Epoxy Gone Wrong
Four simple steps to digging out epoxy resin after it has cured
So, we have all seen the beautiful things epoxy can do. River tables, crack and knot fills, etc. You can practically do whatever you want with it. It can be a bit messy, but if used properly it’s fairly simple to work with. What happens when something goes wrong? Maybe you skipped didn’t mix the hardener and resin ratio properly, poured too much at once and it never cured, or didn’t apply heat after the pour and you find air bubbles after it has already cured. What do you do if you have found yourself stuck in one of these situations? You can’t trash the piece, so how do you save it? This will help guide you through the process.
In this case, the epoxy resin was properly mixed at a 1:1 ratio and thoroughly stirred. After filling each void heat was applied to get rid of the initial air bubbles. Heat was applied a few more times every 10 minutes or so. The problem here was that the voids ran deep into the wood through the other side, therefore, taking longer for the air bubbles to travel out. Over night they slowly worked their way through the tunnels of the voids as the epoxy resin slowly cured. As a result many of these air bubbles ended up getting trapped as the epoxy hardened.
It’s much better to have glass like epoxy fills that you can see down into the voids. At least that was the goal here. Instead these fills were foggy due to the accumulation of air bubbles that got stuck. As stated before, the goal was to see clearly through the epoxy resin so the individual could see to the bottom of the void. The only thing to do now was to dig out the dried epoxy resin. Painstaking right? Actually, if you follow these steps digging out epoxy resin after it has cured isn’t too bad.
First off here are the materials you will need.
Step one: Wipe the surface with Acetone.
Put on your gloves to protect your hands from the Acetone. Take your lint-free rag and wipe the surface with acetone to ensure you’re starting at with a clean late. This will give you clarity on which voids need to be treated.
Step two: Use your Dremel to dig out the epoxy resin.
Starting from the center of your void slowly move the bit back and forth carefully working your way deeper and outward. As you drill you will notice an accumulation of white shavings. Be sure you frequently clean these out, so you can see what you’re doing. As you get closer to the edge of your void look for those shavings to begin to turn brown. When you see brown you know you have worked through all of the epoxy resin and started grinding into the wood. This is a good indicator that you are finished in that particular area. Move on and repeat until all the epoxy has been removed.
Step three: Remove shavings and thoroughly clean the void.
Remove the shavings as best you can with your fingers and a dry toothbrush. Take a dry lint-free rag and wipe your surface. After the voids and your surface is has been wiped down dip your toothbrush in acetone and scrub down your voids. The toothbrush will begin to brown and the area around the void will too. Wipe with a dry rag, clean toothbrush and repeat.
Step four: Pour the epoxy resin
After your voids have throughly been cleaned and scrubbed removing any stray shavings you are ready for you epoxy pour. Be sure your entire surface is clean before you pour your resin. You don’t want to risk trapping debris in your pour forcing you to have repeat the entire process! Remember to apply heat every ten minutes or so to pop any bubbles.
For more information on woodworking visit Yonder Live Edge Furniture.
