# Thick Layer of Resin



## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

I'm taking on a new project refinishing a family heirloom of sorts. It is essentially half of a mangrove tree trunk that has been perched horizontally on two mahogany legs making a large bench. It has been in my family for a 85 years or so and my great-grandfather built it.

My question for you guys is how thick can a clear resin be poured. The "trunk" has a few large knots(some as deep as 4 inches). Originally a border was built around the trunk and then resin was poured to fill all of these knots and create a level surface to sit on. 

So in your experience what types of resin are the clearest and how thick can they be poured?


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## jack warner (Oct 15, 2010)

you need to research the product your gonna use. msds is a good start.
i use system three mirrorcoat. its a 2 part epoxy clear. i use it for chess board surfaces. its pour-run off thicknes is around 60 mils. ( about 1/16 th of an in. ). i have used this stuff once for a bar top that we dammed the edges, and poured it about 1/2 in thick with items imbedded in it. that was 5 yrs ago and its still there. although it does yellow over time. specially the thicker it is.

i dont think i would use and epoxy to fill a 4" hole. but it might work.


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## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

The idea is to fill the hole, but to still have it clear, so you can see the character of the wood. My great grandfather originally used a type of casting resin which I've found some of, maybe that is the answer.

Here are some pictures of today's progress.


What I started with:









With everything stripped off and sanded down with 220:


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

I poured one from HD I will look up the name I made this door into a table the depth of the raised panel was 2" the customer says it still looks great


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Tap Plastics has a couple products that may work for you. Here is a link to their instructional videos. Good Luck, looks great so far!

Tap Plastics


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## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

Master Hand- What finishing techniques did you use before the resin?

I'm afraid that an oil based stain or anything other types of finishes under the resin might cause a reaction and not allow the resin to bond.

Rick Mosher- Thanks for the heads up, I've been reading all the info they have and looked at a bunch of their products.


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

This door was over 100 yes old and had it's original finish on it. I would assume oil or shelac. I will get name of resin I simply leveled door and poured a ton in the center it's self leveling and had no reaction to existing finish. When I get you name buy it and experiment on scraps with different finishes and the one you used


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

rookie177 said:


> I'm taking on a new project refinishing a family heirloom of sorts. It is essentially half of a mangrove tree trunk that has been perched horizontally on two mahogany legs making a large bench. It has been in my family for a 85 years or so and my great-grandfather built it.
> 
> My question for you guys is how thick can a clear resin be poured. The "trunk" has a few large knots(some as deep as 4 inches). Originally a border was built around the trunk and then resin was poured to fill all of these knots and create a level surface to sit on.
> 
> So in your experience what types of resin are the clearest and how thick can they be poured?


*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

Holes and defects should be filled before any pouring with a clear two part epoxy putty (like a gel). This keeps the pour from draining through. I've use several brands of the two part epoxy for pouring, and found little difference in clarity or quality.

Check out *this thread, post #4*. It's a short course in doing a poured surface. 












 









.


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## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

Thanks for the welcome. I have been reading your posts and they're all quite informative. thank you.

How deep do you think I can do a single pour, after all of the prep work? The end goal is to have a completely flat surface on top, so not only am I trying to fill the void on the right(where the large hole is), but also level the wavy top.

Thank you all for your help, I truly appreciate.


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## MastersHand (Nov 28, 2010)

I know the table/door I posted is at least a 1/4" thick of resin over the stile and rails after filling the entire depth of the panels and that was achieved by just letting it pour over the sides . I think if you wrapped tape around edge with tape sticking up to dam it off the skies the limit and then brush the edges or re pour. I actually did a separate pour after it had cured it was pretty wild as the last pour reaclamated the initial coat and then leveled out as one. Definitely listen to cabbies advice and make sure there no holes through. I left the copper escutcheon and keyhole and taped off the bottom so now you can look down into the different depths of the door and through the keyhole


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## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

Got a little more work done today, picked up some stain and sealer to put on before the resin. I also stripped all the finish off of the bottom and legs, it was a very soft finish which instantly clogged any form of sandpaper, so I used a chemical stripper.

