Resin (not Alumilite) and dyes

[TimR]

I’m looking to fill a gap about 8” long, 3/4” wide and 3” deep in a wood void.
Alumilite out of question since I can’t pressure pot it. Doing outside if necessary not s problem.
I think a pint will suffice. I want to dye it and add some pearlex I already have. I have Transtint, Alumilite, and Transfast dyes...so don’t want another dye if I can avoid.

Recommendation for resin to buy and dye compatibility?

 

[Sprung]

I can't speak to dye compatibility, but for that purpose I might consider one of the casting epoxies that are being used for river tables and the like, something like Ecopoxy. They have very long set times, which is good for getting the bubbles out if you're not able to put it in a pressure pot.

 

[TimR]

I’ve got some qts of unused Envirotex stuff for table tops, but seems like I’ve heard not good for thicker pours. Those are still sealed but about 3 yrs old...any thoughts on usability?

 

[TimR]

Here’s the stuff I have

 

[TimR]

Here’s the gap I’m wanting to fill . Sitting on 5 gal bucket

 

[Sprung]

Yeah, I'm not sure on the bartop epoxy - never used the stuff, but I have heard it doesn't work well for thicker pours.

I've not done any casting myself, so the thought of using one of the epoxies they're casting into thick wood/resin tables (that is slow cure) is about the extent of what help I might be able to give!

 

[Graybeard]

Keep us posted Tim. Be interesting to see what you use and how it turns out.

 

[CarySasaki]

For thicker pours, like those river tables on Instagram, I know a lot of people use ecopoxy. The cure time is long but all you need is a blowtorch to get out the bubbles.

 

[TimR]

I talked to Curtis at Turntex...recommended Alumilite Clear Cast epoxy, for similar reasons @Sprung brought up with long set times. He added to warm the mixture in microwave for about 7 seconds to give flexibility for filling cracks and crevices. Also, confirmed I should be able to use it with standard Alumilite dyes and mica powder. We'll see how it goes once I get it.

 

[Maverick]

 

[TimR]

John, guilty as charged! I did the fill and have been distracted in true woodworkers fashion.
The fill went great, I even had enough of s pour to fill a big void in a redwood burl blank.
I’ll may end up posting the redwood burl For sale.
Very happy with the clear cast, bubble free, though I did mix in my color with B side and pulled vacuum on it to move things along before mixing in the A.

 

[Maverick]

@TimR Looks good Tim....and I just wanted to see how things turned out for you as I want to do some casting etc one of these days. I totally understand the time restraints....it sucks when life gets in the way of the fun stuff. Curious, what are the dimensions of the overall piece. Thanks.

 

[TimR]

@TimR Looks good Tim....and I just wanted to see how things turned out for you as I want to do some casting etc one of these days. I totally understand the time restraints....it sucks when life gets in the way of the fun stuff. Curious, what are the dimensions of the overall piece. Thanks.

No real restraints, more of just having various things going at one time. Used to be “multitasking” when I was working was considered normal and expected, not so sure it fits in with relaxing woodwork.
The marked circle on the mimosa is 12”. I plan to cut away excess with chainsaw before mounting a faceplate on the resin filled side, and turning it.

 

[Maverick]

Cool, hope to see pics of the finished piece. Happy turning.

 

[TimR]

Well, I finally started this big mimosa piece. Going well, the resin looks like it’s going to show up well and provide strength in the bottom. This stuff is very hard and very dry. Sands well. I’ve sanded a good portion of the outside to 240, will hand sand to 400 when all is done.
Turning away the big undercut to 1/4” thick is more like hollowing than bowl turning.
Will post in complete project thread if all goes well. Wanted to give heads up to anyone who was watching this thread on how it’s going.

 

[TimR]

I was just starting to sand interior and noticed some of the bark was coming loose. Luckily it didn’t start while turning.
To keep from having the CA stains, I wiped all surfaces where CA might run with dewaxed shellac.
I got a little carried away with how it looked and wiped entire outside. Looking forward to final finish.

 

[ripjack13]

 

[Maverick]

Looking good