# Seeking Advice - Hand-hewn, Beetle Bored, Epoxy, Oak Mantel



## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

I'm brand new to this forum and new to the world of two-part Epoxy for woodworking.

My wife and I picked up a piece of hand-hewn oak to use as a mantel. I've been working on it for about a month and my design plan has evolved throughout the process.

I planed it, sanded it, dug out the rot on one end and have filled in the vast beetle tracks with West Systems 105 and 207. I'm at a crossroads and thought I would reach out to a woodworking community to benefit from the invaluable experience and knowledge other woodworkers may have to offer.

Thoughts/questions on my mind:
- To stain or not to stain
- What to do with the rotten end (Epoxy, carve, finish but leave open)
- What finishes tend to enhance oak

I'm not a fan of the 70's golden oak color and tend to favor darker woods with contrasted grain. I've worked with cocobolo in the past and loved it. The mantel will be mounted on a white painted brick fire place. 

I'm leaning towards leaving it natural and finishing it with a General Finishes Performance Satin. That said, I feel I'm a little too close to the situation to be objective. Any suggestions?

This is it prior to adding epoxy to the front (front is the left face in the picture):









This is the top:









Front and top:









Front and top:









This is how a test piece looked after epoxy, sanding, and GF PS:








I liked the look of this but this piece didn't have very many beetle tracks exposed (I planed off about a 1/2" of the main piece compared to this one).

Here's the grain and epoxy up close (not final sanding):









Here's the other end:









Any suggestions/advice would be much appreciated.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

The end of the board shown in the fourth picture you could fill it with tinted bondo if you wish for the end to look solid. Another option if you wish to keep the appearance like it is would be to wrap the end of the board with tape and pour epoxy into the end. Once dry you could sand and shape it and once you apply the finish would be transparent. Personally I would prefer the bondo. You can add a universal tinting color to it for the desired color and then add hardener. You just have to make the color less red to allow for the hardener.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Thanks Steve!

I've worked with bondo many times in the past and am not a huge fan of the texture/look of it. I grew up building hot rods and doing body work. I imagine it could look good but I'd have to see an example. My wife liked the open look but I'm not sure I do (again, too close to be objective). 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

I would not fill anything. I would leave the wood mantel just as it is as it gives it alot of character.......

I would also give it a browner tone rather than leaving it the natural color. In my opinion, I would opt for Minwax Provincial 211 or Special Walnut 224. I would not apply Epoxy as a finish, I would go with a low sheen lacquer and keep it rustic looking. Epoxy may tend to leave it plastic looking. 

Once stained and dry, you can also take a piece of 240 grit sandpaper and lightly hilite areas to add even more contrast, but dont get carried away with the hilites. Do a test piece first and see how you like it first.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

PhilMographer said:


> Thanks Steve!
> 
> I've worked with bondo many times in the past and am not a huge fan of the texture/look of it. I grew up building hot rods and doing body work. I imagine it could look good but I'd have to see an example. My wife liked the open look but I'm not sure I do (again, too close to be objective).
> 
> ...


Filling it with clear would look pretty much like you filled the void with glass. Anytime I make a large deep repair on furniture I fill it with bondo. I normally mix the bondo to match the light background color of the wood and once dried and sanded I start drawing the grain of the wood with a graining pen. It does pretty good but with any patch if you look close you can find it.


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## jorma (Feb 24, 2016)

I am with Color on this one. I would not fill anything. The Oils/Solvents in sanding sealer will add color. You could use a light stain as suggested by Color, or just seal it and let it be.
Nature spent a Long Time doing that. I would not try to "fix" anything. 
good luck


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

ColorStylist said:


> I would not fill anything. I would leave the wood mantel just as it is as it gives it alot of character.......
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Thanks for the reply!

I agree about not finishing it with Epoxy. I like that look in some cases but not for a mantel. The Epoxy is specifically to fill in the voids to provide a perfectly flat surface while still maintaining depth/dimension. I will be finishing it with GF Performance Satin, lightly sanding between coats and using a fine grit paper to buff out the sanding marks.

I believe this is white oak and due to the limited supply of scrap pieces, I'm hesitant to experiment with stains. I'll try some 211 and 224 on a small area of a scrap piece. Thanks for the recommendation!