Hopefully I'll get everything stripped and completely sanded tomorrow and stained on tuesday. I'll post more pics tomorrow.


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## rookie177 (Dec 25, 2010)

Got everything sanded down and stained today.

Upside down, stripped and sanded with 220:









Stained:



























I've decided to use US composites Kleer Koat epoxy and pour it in 5-6 layers to get the build that I want.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

"...msds is a good start..."

Very erroneous. An MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) tells you what the product is, how to handle it safely and if all goes south - how to deal with it. The Key word in 'MSDS' is the first "s" to appear - that "S" is for Safety. MSDS sheets are not the same as a PDS (Product Data Sheets). Any inferences that can come from an MSDS (except concerning safety) are pure conjecture. If an MSDS was required for water - which it is not - all we could gather from it is that it is made from Hydrogen gas which is very flamable/explosive and Oxygen which is also a gas that incidentally supports combustion. The chemicals required to make water are both gases and no liquids are involved. So - so much for the reliability of MSDS sheets when used to determine the products performance.

So, if you do research, look for the Product Data Sheets (PDS) to see what the product is normally used for and how to apply it and not the MSDS. Then look at the MSDS sheets to see what hazards exist and how to handle it safely. Sometimes the PDS will be a different name Like Material Performance Sheet or something similar.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Tony B said:


> "...msds is a good start..."
> 
> Very erroneous. An MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) tells you what the product is, how to handle it safely and if all goes south - how to deal with it. The Key word in 'MSDS' is the first "s" to appear - that "S" is for Safety. MSDS sheets are not the same as a PDS (Product Data Sheets). Any inferences that can come from an MSDS (except concerning safety) are pure conjecture. If an MSDS was required for water - which it is not - all we could gather from it is that it is made from Hydrogen gas which is very flamable/explosive and Oxygen which is also a gas that incidentally supports combustion. The chemicals required to make water are both gases and no liquids are involved. So - so much for the reliability of MSDS sheets when used to determine the products performance.
> 
> So, if you do research, look for the Product Data Sheets (PDS) to see what the product is normally used for and how to apply it and not the MSDS. Then look at the MSDS sheets to see what hazards exist and how to handle it safely. Sometimes the PDS will be a different name Like Material Performance Sheet or something similar.



You're right, it does contain safety and handling data. But, it also contains the ingredients and their VOC's, or toxicity, by percentage of volume or parts/per. In this instance, it would not have revealed how clear a resin would cure. But if you want to know the contents of a product, the MSDS usually does a pretty good job listing them. It may list their chemical nomenclature, or their common name.









 









.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

*PDS vs. MSDS*

The point I was trying to make is that the MSDS sheet is not a vehicle we would use to measure performance or quality for selecting a particular manufacturers product such as pour on epoxy. The PDS gives performance info as well as characteristics and typical application methods. Looking at the list of chemicals on the MSDS does not tell us much if anything about the quality of one manufacturers product as compared to another. There are chemical processes involved (such as catalysts ) that make a product what it is - quality wise. Life is not as simple as just throwing a batch of chemicals together and mixing. 

For those of you that are not familiar with PDS and MSDS sheets, attached are one of each for the same product. 

http://search.gemini-coatings.com/DataSheets/PDS/PC-0010,20,30,60,90%20%20(CLEAR%20PRECATALYZED%20LACQUER).pdf

http://search.gemini-coatings.com/DataSheets/MSDS/PC-0030.pdf


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## skymonkey (Apr 12, 2010)

How much do these finishes cost? I'm building a countertops for an upcoming project and was considering epoxy as a finish but know nothing about it.......yet.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

The "pour-on" epoxies run around $80 - $120/ gal. Try to find a local outlet for it because Hazmat shipping fees can add another $70 to the cost. 
Also, be careful in your phraseology. There is a major difference between "pour-On" epoxy and the plain ole epoxy finish. If you ask for an epoxy finish without the use of the words "pour-on", you might end up with a finish normally associated with a finish used over fiberglass or for wood on boats.


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## Hovawart (Mar 7, 2017)

You are agreeing with Tony B. His post was very useful.


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