Gap filling epoxies

[Ross Lowry]

What are some good brands of epoxy, that will not yellow, that a Watco finish or a Varnish will adhere to?

[Chris Padilla]

I'm not aware of any epoxies that take stain or that finishes adhere to very well but I could be wrong. One way to get epoxy to be stainable and to help finishes adhere to it is to mix in some sawdust into the epoxy. Be sure to experiment first so you are aware of the color you'll get. Surprisingly, maple sawdust and epoxy produces a chocoloate colored epoxy! Pine gives you something lighter.

What kind of application are you thinking off that you would have exposed epoxy? Filling in knots or splits, maybe?

[Ross Lowry]

Sorry for the confusion Chris, but I dont want to stain the epoxy.
Just want to make sure it wont yellow inside the gap, because if it did then whenever I refinished it would be very hard to get the yellow out of the crevace.

[Steve Schoene]

What kind of gaps are you trying to fill? Do they have to have strength. There may be better choices than epoxy that we could consider.

Epoxy generally does yellow I believe. You might ask this question at the boat building area, where canoes and kyacks built from strips are covered with fiberglass and epoxy and then varnished to protect the epoxy from UV radiation.

As far as finishes on top, Watco would generally be a no-no. Watco has to be wiped off the surface of the wood, leaving only that part that penetrates into the wood.

[Ross Lowry]

Thanks Steve, I was told it dosen't yellow, but if left uncoated will turn a haze color.
I decided on polyurethane, I know alot of people don't like it but it looks fantastic on the wood I am working with. So I will probally be refinishing it in about 10 or so years.
I went with a 5 minute epoxy from Versa Chem. It says will not bond with polyethylene or polypropolene, but nothing about polyurethane. So I am hoping that urethane will bond to it.

[Joe Chritz]

Polyurethane doesn't like to bond to anything, even itself.

That is why it is necessary to sand between coats to give a mechanical "tooth" for the finish to adhere.

As long as you do the same the epoxy should be OK.

Also, it isn't that we (or at least me personally) don't like poly, it is that there are many other easily available finishes that look as nice or nicer and are easier to work with.

Poly available at the home centers does have an advantage of being very reasonable in cost.

Joe

[Howard Acheson]

Thanks Steve, I was told it dosen't yellow, but if left uncoated will turn a haze color.
I decided on polyurethane, I know alot of people don't like it but it looks fantastic on the wood I am working with. So I will probally be refinishing it in about 10 or so years.
I went with a 5 minute epoxy from Versa Chem. It says will not bond with polyethylene or polypropolene, but nothing about polyurethane. So I am hoping that urethane will bond to it.

Ross, what is the item you are working on? Is this an exterior application? If so, there are some additional considerations.

When you refer to "polyurethane" are you referring to a finish or an adhesive?