small swing top boxes

[MJMStudio]

vcarve painted and filled with epoxy and mica powder

all are swing top with a magnet to hold closed except the butterfly its hinged

[gkas]

Nicely done. Is a swing top box one where the lid swings away on a pin?

[MJMStudio]

yes bored the holes for pin and magnet from bottom

[scottp55]

Congrats!!
Kinda ethereal look on the Fairy box:)
Got some Ashville mica sheets and some got damaged...often thought of cutting off damage,and taking to the mortar and pestle, and have played with mica fingernail polish.

Is paint for a more uniform colored background, or for keeping epoxy from getting into exposed end grain..or both?
Thanks for posting!!
May get me playing more:)
scott

[Holzarbeiter]

Nicely done!

[WNC_Ed]

Boxes look spectacular.
Wow, the Mica powder and epoxy looks great! Would you mind sharing a little more on your technique?
Very well done!
Congrats

[Jhodge76]

They look great! I like the way the fairy looks with the mica powder and epoxy.

[MJMStudio]

Hope this answers questions what I have done with good success is shellac the blank, then vcarve leaving 1/16" to keep oval in the blank, spray white primer over blank, paint vcarve with acrylic paint, sand to just a smoother surface don't want to go through shellac, some I just pour clear over paint, some are like the fairy painted wings poured epoxy mixed with mica powder I think that was magic white, and some are different color mica. I say pour but use a syringe to apply epoxy, mixed in small batches mix powder with hardener first, I do mask off the area too. after all the heat gun to disperse bubbles and its cured 3 days I tape them together on bottom and run through drum sander, then scroll saw the oval from the blank clean up with pattern bit on router table. Its dangerous to try to sand the oval separate from blank there is not enough to hold on to and I got my finger cut from the orbital sander, so don't do that. Also I keep getting defects bubbles that are revealed after sanding I'm still working on that ca glue does an OK job filling but next time going to fill with epoxy. Next try I'm going to heat the resin and hardener in hopes its thinned and de-gasses better, The mica mix is a bye eye deal I just look at mixing stick to try and guess how opaque or semi transparent after mixing with resin it will be you can also drag a tooth pick in design messy but looks good
Thanks if you have any suggestions on the bubble thing I would like to know.

[TReischl]

Those are some outstanding pieces!

[scottp55]

Thanks very much for the info!
Can't help with the bubbles as all my experience in resins is "70's, and we tried to eliminate excess resins on kayaks/canoes:)

On sanding small stuff with RO...have you tried a woodcarvers mat...or even that foam mesh shelf liner?
Usually holds the piece pretty firm for me.

NICE pieces...going to play with mica at some point:)
Thanks!
scott