Since its appearance, epoxy resin, without any exaggeration, has changed the world. This material is at the same time very durable, beautiful, transparent and moisture demands, is inexpensive, and you can work with him even at home. Epoxy resin is combined with other materials, such as wood, and protects its "partner" from rotting. Competently made crafts based on epoxy resin looks exclusively, and it is very expensive, because by stinging your hand, you can make money well on your hobby.
Peculiarities
Epoxy resin is A purely synthetic comprehensive substance in liquid form. It can be stored for a very long time, therefore it is mixed with another liquid - a hardener - in the proportion, as indicated on the package. Only such mixing gives the start of polymerization processes, which means that the mixed mass must be as soon as possible to give the desired form.
Epoxy resin products are used in various industries, including even electronics and aircraft But in conjunction with the tree, this material is, of course, most practical for the personnel production of home furniture or souvenirs and small utensils.
Epoxy resin in combination with wood is good because It originally has a fluid shape and is able to fill any cracks and chips, leveling the irregularities of wood purely under the influence of physics laws. After the frozen, its surface is perfectly grinding and polishing, it is possible to pull out the grooves or drill holes. At the same time, the material can be bought already a certain color or completely transparent, and the latter can be squeezed by dye available on sale.
Due to the absence of shrinkage from epoxy resin, you can not doubt that the product will please the owners long.
How and what are you doing?
Before proceeding to work, you need to understand how to choose the materials. As a rule, it is possible to pour wood with equal success with any epoxy resin, regardless of the brand and the country of issue. At the same time, there should be a difference between the resin itself and epoxy glue - the latter already has a hardener in its composition, it is noticeably thick, it is convenient to work with it only for gluing the parts tightly adjacent to each other, but not for filling forms.
You can find on sale Both already colorized resin and completely transparent, "glass". In most cases, the master wants the beauty of the tree to be noticeable, emphasized the total aestheticism of the product, therefore transparent masses are more in demand. Nevertheless, it is not an axiom, because a lot depends on the characteristics of the author's creative plan - for example, if there is a huge "crack" between two halves, it is intended to fill it with epoxy, it is emphasized. At the same time, do not forget that The handicraft should be covered with a resin completely, therefore the color will still be only the core, while the outer layer, the enveloping tree remains transparent.
As for the wood itself, it is also suitable for almost any kind, if only her surface caused at least some aesthetic impressions. Very often for the manufacture of crafts use those pieces of wood, which, it would seem, do not suit nowhere - except in the furnace. Ipell or Slab is an excellent basis for the future tabletop, and it is not even so important that the circle is obtained by imperfect or cracked, because to correct deficiency just the resin will be used.
In the process of processing the workpiece, it is necessary to remember that the tree a priori is not a homogeneous material, and epoxy with all its supercopiness can still not fill out absolutely all spaces in woody thicker. If a little air remained in the spire, due to temperature drops during the frozen of the epoxy layer, bubbles separated by a compressive and expanding core may form in it. To avoid this It is necessary to perform the temperature stabilization of wood, ensuring the same conditions at least 2-3 hours. Experienced masters do not recommend performing work on the street, since there is a risk of temperature change above. If you don't have alternatives, then at least work after lunch when the heat is no longer peak, but does not fall quickly. Please note that in a thin layer of epoxy fill, bubbles are always likely to a lesser extent - even forging, they have time to get into the atmosphere.
If the epoxy layer on top of the wood is concerned with thick, then the fill is better broken into two or more stages, so that the bubbles do not frozen in the thickness of the resin.
If the wood itself does not create the impression of a solid frame, it is possible to impregnate with epoxy all its thickness. In this case, they come just the opposite - heated the working surface so that the tree expands and its pores are maximally revealed. Because of the warming up, the resin also becomes more fluid and easier penetrates into the slightest slits. Only after the impregnated bar is dry, it can be coated with the finish layer, but after the impregnation is completed, the temperature will have to be controlled again by holding at a relatively low level.
Despite all precautions The appearance of air bubbles is still possible, especially if the master is a beginner in this matter. A common mistake in this situation is attempts to warm up the workpiece so that the resin "attached" and released the air, but it is not worth doing that, otherwise the warmed tree can produce even more bubbles. If the bubbles are small, until the epoxy is fully frozen, it is best to carefully pierce them with a thin needle. Alternative method - spraying the resin surface with an alcohol from the pulverizer, but then the risk of spoil the craft appears, because the resin can lose transparency or change the color in spray place. If the emptiness turned out to be quite large, then after completely frozen epoxy resin, they need to drill, clean it, degrease and fill over.
