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Thread: Epoxy suggestions?

  1. #1
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    Epoxy suggestions?

    Greetings all -

    I'm working on a black walnut charcuterie tray for a charity auction at work. The slab I selected has a couple naturally occurring voids and a small check I’d like to fill with some black epoxy. What’s the hot solution out there without having to buy a pail of each component? Should I just buy a plunger of 5 minute clear and some black dye?

    Thanks in advance for suggestions.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  2. #2
    I use Brownells Acraglas epoxy dyes for this kind of thing.

    I have herd stories about people "picking" fine steel wool to collect iron pigment, but do-it-yourself has limits for me.

  3. #3
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    Yeah, I use 5-minute epoxy as wood filler. I load it with sanding dust from the species I'm working on. The color match is usually okay. It doesn't look like the natural wood -- it is all just one color -- but it does fill the small holes. For your project, you could load the epoxy with black dye if that's what you want. Me, I've seen so much black epoxy filler, I'd be inclined to try some other color, like walnut color.

    Me, I've always found that those plungers of 5-minute epoxy go bad before I can use them the second time. I bought a larger quantity of System Three "5-minute" epoxy, and it has lasted me for years. https://www.woodcraft.com/products/s...6f6f18d500148e The initial cost -- $20 -- is higher than a plunger, but the long-term cost is lower.

  4. #4
    Most of the time I use black for filling. I have powdered black dye and mix it into the epoxy. For small stuff I use those plungers of 5 minute epoxy. For bigger needs, I use West System epoxy.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  5. #5
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    WEST epoxy and powdered graphite.
    "Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing."

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    Yeah, I use 5-minute epoxy as wood filler. I load it with sanding dust from the species I'm working on. .....
    I agree, except in this case the inclusions are black in color, as are the borders of the small check. I'm not sure what caused either, but they offer up some visual interest.

    Thanks to all for the suggestions. I need to do a little shopping today.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  7. #7
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    I like carbon black as an additive to make black epoxy. It'a a near perfect match in color and sheen to a good ebony fingerboard, so it's what I use for setting inlays. It's about as black as any normal material gets short of Vantablack (aligned carbon nanotubes).

  8. #8
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    Thanks to all. Short term I picked up some Devcon 5 minute epoxy at Ace Hardware and added a drop of India ink a luthier friend gave me for staining fingerboards and pickguards.

    @Roger Wiegand - where do you get your carbon black? I prefer dry pigment. No solvent compatibility issues.
    Sharp solves all manner of problems.

  9. #9
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    I have a big bottle that came from a lab we were shutting down, about a lifetime supply. Here's a supplier on etsy I'd guess you can find it on ebay as well.

  10. #10
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    My Ace sells black epoxy.

  11. #11
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    When I need a small quantity of black epoxy, I use golf clubhead epoxy, since it's already black, and I keep some anyway for working on golf clubs. Golfworks sells their own brand name stuff for less than the major brand names, and it's good stuff.

    https://www.golfworks.com/epoxy/c/33/

    The epoxy wipes they sell are also worth having. They clean as good as acetone on a paper towel, but don't smear it around as badly, and don't affect any other type of finish.
    Last edited by Tom M King; 07-07-2019 at 10:09 AM.

  12. #12
    To fill some voids in a slab with translucent blue epoxy, I used TransTint dye. The first test was so dark you couldn't see through it. You can make it as dark or translucent as you want.
    “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..." - Mark Twain

  13. #13
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    I. Ought a quart of black liquid leather dye years ago. I think it will last forever.
    Steve Jenkins, McKinney, TX. 469 742-9694
    Always use the word "impossible" with extreme caution

  14. #14
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    I use West Systems epoxy for most of my work. For tinting, I normally use india ink for black and transtint for other colors. Lampblack or carbon black also work. Be careful of all the dyes and powders - they can make a glorious mess is you don't wear gloves and have protection on your bench...

  15. #15
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    I can't help you with a specific product for this, but I actually just got done cutting a number of these this afternoon for a client who does the finish work himself, often with epoxy inlays/filling. I believe he's using West Systems, but I could be wrong about that. He sells these pretty seriously. Here's an example of a more "river" fill on a black wanut board I engraved for him today...

    IMG_5135.jpg
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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