Epoxy Inlay

[Dennis Collins]

I am making some bread boards and wanted to do some inlay work. The board is solid maple and I was thinking about using Walnut and Cherry for the inlay.

I was also thinking about using Epoxy to do some inlay outlining. When I use my inlay bit, to outline the pattern, I thought it might look good just to pour some colored epoxy in the grove, rather than routing out the inside waste. With colored epoxy, this would leave a nice outline of the pattern.

Can anyone give me advise on how to do this? Is the epoxy toxic (given that it will be on a bread board)? Can you color epoxy with good results? My local Woodcraft indicated that they has coloring for epoxy, but I did not get by there today to see it.

Also, I read on the internet (google search) that the epoxy will bubble or the color will bleed into the wood. Any thoughts or experiences?

Thanks.

[Mike Cutler]

Hmm.... This sounds like a question for Bob Smalser.
I know that epoxy is used to coat decks and large surfaces, and that some folks do a thick layer for decopage(sp.) type stuff.
I would think that the tint and some form of a Thixotopic agent would be required. Does the West Epoxy site have any info?

[Mike Henderson]

I've used colored epoxy as an inlay with good results. For the color, I used dry dye powder. You mix your epoxy then put in the powder until it's the color you want. I had some problems with bubbles but I think it's air that gets trapped in the epoxy when you're mixing it. After I had the problem, I was more careful when mixing - I mixed slowly and smoothly to avoid getting air trapped in the epoxy. Do some trials before you do the actual work.

When you put the epoxy into your cutout, do it carefully so as not to get any air into the epoxy and mound it up higher than the surface - you can sand it off after it hardens. No problem with the color bleeding into the wood. I have no idea whether epoxy is food safe.

Let us know how you do with it. Good luck!

Mike

[Carroll Courtney]

Dennis, if you have excess to Woodsmith magazine,check out #168.Very good article on epoxy inlaying.You have to seal the wood around the groove with spray lacquer(you can get in a spray can at Ace Hardware or S&W)Apply the epoxy using a syringe.Check out the article,its easier than I can explain.I have wanted to try it,just have not got arount to it. Carroll

[Richard Blaine]

David Marks did a seminar at one of The Woodworking Shows on inlays. He talked about epoxies, and as I recall, he used powdered dyes also.

BTW, like everyone else has said, he's a nice guy to talk with.

[John Shuk]

I was watching Free Form Furniture and she used a heat gun on the epoxy for a few minutes to get the epoxy allow the bubbles to free themselves.

[Zac Bell]

do you think that using sawdust as a color would work, if you wanted a specific wood color in the inlay? or would it be best to guess and check with actual coloring?

[David Cefai]

Two suggestions.
1. Definitely seal the groove. Otherwise you may get the epoxy wicking into the end grain. A coat of unpigmented epoxy will do just fine.
2. Before epoxying, rub the wood alongside the groove with wax This will prevent the epoxy sticking where it's not wanted.
3. A cabinet scraper will probably do a better job than sanding. (OK,OK, so I added an extra one!). When you scrape down to wood level you'll scrape the wax off too.

[Jeff Monson]

I have used transtint in clear epoxy, also good recemmondations on sealing the groove 1st , also a cabinet scraper works great for leveling it out.

[Todd Bin]

I was watching Free Form Furniture and she used a heat gun ...

Is she hot or what. I never seem to pay much attention to what is being built. You know, it is not exactly fine furniture.

[Stephen Pereira]

I just finished an epoxy inlay using Inlace epoxy. I used a pantograph to inlay the Chinese symbol for "long life" The results were OK..not great but acceptable. I used brass dust, gold Inlace dye and dust. The inlay turned out kind of dull..not as shiney or bright as I had hoped even though I bought the Inlace polishing compound..the whole works. The instructions call for sanding then polishing the epoxied inlay..I used a card scraper..worked well to level but I think the scraper adversely affected the color.

[Larry Edgerton]

It will work just fine.

First, seal the inlay area with epoxy that has not been tinted. Let it soak in for a few minutes and clean out the recess before it starts to set. I use alcohol on a rag and Qtips for this. Let cure overnight. Now when you pour your colored epoxy it will not bleed.

When you pour it bubbles are just part of the curing process. I use a butane micro torch to move the bubbles to the surface on small projects, and a mapp gass torch on larger ones. You have to move fast but I like the torch better than the heat gun. These bubbles will keep coming until the epoxy is into its curing stage a bit, so keep an eye on it for a bit.

Anchor the epoxy inlays with some small holes drilled in to the bottom of the groove on a bit of an angle. This way if the wood moves a bit with seasonal changes there is no chance that the epoxy will come loose.

Pour your grooves a little high. There is some good surface tension with epoxy so you can make the top of the pour a bit rounded up and scrape it off flush later. Keep an eye on it for a bit to see if some soaks in and the level drops, if need be add some more. This will stop at th ecuring stage as well.

Temp/humidity/volume all affect the cure time. I suggest that you vist the West System tech pages to get a good overview, or if you are going to do this a lot order their tech manual. It is free and is the last word on all things epoxy.

Have fun, and lets see it when you are done.

Larry

[Darrin Vanden Bosch]

Epoxy is great for filling voids and would work as an inlay, but it is not foodsafe,

[Bill ThompsonNM]

Epoxy is great for filling voids and would work as an inlay, but it is not foodsafe,

A little research on the net seems to negate this opinion:
In a paper discussing studies of Epoxy can coatings (a large percentage of cans sold with food and drink are coated with a thin layer of epoxy on the inside to prevent corrosion) the author report that epoxy can coatings:
"Can coatings have been and continue to be recognized as safe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.K. Food Standards Agency, the EU Scientific Committee on Food and other government bodies worldwide." from: bisphenol-a.org/human/epoxycan.html

I would bet that food contact from a cutting board would be even safer.. since you're not steaming it, or putting hot acids and alcohols in it for long time periods.

Gorilla Glue, on their website, also offers up the advice that their epoxy is non toxic and food safe.

[Mike Cutler]

David

Mohawk Finishing makes a wide range of epoxy sticks, fillers and colorants. I've used the sticks to do inlay work with in the past, and they worked great.

http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse_tech.asp?ictnbr=113

[Jim Finn]

I have mixed colored chalk dust in epoxy and had good results.

[Darrin Vanden Bosch]

While epoxy is in a can preventing corrosion it is undisturbed, it is not on a cutting board getting small particles in whatever you happen to be cutting at the time, besides when they say somthing is safe that is not always the case.

[tom coleman]

I bought a Pantagraph (sp?) from Milescraft at Tampa woodworking show last weekend. The guy doing the demo suggested coating material being routed with Thompsons deck oil before routing. This will apparently adequately seal the wood around the routed area for further finishing

[Bill ThompsonNM]

While epoxy is in a can preventing corrosion it is undisturbed, it is not on a cutting board getting small particles in whatever you happen to be cutting at the time, besides when they say somthing is safe that is not always the case.

Each to your own paranoia-- I'll put my money with my tax dollars. The FDA says an epoxy covered surface is approved for food preparation.