Options for crafts
The charm of epoxy resin is that With it, it can be done practically anything - there would be a fantasy, as well as the skill and desire to work . To consider in detail every handicraft in the master class version there is no sense - the general principles of fill with epoxy are already considered above. Moreover, you will probably have a not such a piece of wood, as in someone else, but you must not customize it under someone else's sample, but to create your own, unique one.
If so, to a greater degree, focus on those ideas that can be beneficial to use with epoxy wood and wood.
Furniture
The most chassis and well-known typical male products from epoxy resin and wood is Countertop. For example, it is ideal, for example, a round spice of a tree - even if the roundness is imperfect, and a deep crack on one side limits the use of the table from all sides, then epoxy resin is just designed to level all these shortcomings and make a product perfectly round. Thanks to this approach, the allegedly useless piece of wood turns into an expensive design of the interior.
According to the same logic, countertops make both two (or more) separate pieces of wood. Fragments do not even try to customize to each other on the edge - on the contrary, they leave an expressive gap between them, filled with a bright resin not wood, contrasting color. Such a seam will hold the table quite reliably so that it does not fall asleep under the payload, and the thin layer of transparent epoxy over the entire surface of the product will protect the wooden core from rotting.
Having mastered the production of tabletop of any form of wood and epoxy, you can start making facades for the kitchen. The manufacturer's scheme is the same, just the final "stove" will be much more. As a rule, it makes it made of several sections of the tree made in height, "due to this, the design looks as if it is made of unwanted and extremely coarse boards. In this embodiment, you can do as one apron over the working surface and the full-fledged lining of the whole wall.
Decorations and souvenirs
From epoxy resin and wood, it is not necessary to make only those items that a priori are expensive - if you can and like to work with your hands, you can make pleasant souvenirs for friends and loved ones.
The simplest example is an ordinary keychain. If you read above, how to make a tabletop from designated materials, then the keychain also will not be problems - in fact, you do the same thing, only in a strongly reduced scale! What will be greater, wood or epoxy, and what a proportion will be between them - to solve only you. Keychain, unlike the tabletop, it is not necessary to be an ideal rectangle - it is quite possible to break the corners, rounded the product in all planes. The resulting handicraft can find an application and otherwise - you can turn the chain into it and wear a decoration as a quince.
Some masters make it their hands also handles - Why not, this is not the worst gift for memory than pendant. As the basis, they take a thin wooden tube, which can be pulled out of a small twig. The rod should be protected from epoxy resin inwards, and then pour all the workpiece with a fluid mass, wait for the rejection and stick.
It is not necessary to strictly observe the form of a typical handle, even on the contrary - imagine how color it looks when a person writes the subject, very similar to a poorly treated piece of wood.
Other
As in the case with any other crafts, The most simple technique for the manufacture of a cutting board is to take a fragment of wood approximately suitable in the form and size and simply fill it with remakes, cracks and chips epoxy resin . The feature of the material is that It is toxic to humans only in liquid form, whereas after the completion of the polymerization it stops allocating any dangerous couples. . This means that the cutting of meat, fish, vegetables and other products on such a cutting board will not be a risk for the health of households, but another beautiful and stylish item will appear in the kitchen.
In recent years, a fairly common handicraft from the materials under consideration has become Vase with characteristic cracks in the thicker of wood . It looks especially effectively due to the fact that the process of its manufacture, at first glance, it seems very difficult - it seems that the container turned out of the cracked tree, without breaking it finally, and then cracks were baptized. In fact, the masters come much easier - they take a one-piece pine timber, for which, when drying, the formation of cracks is quite typical, and the cracks are immediately poured.
The latter has such a high ability to adhesion that the vase is drilled already from such a polycomponent workpiece, and it does not fall apart.
Beautiful examples
Epoxy resin can be considered a brilliant invention of humanity at least because It allows any piece of wood to consider as potentially useful, and therefore strongly reduces the amount of woodworking waste.
- Look at this worktop: The right wooden fragment at all is not suitable for anything, and from the left unless the seat for a small shop could be done, and even then theoretically. Together, the airfield from epoxy resin, they form an original and stylish table, which will cost the buyer very expensive.
- For the manufacture of Keloca A piece of wood is needed much smaller, therefore, the tree is used purely for beauty. It is perfectly combined with high transparency epoxy, which on the background of his companion seems literally luminous and thus fascinates. The example shows rectangular products, but to bring them to the shape of the coil is easy.
- With vases Usually under all, because they are a priori must be beautiful. In the thickness of the epoxy resin, for example, you can mount the LEDs, and the epoxy itself is pouring so that color swirls are noticeable in its thicker, as an example. Thanks to this, the aircraft will be surprisingly to combine the features of classicism and futurism, and it will definitely not remain unnoticed. The problem of such a vase can be in the other - on its background there will be hardly any bouquet, which will be supplied to it.
About what products from the e-oxide resin and wood can be done, see the next video.