Thread: Sanding glue squeeze out (epoxy)

What type of sandpaper are you using? on ROS with vacuum? I have found sanding epoxy can clog the paper easily so one of those sanding erasers are handy.

In terms of removing material this 3M paper is other worldly
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Worth looking at reviews

A cheaper alternative is this Sydney Tools

I would use a hand plane though would make it very easy

Originally Posted by rogerwilco

I glued up this case using epoxy. There was some squeeze out on the mitred corners and a few other places. Sanding at 120 is very slow going and I don’t want to ruin the clean crisp external mitres.


What other ways can these epoxy stains out?
It will be finished with sanding sealer and pre at lacquer. Maybe it won’t be visible under finish?

I would not sand but use a wide chisel to remove the epoxy squeeze out. Then I am more likely to use a handplane taking very fine shavings. Both used with a slicing action (important).

If you do need to sand, glue sandpaper to a flat surface (planed wood), and keep this flat across the surface as you sand. All this to avoid losing the crisp edges.

When using epoxy, I remove squeeze out at the start with methylated spirits … which is essentially alcohol. I have not had an issue with finish, but the woods I work are hard and the epoxy mix does not soak in as per soft woods.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Thanks both.

I figured it out. It just required some patient sanding. Upped to 80 grit.
I’m using mirka mesh pads on ROS with vacuum, so it wasn’t clogging.

I used a block plane to get any chunky bits off, then careful even sanding with ROS, so not to round the corners. Came out okay!

If that's a softwood and the epoxy has fully cured and hard and brittle I wouldn't be trying to use a chisel or plane to clean it off, or a scraper for that matter. The likely hood is it will chip, which runs the risk of ripping out fibre and or the chisel digging in, especially as the epoxy becomes thinner. Both the plane and the chisel will dull almost immediately on hard epoxy - making it even more difficult to remove.

My thoughts are to use a file designed to cut laminate. See attached:Screenshot 2023-01-14 125142.jpg

They're designed to cut such material as epoxy cleanly. They also don't cut into wood all that well so tend to ride on top. To stop them from digging in wrap a bit of masking tape around the tip so it's ever so slightly rides high on the wood. You put a bit of pressure on the masking tape end to prevent rocking and just start shaving the epoxy off. Because of the skewed chisel pattern it will cut clean and flat. After that you'll need a bit of sanding so sandpaper contact cemented to MDF will clean it up to whatever level of sanding you want

You'll still have a bit of staining where the epoxy has absorbed into the end grain but it's likely it will disappear when you apply a lay on finish. Though from the right angle with the light in front it may still be slightly visible as you'll have changed the substraight that the finish is covering. If you use a wipe on oil finish the epoxy will definitely be visible.

Also, try both water based and oil based finishes to see which works best to hide the epoxy. You'll also need to consider what the finish will do over time. Oil based will yellow, water based won't. Therefore, over time the oil based finish might show the epoxy as it yellows but the epoxy doesn't.

Paint the end of a piece of offcut with epoxy and let it creep up the board and then sand and finish and see which finish hides the epoxy the best.

YMMV

6F5DE58F-6AF3-46B9-96CF-1DF24C7EF4E5.jpg

came up just fine. Just doing a few repairs to some borer holes, and it’ll be ready for final sanding before finishing.

I’m pretty sure any remnants of the epoxy will be invisible once I finish this with pre-catalysed lacquer, which is solvent based, and will have a solvent based sanding sealer on first. I say this because if I dampen the wood with a damp rag, it all looks the same.