Tea tray failure

[Aussie]

Poured the resin yesterday..... probably a big mistake as it was over 42 degC

The 3 things I will do on the next try....
Cooler temperature
Multiple resin pours
No late torch work.

Next try is being cut now.

[jfederer]

At least it didn't boil on you! I made the mistake once of heating some resin in the microwave to de-crystalise it. While mixing in the hardener the cup got warmer and warmer... I made it to the gravel driveway just as it boiled over. I learned the hard way that curing epoxy is exothermic!

[Aussie]

Ok on the cnc now....
Border and text... yes or no?

[Savannahdan]

The border and text are okay other than the color in them. The gold sort of takes attention away from the carving itself which looks outstanding. I'd probably try it with a black or brown fill.

[Tex_Lawrence]

"Border and text" - I say no from that example, but I say yes to a brass medallion like you see in the museum or art gallery. You'll have to leave a flat to install a brass plate.

[martin54]

What resin are you using & whats the depth of pour? Did you use a resin sealing coat on the tray before doing the pour?

My problem with temperature it at the other end of the scale It's difficult to keep the temperature up high enough for the duration of the cure especially with deep pour resins that take 48 hours to cure

[Aussie]

What resin are you using & whats the depth of pour? Did you use a resin sealing coat on the tray before doing the pour?

My problem with temperature it at the other end of the scale It's difficult to keep the temperature up high enough for the duration of the cure especially with deep pour resins that take 48 hours to cure

I am using Feast Watson glass finish, the pour was 12mm... I used Tung oil 2 days prior to the pour.

[confused2]

Nice carve. Resin issues are something else. You put massive time and effort into the carve and it is not acceptable. I feel your pain. The scope of my own work is so small. I am too much perfectionist. Save it for future reference to near success.

[martin54]

I've done a lot of work with resin doing fibreglass & carbon fibre stuff which is completely different to this sort of thing lol, I've done a lot less than you have with the inlays you've done etc. One thing I was advised not to do was to use an oil on the wood prior to resin pour, I was advised to use a thin sealing coat of resin before the main pour. I'm using a different brand epoxy resin but would have thought the prep would be much the same.

[Aussie]

I've done a lot of work with resin doing fibreglass & carbon fibre stuff which is completely different to this sort of thing lol, I've done a lot less than you have with the inlays you've done etc. One thing I was advised not to do was to use an oil on the wood prior to resin pour, I was advised to use a thin sealing coat of resin before the main pour. I'm using a different brand epoxy resin but would have thought the prep would be much the same.

Thank you Martin.
I will use a sanding sealer... I use the oil to bring out the grain in the timber and make the model stand out.
Not sure I an achieve this just using the sealer.

[Aussie]

Nice carve. Resin issues are something else. You put massive time and effort into the carve and it is not acceptable. I feel your pain. The scope of my own work is so small. I am too much perfectionist. Save it for future reference to near success.

Everything cnc is a learning curve... always a few failures along the way

[Tailmaker]

.........I will use a sanding sealer... I use the oil to bring out the grain in the timber and make the model stand out.
Not sure I an achieve this just using the sealer.

I had similar effects with an epoxy clearcoat over a lacquered surface. It did not lift off or delaminate completely but there is a kind of boundary layer visible, maybe because of different refraction index between the lacquer and the resin. Also, when using tung oil, I would assume it takes much longer than 2 days to fully cure.

The tabletop clearcoat resin I have been using recently, recommended brushing on a thin blocking layer of the epoxy (to stop bubbling out later) and doing the flood coat after this layer has set but is still a bit sticky. No sanding sealer or anything. Since the resin takes hours to start setting, I think it will penetrate deep enough to show the grain well even if it is a bit viscous. A special low vicosity resin like the System Three Clear Coat may help as well.

In any case, I would try this on a simple piece of your lumber, not a carved one.

[Aussie]

This weekend attempt 2.... will report back.
Thank you for all the info.

[martin54]

Shows just how sad I am, went & spent a few hours looking for info on tung oil

Seems to be a lot of different opinions on it & how long it takes to cure. Some said that it was difficult to buy pure tung oil & if you could get it then it took between 15 - 30 days to cure, some said that most were not tung oil but a mixture of tung oil & other things because pure tung oil was to thick to peretrate well & took to long to cure advice for these seemed to be read the tin & others said a lot of stuff sold as tung oil wasn't actually tung oil at all These also said read the label.
Other thing that was said was that the time given on the tins wasn't time required for full cure but the time before additional finishes could be applied over the top as the tung oil didn't need to fully cure before these were applied

I've never used it myself, it's one of those things that has been on a list of things to try for quite some time & I still haven't got round to it

[scottp55]

Just ran across this;
https://cswoods.com/blogs/news/sutherla ... d-finishes