Red gum outdoor tables

[frank gargiulo]

Can anyone give me advice on what to use to fill the "natural" holes etc in a red gum slab that will be used to make an outdoor table. Will be finished with suitable oil for weathering. Can E Mail me on
[email protected]

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[bobmundy]

Frank,
I suggest you use a good quality epoxy filler, coloured black. This will blend in well with the usual sap veins, old fire lines and natural features found in the best pieces of redgum.

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Bob- You won't get a second chance to make a good first impression...

[AlexS]

I've used an epoxy resin Araldite 20 available from Meury Enterprises, Carnegie Pl. Blacktown NSW. I didn't colour it. It sets clear, but looks dark in the veins. It sands well and polishes up nicely. For small veins you can use ordinary araldite adhesive.

Araldite 20 has a thinner consistency and takes longer to set than the adhesive. Mask off around the veins, and also seal well underneath if the veins go right through. If the veins are deep, fill them in 2 goes. Aim to build up a little above the surface and sand back. After putting the resin in, give it a quick hit with a hot air gun. This brings any bubbles to the surface.

Thanks to Richard Parsons of Canalpie timbers for putting me onto this.

[Marcus]

Frank,

The black coloured epoxy fill works well and looks stunning when highly polished. Nick Dattner (table maker here in Melbourne) uses this on his signature Redgum tables as well as a clear epoxy with suspended gold leaf.

Don't assume that Araldite is the best choice though, there are several other formulations better suited to the task as they generate less heat in the curing process. I am dropping in to my supplier later today and will email you the name of the best stuff to use - a bonus is it's cheaper than Araldite.

Does anyone here know the correct way to "mask" the surrounding timber so the colour in the epoxy doesn't stain the timber? I heard that Kerosense(!) works but am unsure.

Marcus

[Marcus]

Frank,

The stuff we are using is a two part epoxy called POT551 by BUF resins. Theyre in East Bentleigh, Victoria on (03) 95792044.

It's originally designed for filling finger holes in bowling balls as it has very little shrinkage upon curing and stays rock hard.

[AlexS]

Sorry, in my earlier post, I refered to 'Araldite 20'. Should have been 'Araldite M'. Haven't had any problems with heat generation. It shrinks very slightly. I mask it off with masking tape, it doesn't seem to stain wood around it. However, if the vein goes right through, I close the bottom off with masking tape and then clamp a piece of scrap under it, as the resin can disolve masking tape adhesive. Araldite M remains workable for a long time, but also takes a long time (~24Hrs) to harden.

[BrettC]

I have just acquired some redgum slabs so thanks for the info too. Has anyone tried that 'glasscoat' that Bunnies sell on Redgum?

[namtrak]

Almost 7 years - thats not a bad effort Brett!

I use car bog, hardened and coloured black from time to time. It looks good and becomes a bit of a feature.