Arm R Seal over epoxy

[Todd Mason-Darnell]

Hiya,

Matt Cremona just did a video (his router bit cabinet) where he used epoxy on some miter joints as the glue. As he was wiping up the squeeze out, he made a comment that since he was using a clear finish (Arm R Seal) he did not need to worry about the epoxy causing problems.

Anyone have experience with this? is it good for all epoxies? I am asking because I have doing dome boxes that have small components and a complicated glue up with some tight spaces. I was thinking of pre-finishing the small pieces to manage the squeeze out, but since I had planned on using Arm R Seal Semi-Gloss anyway, if I can get away using epoxy and avoid the pre-finishing, I am willing to give it a shot.

[John TenEyck]

Do a test on scrap. Then you will know. My guess is you're going to see a difference.

John

[Bennett Ostroff]

In terms of arm-r-seal over epoxy, I’m not sure if your concern is appearance or compatibility. If you’re worried about appearance, it would probably depend on the wood, but for the most part the color difference would be minor. You could just wipe up the squeezed out epoxy with alcohol, or sand off after cured. I like to seal areas like that with shellac first so the epoxy doesn’t penetrate, and then sand everything off, then topcoat.

In terms of compatability you should be fine. Wait until the epoxy is cured and sand lightly for topcoat adhesion.

[Stan Calow]

I use epoxy often for less-than-perfect joints. I have noticed on a few pieces the areas with some squeeze out look different after a year or two. A difference in coloration as they fade or darken less than other areas, probably due to the epoxy preventing oxidation or absorption. One of these was with a poly topcoat and one with oil. Just my experience.