Art Resin based in Addison
I used West System 105 epoxy on my table. I chose 206 hardened over 205 for the longer open time and clearer finish. There is also a 207 hardened with an even longer open time.
This is definitely true: thicker pours will overheat and crack. I did one 3/4” pour and that was too much. Fortunately it was deep in one pocket and later pours mostly filled the cracks. I made sure to go thin from then on and poured once a day.
Re:measuring
West sells pumps designed for their epoxies which deliver a measured amount of resin or hardened per pump. Highly recommended: counting pumps is much easier than weighing or using measuring cups, and if you find you need just a little more resin for a pour you can quickly add 1-2 pumps of each.
I also laser cut a carrier for the resin cans to keep them organized and to reminds me of the different characteristics.
Note that the 207 hardener has a different ratio than the others: the pumps are designed to handle that, too (there is a 207 pump in the kit).
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you will need both a quick setting epoxy and a durable epoxy. Might I humbly recommend Stone Coat Quick Coat as your filler and Stone Coat Casting Epoxy as the main resin. I can give you reasons, videos, examples, etc etc etc if you are still looking for info 
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(Hops into this thread)
I was planning on making a new shell for a sawzall (long story don’t ask) that is going to be beautiful rococo style baroque finishes.
I’ve got most of the work flow figured out. My current problem is which resin do I use for this? The tool will vibrate. A lot. and be stressed and maybe even ocassionally dropped on accident.
What resin, if any, would be best for this? If not, what other materials / methods would be best?
Don’t have a clue what might work, but it better have glass fibers or something similar to hold the resin together. Don’t even like imagining what injuries could occur if the case broke apart while in use.
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Completely different type of resin. Urethane Resins, or search for “Industrial resin casting”. Does the existing shell have rubber grommets to dampen the vibration? I imagine if you use the existing shell to build the mold on and use the same hardware to put it back together the new shell would be as durable (if not stronger). Just have to make sure there are zero bubbles in your pour that could cause weak points.
This has a really good tensile strength but a super fast work time.
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thanks for the replies guys! perfect!
i didn’t consider the glass fibers although. might skip that step due to injury as you mentioned @bertberaht would carbon fiber be less injury risk? i’ll do some reading on my own. thanks!
@Jeeves And to further explain my project yes, I was going to use the original shell, add clay, cast a mold. then cast them with whatever type of material i need. I will give thought to rubber grommets. that’s an easy enough thing to add/ do. I’ll look into your specific recommendation.
It would be a two part silicone mold since i’d be casting the inside and outside. I’ll look into strategies to eliminate air bubbles for such a quick cast two side mold.
It may seem weird, but the current darling on many youtube style experts is “Total boat” it’s reasonably cheap and it’s dispenser system is nice.
I buy 6 to 10 gallons of Crystal Clear Bar Table Top epoxy at a time from ProMarine Supplies.
Runs $49 to 44/gallon delivered. No dispenser, but I use disposable measuring tubs from Lowe’s and Home Depot. Have never been disappointed with results.
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FYI, if anyone else wants to combine on an order to get the volume discounts ProMarine offers, shoot me a PM and I’ll contact you next time I am ready to buy.
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My comment was referring to potential for injury if the case broke apart while you are using the saw. Glass fibers mixed into the resin provide additional tensile strength to the case and make breakage less likely.
The fibers themselves are not the hazard I was commenting on…
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re: Total Boat ive seen these pop up on some searches. are there any yellowing issues? how long of a sample set time-wise do people have?
also put me on the list for a heads up for bulk order. i am doing my proof of concepts now and a bulk order is definitely going to happen august or september for me. i have a small production run due november.
To be clear … I use ProMarine epoxy, not Total Boat. The ProMarine Crystal Clear Bar Table Top epoxy contains UV inhibitors to minimize yellowing.
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Hey Bert, thanks for sharing this and offering a group buy. Just out of curiosity, is there a pour thickness limit? And how do you mitigate air bubbles.
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Yes, you don’t want to pour layers that can’t cool without cracking. I typically go an 1/8" to a 1/4" at a time. Using a notched trowel with appropriate notch height makes this easy to lay down evenly. You just have to wait long enough for the heat to peak and start dropping to make the next pour. You can get several pours in a day. If you need to smooth or sand after a pour, it takes 5-6 hours for a layer to harden, faster at higher temps. Layers bond and don’t typically show a seam with just a bit of care even if you sand in between. It’s pretty much the same as any clear finish you would brush on (polyurethane, etc.) when it comes to layers.
Biggest impact on bubbles is to do enough skim coats to eliminate dry or bare looking spots before you do a thicker pour. This seals the wood pores and cracks which are usually THE big air source for wood slabs. Skim at 1oz/sqft, pour at 4oz/sqft. I remove the bubbles with 3 or so sweeps with a torch.
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West System has a special clear harder, as the normal hardener give a yellow tint…
I was specifically referring to the bubbles caused by mixing but what you reference is a good point as well. Thanks for the info! How well does it take pigments?
Mixing bubbles … not a problem. Get rid of them same way and typically in first torch pass.
pigments, convenient answer arrived in my email recently:
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There 2 kinds of product from Ecopoxy. UVPOXY I’ve noticed shouldn’t be poured more than 1.5 inches but their Liquid Plastic can be poured at no maximum depth. As thick as you want and the bubbles self rise