very good looking and great thinking to get over a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Well Chris, I think that is an epic sucess! Hawk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red river Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 That is a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe W. Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Oh Heck yeah! Could be the start of a whole new line of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preprius Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 success !!!! Looks really good. colored Plexiglass will be cheaper in the long run. The store I bought the water clear resin has scraps of plexiglass for $1. A half liter of polyester resin was $25. I will do scraps before I do resin again. Me. Mark Eason Hawk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrolling Steve Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Nice, Very Nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAIrving Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Very nice Chris! And very creative. Bubbles do make an epoxy fill look unsightly. Perhaps we should have a tutorial on what causes them and how to deal with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted January 14 Author Report Share Posted January 14 1 hour ago, TAIrving said: Very nice Chris! And very creative. Bubbles do make an epoxy fill look unsightly. Perhaps we should have a tutorial on what causes them and how to deal with them. I've tried everything I could find on YouTube, but my projects are to big to go into a pressure container to remove the bubbles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Johnson Posted January 14 Report Share Posted January 14 Like they say ‘try, try and try again’. Well done Chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawk Posted January 14 Author Report Share Posted January 14 I just wanted to say thanks to everyone. It's nice to get back to scrolling after being away for the past months and thanks to your kind words I'm full steam ahead on this new path. Chris meflick and dgman 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAIrving Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 22 hours ago, Hawk said: I've tried everything I could find on YouTube, but my projects are to big to go into a pressure container to remove the bubbles. 1. Understand what causes the bubbles and how to limit them from happening. 2. Then have a strategy for managing those that do happen. Cause: a. From the wood itself. Wood is porous and dry wood has air in it. The epoxy will seep into the pores and air/bubbles will escape - into the epoxy. Some woods are worse at this than others. I once tried pouring epoxy into red oak, but that is another story. What to do: use a dense wood to limit this effect. Or better yet, seal the wood before pouring the epoxy. A coat of shellac or any paint / wood sealer will do. Be careful to get it into all the edges and all the tight places. b. From the epoxy itself. Part 1: when you stir the epoxy (as you must) you create bubbles. Stir the epoxy carefully to limit this. Part 2: the epoxy heats up and creates bubbles as it cures. Use a slow curing epoxy to limit this. Managing the bubbles: As stated above: a. use a less porous wood. b. seal the wood before pouring. c. use a slow curing epoxy. Table-top epoxy is best for pours up to ~1" thick, Deep-Pour epoxy for thicker pours. Table-top epoxy takes 4+ hours to cure, Deep-pour takes 12+ hours. Both of these make fewer bubbles as they do not generate much heat as they cure. And they remain liquid enough for long enough that the bubbles have time to rise to the surface and resolve themselves. d. stir the epoxy gently. e. then watch the YouTube videos on what to do about the bubbles. Think about what they are saying. Some YouTube advice is good advice, but not all of it is. That should get you off to a good start. Do all that and practice until you are happy with the results before pouring into your prized work. I wish I had known all this before I poured into my prized scroll piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie E Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 Love it. Looks awesome in the window! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Knappen Posted January 15 Report Share Posted January 15 What a great idea of using colored acrylic plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdatelle Posted January 16 Report Share Posted January 16 Well Chris, you knockes that one out of the park. Looks greart. Plexigalss is a lot easier to cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatie Posted January 17 Report Share Posted January 17 Up there for thinking Chris. Awesome job. Can't wait to see more. Marg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.