Deep Fill Epoxy

[Howard gorm]

First time doing this and yes I will do a test piece first. Depth is likely 2- 1 1/2 inches. Looking to do river tables and artistic pieces using odd shaped sections of tree trunks that have large voids. Two questions - should the wood be sealed with either a quick drying epoxy, something else, or not at all? Second, there are so many brands out there, do you have one that you think is particularly good? Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

An issue with epoxy is that deep fills can thermally run away, which turns out to be a disaster. Look for products specifically intended for river tables and the like.

[Bruce Volden]

#1--seal first!!! I use thin CNA--in your case I would hit it at lease twice since it's so deep. This should help with bubbles.
#2-- multiple pours of epoxy--maybe 1/4" at a time.

Bruce

[Jim Becker]

It's pretty important to seal edges before your pour(s) because unsealed edges tend to increase the risk of bubbles from air escaping the wood. You can use thinned resin...slather it on well, let it cure and then do your setup and pour(s).

[Bill Dufour]

You may need to pull a vacuum on the epoxy before pouring to get the bubbles out. Probably a good idea to throw the pour into a pressure chamber to reduce bubbles as it cures.
Bill D

[Scott Snyder]

Found this - bubbles out of epoxy -

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=elKWS1jTf1o

[Ronald Blue]

TotalBoat is good stuff. https://www.totalboat.com/product/thickset-deep-pour-casting-epoxy/