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Steve Neul said:


> Filling it with clear would look pretty much like you filled the void with glass. Anytime I make a large deep repair on furniture I fill it with bondo. I normally mix the bondo to match the light background color of the wood and once dried and sanded I start drawing the grain of the wood with a graining pen. It does pretty good but with any patch if you look close you can find it.




Thanks for the reply Steve!

I hadn't thought about drawing in the grain but you're right. Great suggestion! The only reason I'm hesitant to fill it with color-matched bondo is because I'm not sure if I'll end up refinishing it down the road and I don't think the bondo would accept the stain like the natural wood. 

I've always liked glass-like Epoxy-filled voids but I haven't seen it done on a mantel in a way this would have to be done. Not for lack of searching*

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

jorma said:


> I am with Color on this one. I would not fill anything. The Oils/Solvents in sanding sealer will add color. You could use a light stain as suggested by Color, or just seal it and let it be.
> Nature spent a Long Time doing that. I would not try to "fix" anything.
> good luck




Agreed, I like the idea of showcasing what Nature created. I also feel that crystal clear epoxy can accentuate it in certain cases. I'm just not sure which case this is. Thanks for the reply!

Best Regards,

Phil


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

PhilMographer said:


> Thanks for the reply Steve!
> 
> I hadn't thought about drawing in the grain but you're right. Great suggestion! The only reason I'm hesitant to fill it with color-matched bondo is because I'm not sure if I'll end up refinishing it down the road and I don't think the bondo would accept the stain like the natural wood.
> 
> ...


You're right bondo won't stain, you would have to color the bondo before adding hardener. As far as drawing the grain on I use the brush tip graining markers Mohawks sells. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=800 It's like a combination sharpie and a fine tip artist brush. To do this kind of fill you would have to make a decision whether to stain or not now.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Steve Neul said:


> You're right bondo won't stain, you would have to color the bondo before adding hardener. As far as drawing the grain on I use the brush tip graining markers Mohawks sells. http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=800 It's like a combination sharpie and a fine tip artist brush. To do this kind of fill you would have to make a decision whether to stain or not now.




Thanks for the link! I'll have to pick one of those up to have on hand. I don't think bondo is the right route for this project but I will definitely use it for a future project! The only problem with filling the void with Epoxy is cost. I don't think I have enough to fill in the void and I can't justify spending another $100 on Epoxy to get more for this project. First world problems I suppose.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Can't you just cut off the bad parts and add different wood blocks in a different contrasting species? Make them a little larger and make them part of the overall design. Could even be carved or something.


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

PhilMographer said:


> Thanks for the reply!
> 
> I agree about not finishing it with Epoxy. I like that look in some cases but not for a mantel. The Epoxy is specifically to fill in the voids to provide a perfectly flat surface while still maintaining depth/dimension. I will be finishing it with GF Performance Satin, lightly sanding between coats and using a fine grit paper to buff out the sanding marks.
> 
> ...


You can try different colors on the back side of the mantel that goes against the wall so your test tries will not show. Then apply your satin over your color test tries and see what you like best. 

It really comes down to what look your going after. If its rustic, dont fill anything. Thats more of the look in the first pic I posted.

If your going for a more contemporary look, use the epoxy. It will look more like this:


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

I have a "stupid" question pertaining "rustic". OP this is not directed towards you BUT does have a few questions that pertain to your my questions and some of your questions.

I saw and love RUSTIC and the UGLIER the better as my website shows below. These are things I wonder as I sell or read through many builds/posts/threads.

1) WHY??? does a person buy a rustic piece of wood to fill all the voids back in???? In my mind that defeats the purpose of buying it or the look I thought one desired???

2) WHY??? does one buy a hand hewn beam ONLY to saw off/remove all the hewn marks????

3) I do understand the sanding BUT WHY???? does one want a rustic piece perfectly flat/smooth/glassy????

4) WHY??? buy a beam with a hole in it to fill with a unnatural product trying to match??? Contrasting materials I understand such as a rock or a wood plug as they used to repair dovetails with..something conversational.

OP... I really like the spalted and worm eaten beam BUT what happened to the rustic hand hewn look you first started with???

Finish....I found I like lacquer overall the best to work with... Spray the heck out of it with clear gloss until the fill you desire NO SAND SEAL!!!, then spray satin as final coat. The gloss will POP the grains and the satin will build the CHARM!!!! I use Waterlox on things needing extra water protection (the multi coats looses my long term patience BUT I'm getting better with it).


