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Thread: What is causing this with Epoxy Pour?

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by William Hodge View Post
    It sounds like you found some food safe epoxy good for getting cut while cooking. What brand is it?
    It's FGCI (Fiber Glass Coating Inc) SuperClear 2.0 Liquid Glass 2"-4" Thick pour Epoxy
    FGCI Si[erC;ear 2,0 Epoxy.jpg

    I made a second test piece, waiting about 12 hours (ah, the need to sleep). The epoxy was really too thick at this point, but I swirled some in. Bubbles that would go away became an issue with this one, and way too much bronze, but the effect was getting somewhat better.

    Epoxy Test Board 2.jpg

    So it seems that the time needed is between 3 and 12 hours. Way too long.

    I really need an epoxy with that roughly 30-45 min time frame, like in the video. Any suggestions?
    Last edited by Alan Lightstone; 01-07-2023 at 8:47 AM.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  2. #17
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    Ok. Now I'm even more confused.

    I took the test piece out of the mold, and this is what it looked like:
    This is the top:
    Epoxy Test Board 2 - Top.jpg

    This is the side:
    Epoxy Test Board 2 - Side.jpg

    And this is the bottom:
    Epoxy Test Board 2 - Buttom.jpg

    So it appears that when I mixed the bronze and white to the green, they settled due to their weight with the white settling to the bottom, the majority green in the middle, and the bronze at the top.

    Totally confused now. Never seen this online in any demo.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  3. #18
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    Alan,
    I do not claim to be an expert in this but do a fair number of pours. Having said that, I use mostly Alumilite Deep Pour (once in awhile Total Boat). I have found their videos and online help to be very good. I also have called and asked questions. My guess is that any deep pour is going to be a Sloooooow cure and thus will take a looooong time to reach the best temp to add a streak color.
    As to your settling issue in the pictures, I'm not sure. I've had powder dyes/colors sink some occasionally when mixed in with liquid dyes or alcohol inks. Maybe more mixing time to better dissolve the powder??
    My last comment is that regardless of what product brand you choose, I think there is a learning curve with the idiosyncrasies of a given brand and type (deep pour, quick coat, clear slow, etc.). It is a learning curve that you dive into when you start using resins/epoxies......and it never ends!!!!

    Jim

  4. #19
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    You want to make a "Cutting BOARD". So what are you planning to do with these pieces of epoxy? Cut them up and make pieces to fit between pieces of wood in the board? If that is your plan (to cut them up into small pieces) I think you already have some interesting pieces to work with. Epoxy alone as a cutting surface does not work all that well. Tiny knife slits in the surface of epoxy will show in time, where they don't in end grain hardwoods.

    Charley

  5. #20
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    Alumilite is my preferred brand also. They have numerous how to videos online. Also a support number you can call and talk to a real person, or at least used to. Been a while since I needed to talk to support.

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charles Lent View Post
    You want to make a "Cutting BOARD". So what are you planning to do with these pieces of epoxy? Cut them up and make pieces to fit between pieces of wood in the board? If that is your plan (to cut them up into small pieces) I think you already have some interesting pieces to work with. Epoxy alone as a cutting surface does not work all that well. Tiny knife slits in the surface of epoxy will show in time, where they don't in end grain hardwoods.
    Charley
    It will be a river cutting board as a present for my family doctor. My hunch is that she'll just use it for decoration (like lots of people do with those beautiful face grain cutting boards that we make for them... Sigh...)
    Total surprise for her, and clearly missed the holidays, but that won't matter.

    Something like this:
    Rockworks River Cutting Board.jpg
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  7. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robert Hayward View Post
    Alumilite is my preferred brand also. They have numerous how to videos online. Also a support number you can call and talk to a real person, or at least used to. Been a while since I needed to talk to support.
    Probably my next chore is to call them and then purchase.

    I hate wasting that large bottle of epoxy I bought, but oh well.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  8. #23
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    Well, I found some interesting information searching Youtube.

    There's a number of videos from Blacktail Studio where he uses the same FGCI (Fiber Glass Coating Inc) SuperClear 2.0 Liquid Glass 2"-4" Thick pour Epoxy that I've been trying. He does announce that he's now an ambassador for the brand, so just going to throw out that caveat.

    He uses this epoxy for all his river tables. The important fact is that he doesn't start to swirl his epoxy for 12 hours. And lightly continues every 30 minutes for up to about 16 hours. And he suggests never letting the epoxy get above 120°F. So a totally different beast to work with than the Alumite. Really don't think I have the patience for that long a time.

    So I ordered some Alumilite deep pour. I'll work with that, and hopefully get this to work. And boy this became an expensive project/gift. Hope she likes it.

    Here's the last test I did, waiting only about 12 hours:

    Top:
    Epoxy Test Board 3 Top.jpg

    Bottom:
    Epoxy Test Board 3 Bottom.jpg

    So still too much settling, and color differential, but better.
    This stuff just isn't easy to work with. At least in my hands.

    Now on to the Alumilite in a few days. Hopefully with better results.




    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  9. #24
    Why do you keep getting deep pour epoxies? Seems like overkill for a river poured cutting board. Deep pour epoxy usually always has a long set time. There is a lot of heat generated. I think using Total Boat or MAS epoxy will get you the results you are looking for. And as with just about everyone else, no one shows you all the trials and tribulations they went through to get the results they were looking for.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Richard Verwoest View Post
    Why do you keep getting deep pour epoxies? Seems like overkill for a river poured cutting board. Deep pour epoxy usually always has a long set time. There is a lot of heat generated. I think using Total Boat or MAS epoxy will get you the results you are looking for. And as with just about everyone else, no one shows you all the trials and tribulations they went through to get the results they were looking for.
    Presently the wood I am using is pretty deep. About 1-1/2" (though it will get planed/sanded down to about 1 or 1-1/4", so that's why I took this route. Could have been a big mistake. We'll see if the Alumilite does better.

    The deep pour epoxy I have been using generates very little heat, which I find interesting.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  11. #26
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    For clarification purposes I take it you are desiring the color to be uniform all the way through so it looks good from either side? I haven't actually done a river table or anything similar. I did go to a seminar with Jess Crow and it was very informative. She is in partnership with Total Boat. You can also search for her website which has hundreds of unique projects she has completed. Hope you get it figured out.

    https://www.totalboat.com/product/jess-crow-makerpoxy/

  12. #27
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    Yes, since it's a cutting board, I would like the bottom to look good too. It doesn't have to be the same pattern, but it can't look like clumps of color either. I will put rubber legs on it, so the top will be the one used, and hopefully look good.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  13. #28
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    One of your struggles is getting both sides of the pour to look the same. You might try pouring half depth then after that's cured pour the other half.

    Don't think of the cost of this one project, or even about spreading it over a number of projects. Think of the first costs as tuition.

  14. #29
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Bender View Post
    One of your struggles is getting both sides of the pour to look the same. You might try pouring half depth then after that's cured pour the other half.

    Don't think of the cost of this one project, or even about spreading it over a number of projects. Think of the first costs as tuition.
    I'm seriously thinking about two pours. Makes sense, although I'm still not sure the bottom pour will look good, but that's my new game plan.

    I love your quote about the first costs being tuition. Gonna remember that one.
    - After I ask a stranger if I can pet their dog and they say yes, I like to respond, "I'll keep that in mind" and walk off
    - It's above my pay grade. Mongo only pawn in game of life.

  15. #30
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    Alan,
    This might be helpful. It is mainly talking about Amazing Clear Cast but principals are the same.

    https://youtu.be/_xXxpFOtz5Y

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