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Celtic Cross with a twist !


Hawk

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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.

 

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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.  

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