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Tennessee Tim said:


> I have a "stupid" question pertaining "rustic". OP this is not directed towards you BUT does have a few questions that pertain to your my questions and some of your questions.
> 
> I saw and love RUSTIC and the UGLIER the better as my website shows below. These are things I wonder as I sell or read through many builds/posts/threads.
> 
> ...


Perhaps the why pertains to having to clean dirt and debris out of the voids in that wood. Having it filled retains the look but is much easier to keep clean.


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

Most old English pubs have a beam like this. They are usually blackened with smoke and age. You can buy reproductions made from rigid foam.
johnep


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

johnep1934 said:


> Most old English pubs have a beam like this. They are usually blackened with smoke and age. You can buy reproductions made from rigid foam.
> johnep


http://www.fauxwoodbeams.com/


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Tennessee Tim said:


> I have a "stupid" question pertaining "rustic". OP this is not directed towards you BUT does have a few questions that pertain to your my questions and some of your questions.
> 
> I saw and love RUSTIC and the UGLIER the better as my website shows below. These are things I wonder as I sell or read through many builds/posts/threads.
> 
> ...


Thats not a "stupid" question at all, but actually a great question as alot of people dont really think about overall design. Like I said in my post above, it just depends on the type of furniture style the OP is going for.

I deal with this everyday in my line of work. Believe it or not, designers are now developing furniture with rustic characteristics that is finished in a 30 sheen or slightly higher finish. Recently Ive mocked up cerused panels in a high gloss and some were even buffed out that look pretty good. Alot of designers here recently have brought in Restoration Hardware color swatches that they want matched but finished in a higher gloss. Some I thought didnt look good at all, some i thought actually looked better with a higher gloss. This seems to be a trend that will show up in furniture stores in the next 6 months.

My home consists of mostly casual/traditional furniture, so I can mix match other furniture design accent pieces and they will compliment each other. The OP needs to actually go by this train of thought and decide which way the mantel will look the best and go with the scheme of his home. For example, I would do this.....Rusic is no fills, flat sheen. Traditional, fill 75% of the beam leaving distressed patterns here and there and finish in a 10-20 sheen. Contemporary I would fill completely and finish in a 30 sheen finish or slightly higher.

If the OP has rustic furniture and he finishes the beam in a contemporary fashion, or if he has contemporary furniture and finishes it in a rustic finish, that would actually be a bad choice as they do not compliment each other. If he has traditional furniture, the mantel could be finished either way and fit right in.


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

LOL.." ."stupid" question" was to make others think about their choice(s) before the expensive purchase or time invested. Colorstylist thanks for the tips on what each level is considered. It's all got piled in under one term lately and that's called "Rustic" or reclaimed. 

This is a beautiful beam IMO that I'd be proud to have in my house or in my stock for sale at this state of cleaning and prep even though I still opt for the hand hewn IF that was the original state of piece BUT to each his own opinion AND sometimes due to certain circumstances we have to clean-off/remove the exterior and use as OP has selected.

Steve "...the cleaning..." part I understand BUT that's part of "rustic" , a rougher/courser texture and supposed to be more realistic/natural state of how the wood would be found less dirt and grime but retaining original patina. As stated above the " style" has gotten compromised in what it should stand for. This to me would be more "reclaimed/repurposed" as the rustic has been removed. 

This is what I enjoy about this site..the discussions brought out.....sometimes it's all in where you live or taught as to "what" we call it. The beauty is within each person as to what they see as beauty and how they perceive it.

OP, please keep us informed (with pics also) as you finish this beautiful piece of wood, it's yours and you have to live with it. Finish it to your taste and enjoy for many years!!!


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Tennessee Tim said:


> This is what I enjoy about this site..the discussions brought out.....sometimes it's all in where you live or taught as to "what" we call it. The beauty is within each person as to what they see as beauty and how they perceive it.


WELL SAID! :thumbsup:


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## johnep (Apr 12, 2007)

You could always make a silicone mould and foam compound to sell copies.
johnep


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## Roybrew (Nov 2, 2016)

That is a beautiful piece of lumber. I wonder how old it is, and the history of it. My personal preference would be to leave it natural, but I do wonder about the ends being as "open and porous" as they are. Don't need any spider condos moving in. My wife would say it's great as it is, and it doesn't need anything else.

