Thread: Clear Epoxy

Hey GZBMW,

Clear Casting Resin is the only Epoxy resin that I Know that is clear, we get it from Fibreglass and resin sales in Perth, maybe there is a similar store over there, google is your friend

You can also use different pigments to get a different effect, or you could use some of the sanding dust that you would have and mix that into the resin, just be careful, it darkens up a lot.

Depending on how deep the knots are, you should do about 5-6mm at a time, so that the solvents can escape and you don't get bubbles or dull patches.

HazzaB

GZBMW,
I have used the West System epoxy in jarrah and messmate to fill knot and nail holes. Depending on the depth of the hole or knot will to a certain extent determine the clarity of the epoxy, the deeper the knot, the more honey coloured it gets. You can also get tints or dyes if you want to colour the resin.
Wests can be bought at Carbatec in Springvale, and Cray Valley (used to be Resin and Fibreglass and then St Gobain) in North melbourne.

Wests is used in boat construction so it should cope with a fair bit of extreme conditions. Depending on the weather conditions I would probably go with the fast hardener.
Regards.

I also use West Systems. It is the most transparent that I have found. I use the 105 resin and 205 hardener. Once again from CarbaTec.

Norglass Paints and Specialty Finishes: Polyester Casting Resin

It is water clear to any thickness. It is actually not an epoxy, it is polyester. It uses a very tiny amount of catalyst to set it off. I have used it extensively and highly recommend it for what you are wanting to do. Once it is set you can scrape or sand it. Once you put finish over it it will look like glass. I buy mine from Mitre 10 so should be readily available.

Edit: Apparently Norglass no longer supply it. The last tin I bought was Diggers.

I tried using epoxy for this, but in mixing the stuff I caught too many bubbles in it leaving a milky look. I took silentC's suggestion some time ago and purchased the Digger's Casting Resin and hardener with very good results.

The Digger's will also readily take ethenol based tints available from any paint shop/hardware, just be sure to use very small amounts.

If you do end up using the casting resin, I picked up a couple of tips from Neil and others:

Air bubbles: blow on it through a straw or use a hair dryer (but not too close). The warmth makes the bubbles rise to the surface.

Large voids: paint on a bit of raw resin (no catalyst) first. It helps stop air bubbles forming.

It will shrink a bit on hardening, so load it up and if necessary, top it up after it has gone off.

It is quite runny and will find it's way through any small voids or cracks, so tape up any through cracks and sit it on newspaper.

Leave overnight before scraping or sanding.

G'day GZBMW!
Check out the following link:Barnes Products Pty Ltd
They are very helpful and price competitive and have everything you may need relating to epoxy/casting etc.
No association etc..etc...

To add to Silent's tips:
You can use a hot air gun or even a blowtorch to get rid of the bubbles.
If you build a dam around the void with hot-melt glue, you can overfill, then plane/sand the resin down to the required level.
If there's the slightest suspicion that the void may go through to the other side, glue (with hot-melt) a piece of scrap or ply to the back. Casting resin will seep through the tiniest hole.

Thanks to all who replied.

I reckon the go is to use polyester resin for large holes and to use epoxy to fill cracks for strength.

Cheers,

George