Filling vcarved letters

[alister]

I've been v-carving in some wood for a floor and was going to fill the letters with coloured epoxy....I've not done anything like this before and thought I'd post to check That my thinking is right??

Alister.

[scottcox]

I've haven't worked with epoxy much, so don't know if the colors will bleed into the pores of the wood. You may want to do a test piece and see.

If it does bleed, use a clear epoxy first to seal the pores, then fill it with colored epoxy.

Sounds interesting. if you can, please post some photos of the result. Good luck.

[billp]

Alister,
One important issue is to be SURE you mix your epoxy components first, and THEN add the coloring agent...!
If you don't do this the coloring agent can interfere with the proper mixing of the resin and hardener and you'll wind up with a colored layer of uncured epoxy glop lying in your letters which will never cure...
Scott's idea of clear coating it first (even a fast drying shellac will work for this) makes a lot of sense.

[signtist]

Why would you V-Carve the letters, just to fill them up?
Why don't you simply pocket them out. This way, they are even filled.

[srwtlc]

You could do the v-carve inlay method with a contrasting wood.

[harryball]

You Vcarve the letters to get sharp points which a round bit and pocketing can't accomplish. There is a product sold that works well for this, I've seen it at a camp.

It was in North Carolina and I can't remember the name of the product or store... here is something similar. http://www.centurasolidsurface.com/consumer/products/liquidInlay.htm

If someone remembers the product from the 2008 Atlanta camp please post it.

/RB

[wooden_innovations]

How about this:

http://www.inlaceonline.com/


Rodney

[rcnewcomb]

Be aware that some epoxies shrink. We did not have a problem with color bleed, but we had to switch resins because our initial test batch would shrink as it set up making all the filled in areas concave.

[scottbot]

There is a really good thread on the Vectric Forum about v-carving and inlaying.

I know this doesn't address your original post but just in case...

[harryball]

That was it, Inlace. I saw it in person, looked very good.

/RB

[alister]

Thanks for the replies.
I'll call the local woodcraft today to see if they carry the inlace product locally.
If it works out I'll throw some pictures up.
Thanks again.
Alister

[phil_o]

I made some small necklace pendants with epoxy filler. I VCarved the design and mixed powdered paint with 5 minute epoxy. It worked fine.

[procarve]

does anyone know if the inlace product is outdoor durable - not a lot of technical information on the website

Bill
www.RocketfuelSigns.com (http://www.RocketfuelSigns.com)

[knight_toolworks]

most epoxy can't handle uv.

[Gary Campbell]

Guys...
One of the things we have used to fill in carvings is Solid Surface adhesives. They are a 2 part product, (I think Merthacolate) UV resistant, quick hardening, come in many colors in both 50ml and 200ml tubes, and are easy to sand.
Gary

[scottbot]

I'm with Gary and the Solid Surface adhesives.
I just finished a project where I filled some v-carved letters in solid surface material with solid surface adhesive. It machines and sands easily and looks great too.
Two things to be aware of are that it shrinks and is prone to air bubbles. You can build a dam around your v-carving to allow you to over fill. Then just plane it down using your table surfacing bit.
I haven't overcome the bubble problem yet.

[knight_toolworks]

thinning it would take care of the bubbles usually. thin and slow cure take care of them.

[stevem]

Scott, I don't know the viscosity of the the solid surface adhesive, but a common way to remove bubbles from casting resins is to degas the resin in a vacuum chamber. Another way to reduce the bubble size to invisible is to place the item in a pressure chamber during curing.

[Gary Campbell]

Or wave a heat gun over it a few times. (maybe even a few more)
1) it thins the material
2) it reduces surface tension to allow bubbles to escape.
3)and it doesnt hurt the cure time either!!! LOL

Gary

[Gary Campbell]

Guys...
I forgot to mention...
Fill the letter 3/4 full
Heat well... material will almost liquefy, then start to cure with added heat
after a couple minutes, top the letter off with a little more material, leaving a mound

The thinner batch on top has less bubbles. Heat from below usually gets out air, but may need a couple passes of heat gun.

"Better Living Thru Harsh Chemicals!" (for Bill P.)
Gary

[scottbot]

Thanks for all the tips.

Most of my problem with the bubbles was because I don't have a proper dispensing gun. A friend gave me a partial tube of adhesive and a small tube of cream hardener. I pushed some adhesive onto a mixing board and mixed a small dab of cream hardener into it. Then I had to move quick to get it into the v-carve because it was already starting to set up. It was my first time using it and I didn't know about the bubbles or the shrinking. That's what they call experience right?
I still really like working with the Solid Surface material and plan do more of it.

I've got the proper equipment on order. That and your helpful suggestions should make a lot of difference.

Scott