Thanks! I’m amazed by all the great stuff people have posted to this thread (and the rest of the site). It’s a really great group of people here.
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Gorgeous evening and the burn bucket. Mostly offcuts a few mistakes, and a little bourbon. A very enjoyable evening.
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Love the clock. Maybe a lighter wood, but still gorgeous.
I made this for my wife who will be selling some of her work at our local public market.
I used plywood as my base. Created a surface pocket and a profile cut that didn’t go all the way down so I could do the first pour (white). Then I ran my machine to surface the white epoxy level and then did a clear epoxy pour and let the epoxy run over the sides. Also I did have to take off about. .1in on the backside to eliminate the view of the wood on the sides.
I then did my black and red epoxy pours. and then resurfaced again.
I happy with the ‘crisp’ look that epoxy has for this kind of signage.
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WOW. Just wow that looks great. I have not done an epoxy sign yet but this makes me want to up my sign game. (I’m not a sign maker at all)…
Quick question: How deep is the lettering and sewing machine pockets? Trying to gauge what depth it needs to be completely opaque
Edit, ok two questions: Did you use a V bit for the lettering or pocket with a small diameter bit?
The white resin is .2 in in depth. I did vcarve tool path using a 30 deg bit and a 0.125 in endmill with a depth of 0.15 in. With whatever wood you use plywood or mdf it helps to paint the wood the color that your base resin pour will be so that you don’t have to use so much dye to hide the natural wood color. I use Ecopoxy which doesn’t take a lot of dye to get the desired color you want.
Here is a link to another sign that I did with pictures of the process:
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Love it. What’s the shine? Is the whole thing high gloss?
Made a front beauty cover for my 10” Ciare HS251 subwoofer. I made some nice matching main speakers and am hoping to finish the project and sell it.
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it is just a layer of epoxy. The wood and contrast worked so well I didn’t want to do any stain etc… 30" Baltic Birch.
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Dont mess with Texas, Yee HAAAAAA!!!
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What do you use for the resurfacing after the epoxy? Regular end mill with a small step over or a more aggressive flattening bit?
I used a 0.25 end mill. I don’t like using anything more than that. I’ve had between different colored epoxy pores small details pop out because they didn’t bond enough to the other epoxy pore.
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Thanks. I have a set of coasters curing now and thought about using the planer to save time as some have suggested but I am worried about snipe or going a little too deep. There are raised numbers in walnut under the green blobs. In the end it should be the Girl Scout troop number sitting inside the green logo on a walnut coaster.
I recessed the overall coasters slightly because the walnut was a little too thick and I wanted to build pockets to hold the epoxy flow. First time I am trying it. I had room on the wood so a carved a bunch of medallions as well to not be so wasteful. Hopefully I will have time to finish on Friday.
BTW, I ordered a butane torch as well. Got a few bubbles in this but I am hoping they will disappear with the flattening. If not, try again.
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Cullen,
A couple of suggestions. The planner can be used to flatten your project but it may not be the best choice. The planner does not like epoxy and it is a very violent operation to remove epoxy. A better alternative is to use your Shapeoko to surface the epoxy off or 60 grit sand paper will remove the epoxy.
Epoxy gets air bubbles in it from simply mixing it up. Depending on the type and cure time one thing is to just let it sit for about 15 minutes in the cup and a lot of bubbles come to the top. If you have a blow dryer or a heat gun that can also be used. The hair dryer does not get as hot as a heat gun but does work.
A torch is the best method but you need to be aware lighting a flame of an intense heat is dangerous. So be prepared with fire extinguishers nearby. No one sets their shop on fire on purpose but it can happen.
Benzomatic makes a propane and a map torch. The propane torch gets plenty hot for busting air bubbles. The map torch gets very hot but has purposes other than busting air bubbles around the house. The torch heads are not interchangeable so the blue propane and the yellow map gas bottles are not interchangeable for the respective heads for the torch.
When using the propane torch you typically hold it upside down to hit the surface of your epoxy. The torch can sputter and go out. The propane safety about propane bottles used for your BBQ pits tell you to never turn the bottle upside down. The propane is a liquid inside the tank and is turned into a gas when it is dispensed. If the propane bottle is upside down you get liquid flowing instead of gas. The liquid is burnable but tends to drizzle out and causes your torch to go out. When this happens take your finger off the trigger to avoid excess gas coming out. The torch nozzle is angled at about 45 degrees so to hit a horizontal surface you think you have to turn the bottle upside down to get the fire on the epoxy. Just keep the bottle horizontal with the floor for best results. Also keep the flame moving and do not dwell in one spot too long. You can damage the epoxy or the project by lingering too long. Move slowly but steady for the best action. You can also torch the epoxy in the mixing container before pouring it. Just be careful if using a plastic container. Keep the torch moving and do not linger.
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Thanks. I do have a small butane torch on order. Based on the videos I have seen it should be sufficient for smaller projects and a little easier to handle. Same safety precautions apply for sure.
If I graduate to a larger pour then using a propane one would be better I am sure.
I am not super happy about the coloring here. It is kind of mottled. It will work for my case but I am guessing the liquid dyes would provide a lot more consistent color than the mica powder. Or maybe I just didn’t stir enough.
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note also that you get far fewer bubbles if you warm up the epoxy components before mixing… especially in winter or colder climates
(to “just above luke warm”)
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