It is you personal preference. I think it's great that it didn't end up buried or used in a campfire.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Tennessee Tim said:


> I have a "stupid" question pertaining "rustic". OP this is not directed towards you BUT does have a few questions that pertain to your my questions and some of your questions.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Not a stupid question at all!

Due to time, I'm only able to answer one or two of your questions. 

I purchased the hand-hewn beam because it was the same cost as a milled beam and provided tighter grain and more character underneath. I initially thought I might also like the hand-hewn look of it for our room.

I like the use of Epoxy to retain the character while providing for a flat surface.

Like most things, the end product is the result of many choices that we make though out the process.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

ColorStylist said:


> Thats not a "stupid" question at all, but actually a great question as alot of people dont really think about overall design. Like I said in my post above, it just depends on the type of furniture style the OP is going for.
> 
> I deal with this everyday in my line of work. Believe it or not, designers are now developing furniture with rustic characteristics that is finished in a 30 sheen or slightly higher finish. Recently Ive mocked up cerused panels in a high gloss and some were even buffed out that look pretty good. Alot of designers here recently have brought in Restoration Hardware color swatches that they want matched but finished in a higher gloss. Some I thought didnt look good at all, some i thought actually looked better with a higher gloss. This seems to be a trend that will show up in furniture stores in the next 6 months.
> 
> ...




Thanks Color!

Well said. I do not happen to have any "rustic" furniture in my house which is part of the reason I'm moving toward a more contemporary look. I also happen to like the more modern/contemporary look.

Thank you for the feedback and advice! I truly appreciate it! I assume 10-20 sheen is meant as a percentage? Would GF Performance Satin provide an adequate sheen? 

Sorry I don't have more time to reply in-depth!

Best Regards,

Phil


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

PhilMographer said:


> Thanks Color!
> 
> Well said. I do not happen to have any "rustic" furniture in my house which is part of the reason I'm moving toward a more contemporary look. I also happen to like the more modern/contemporary look.
> 
> ...


Yes, since your going for modern/contemporary look, I would definitely go with a satin finish as a semi gloss may be a bit too shiny for that particular beam. Please post pics when your done with your project!


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

ColorStylist said:


> Yes, since your going for modern/contemporary look, I would definitely go with a satin finish as a semi gloss may be a bit too shiny for that particular beam. Please post pics when your done with your project!




Thanks Color!

I ended up going a route I hadn't considered prior to my post. Tung Oil. Although, I initially filled in the void 50% of the depth with the 2-part Epoxy, I mistakenly kept the heat gun on for too long and the reaction caused a mass of bubbles that ruined my intention.

The bubbles from the pre-mature chemical reaction made the epoxy brittle and I opted to carve it out with an aggressive drill bit. At this point, I wasn't sure what I was going to do and began to lose hope. Thankfully, the epoxy and drill bit gave the wood a smooth finish (previously it was very soft and messy looking). Let me say, this is not the best/cheapest way to achieve this result and I would not recommend blowing money on epoxy when you could easily use hardener.




























After a few days for thought, I began sanding the void and making the most of it.

I had to jerry-rig a few tools to allow for sanding in hard-to-reach areas. 














































I sprayed water on the wood after sanding it to 320 and then sanded again at 220, 320, and 400.


After sanding to 400, I applied the first coat of Tung Oil. I sanded 320 between each of 7 coats (so far). Unfortunately, the camera doesn't do the finish justice. It's a nice golden tone with a good deal of figure in various areas.






































Here's a few pictures of it after a few coats of Tung Oil:





























Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Update:

Welded up a mount for the mantel yesterday. I used 2" x 3/16" flat stock in a 48" length. I welded 5.5" pegs of 1/2" round stock to it and then sprayed it with primer.



















Mounted it to the wall using 3/8" x 1.5" lag bolts.










Then test fit the mantel prior to beginning final coats of Tung Oil.










Final fitment will be flush against the wall but it's pretty neat to see it quite literally floating from most angles during test fit.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Did I mention....I LIKE!!!!

Tell us about the truck!!! looks a little rodded in disguise LOL!!!!


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Looks great! Looks similar to the picture I posted in post 13.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Tennessee Tim said:


> :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Did I mention....I LIKE!!!!
> 
> Tell us about the truck!!! looks a little rodded in disguise LOL!!!!




