Woodsmith #173 adding-an-epoxy-inlay.pdf

woodworking technique

adding an

Epoxy

Inlay

Give your Spirocrafter

projects an eye-catching

inlay with colored epoxy.

Traditional wood inlays are a great

way to dress up the appearance of

a project. The problem is cutting

and ﬁ tting small, oddly shaped in-

lay pieces can be both difﬁ cult and

time-consuming. An easy alterna-

tive is to use colored epoxy in-

stead of wood. Epoxy will

ﬂ ow into just about

any

saving a lot of time and effort over

conventional wood inlays.

For example, the photo above

and most of the photos in the Spi-

rocrafter article on page 14 feature

epoxy in the routed patterns. In-

laying wood into such an intricate

pattern would be very difﬁ cult.

But you can get a similar effect

by simply mixing up a batch of ep-

oxy and adding a little color. Then

you just apply the mixture into a

shallow recess cut in the shape of

your choice. With this technique, I

was able to add a great-looking de-

sign detail without a lot of trouble.

GETTING STARTED. Like any inlay, the

place to begin is by creating a re-

cess. For the Spirocrafter projects, I

used a router with a v-groove bit

to cut the design. And to vary the

width of the line, I changed depth

from 1 ⁄ 16 " to nearly 3 ⁄ 16 " for the cuts.

PREPARING THE WOOD . After you cut

the recess for the inlay, there’s

just one more step before mixing

the epoxy. To prevent the epoxy

from bleeding into the grain, it’s a

good idea to seal the wood ﬁ rst by

spraying on a coat of lacquer. And

to make it easier to remove any ex-

cess epoxy, rub a coat of wax on the

surface of the wood.

MIX EPOXY AND COLOR. With the sur-

face prepared, the next step is to

choose an epoxy. I’ve found most

brands work ﬁ ne, but it’s best to

use a slow-setting epoxy. This way,

you’ll have plenty of time to get it

in place before it starts to harden.

You can use just about any kind

of coloring in epoxy, from aniline

dyes to the black furniture pow-

der I used on the table top. You’ll

just want to avoid colors that are

soluble in the type of ﬁ nish you’ll

be adding to the piece. For in-

stance, if you’re planning to use a

water-based ﬁ nish, stay away from

water-soluble colors or they will

shape,

{ Test the color mixes

on a sample board

to find the shade you

want for your project.

bleed when you apply the ﬁ nish,

even after the epoxy cures.

It’s a good idea to mix up a few

batches and test them on scrap

pieces ﬁ rst. Then you’ll get a feel

for how well the epoxy works

into the grooves. You can also ex-

periment with different coloring

agents to ﬁ nd the right mixture for

the inlay. Aniline dyes, powdered

artist colors, or TransTint colors

work well for this technique.

APPLYING EPOXY . When you’ve found

the shade you like, you’re ready to

start ﬁ lling in the inlay. You can

see the step-by-step process in the

box at right. If the epoxy mixture is

thin enough, you can draw it into

a syringe and then simply squeeze

it into the recess. I like this method

because it gives me better control.

And it also makes cleaning up the

excess a lot less hassle.

If the mixture is too thick for a

syringe, you can press it into the

recess using a thin piece of scrap

wood or plastic. Just be sure to

add enough so the epoxy remains

slightly proud of the surface.

CLEANING UP . Since you waxed the

surface, the overﬂ ow will come off

pretty easily with a sharp chisel.

The bottom two photos at right

show you how to clean up the

epoxy and ﬁ ll in any exposed air

bubbles. You can remove the wax

with mineral spirits. Then, after a

ﬁ nal sanding to remove the sealer

coat of lacquer, you’re ready to add

a ﬁ nish. Using this simple tech-

nique, you’ll ﬁ nd even the most

intricate inlays are possible. W

How-To: Working with Epoxy

There are a couple things to keep in mind

when working with epoxy. First, it will

bond to just about anything, including

your skin. So I always wear rubber gloves

when mixing and applying epoxy. Second,

the resins not only smell bad, but can cause

allergic reactions in some people. So it’s a

good idea to work in a well-ventilated

area. The same rule applies for sanding the

hardened epoxy. The dust can be a real ir-

ritant, so use a good dust collector on your

sander and wear a mask.

Start by mixing the epoxy

according to the manufac-

turer’s instructions (usually,

equal amounts of resin and

hardener). Then mix in the

color. Stir the epoxy gently

to minimize air bubbles.

A disposable plastic syringe

makes it easy to apply the

epoxy. You can cut the plas-

tic tip to ﬁ t the size of the

groove. Make sure to overﬁ ll

the groove a little bit to al-

low for some shrinkage.

After about an hour, use a

chisel to remove most of the

overﬂ ow. At this point, the

epoxy is rubbery. After it’s

cured (usually 8 hours) move

on to a hand scraper, then

sand the inlay smooth.

Patio Cart. Get ready for grill-

ing season. This versatile cart

features fold-out wings, lots

of storage, and it’s built to

stand up to years of service.

Yngs, lots of storage, and

it’s built to stand up to years

of service. You can find the

in-depth plans oou can find

the in-depth plans on paghis

versatile cart features fold-out

Holes caused by air bubbles

in the inlay are almost un-

avoidable. But you can ﬁ ll

them using a drop of epoxy

on a paperclip or toothpick.

Then just sand again after

the repairs are dry.

{ To make removing the excess

epoxy easier, first apply a coat

of lacquer to seal the grain and

then rub on a coat of wax.

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