Thanks Tennessee Tim! 

Haha the truck is a 54 Chevy my dad and I built. We've put over 60,000 miles on it since initially finishing it in 2008. We did all the work ourselves including body and paint. The only two things we didn't do were the exhaust bending/welding and boring out the engine. It's a little hot rodded. We estimate between 340hp and 350hp.

Here's a few pictures of the work:














































We recently refinished the wood for the bed: 










Best Regards,

Phil


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Awesome truck pics! Here are my 2 babies, 1968 Ford Ranger and a 1969 SCJ Mach 1:


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

OOOOOOOHHHHHHH....YYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Thanks for posting....both of you!!!! When I had cars I was into the old bonestock (NON REFURBED)....nothing against restoring or rodding , I like them also. After helping a friend with a couple complete restores 31 chevy coupe and 78 vette and doing all the shows I found I enjoyed finding unrestored driveables....I had a 65 Ford country sedan wagon 289 3 spd on column ALL original. I also had a 68 Impala 327 4 brrl all original except paint, was original color BUT someone keeped it under a car cover clothe.......NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do that for long ...it blistered the paint due to holds moisture.....kinda like wood and plastic.


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Tennessee Tim said:


> OOOOOOOHHHHHHH....YYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Thanks for posting....both of you!!!! When I had cars I was into the old bonestock (NON REFURBED)....nothing against restoring or rodding , I like them also. After helping a friend with a couple complete restores 31 chevy coupe and 78 vette and doing all the shows I found I enjoyed finding unrestored driveables....I had a 65 Ford country sedan wagon 289 3 spd on column ALL original. I also had a 68 Impala 327 4 brrl all original except paint, was original color BUT someone keeped it under a car cover clothe.......NEVER, NEVER, NEVER do that for long ...it blistered the paint due to holds moisture.....kinda like wood and plastic.


My Mach 1 is restored to original. My truck is original with just 1 repaint back in 1986. The only thing I did thats not original to the truck was install AIM lowering suspension and installed disc brakes. I also put in a roller cam with a 3500 stall converter and did some head work to the 390. So it basically looks like a lowered original truck, until I crank it, haha.


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## twam911 (Dec 26, 2016)

I would try Tung oil 2-3 coats and the get Bar Top epoxy or just poly it!





PhilMographer said:


> I'm brand new to this forum and new to the world of two-part Epoxy for woodworking.
> 
> My wife and I picked up a piece of hand-hewn oak to use as a mantel. I've been working on it for about a month and my design plan has evolved throughout the process.
> 
> ...


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## Larry42 (Jan 10, 2014)

Seems like a shame to stain it. I'd keep its natural look and just clear coat. There is a temptation to fill the voids with a dark tinted filler but questionable, depending on personal preference. Same with the open end. The suggestion of tinted Bondo and graining seems well suited if filling is desired. If you have the length mitering the ends so the grain patteren wraps is a possible solution to hiding some big gaps. I'd have left the hand hewn surfaces, just me.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

ColorStylist said:


> Awesome truck pics! Here are my 2 babies, 1968 Ford Ranger and a 1969 SCJ Mach 1:




Beautiful work! Always been a fan of late 60's Chevy's and Ford muscle.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

twam911 said:


> I would try Tung oil 2-3 coats and the get Bar Top epoxy or just poly it!




That's what I ended up doing for the most part. It's been finished for a couple of weeks. I filled in the beetle tracks with Epoxy and filled in sections of the void (left the main part open). Tung Oil on its own proved to be a nice seal.

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Here's the finished product:























































Thank you to everyone for your input and feedback!

Best Regards,

Phil


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Beautiful!!! Thanks for posting!!!


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## ColorStylist (Jul 19, 2014)

Looks great, and I second what Tennessee Tim said. Its always good to see people who come here for advice come back to share their results.


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

Tennessee Tim said:


> Beautiful!!! Thanks for posting!!!




Thank you Tim!

I appreciate the community!

Best Regards,

Phil


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## PhilMographer (Nov 5, 2016)

ColorStylist said:


> Looks great, and I second what Tennessee Tim said. Its always good to see people who come here for advice come back to share their results.




Thanks Color!

I agree. I look forward to many more as well!

I just picked up a Ridgid 10" combo sliding miter saw the other day. I'm excited to get to work!

Best Regards,

Phil


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