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I am working on this mop inlay rosette and did an experiment with some epoxy I have on hand but it does not sand well at all. It gums up anything I try to sand it with so it is not something I would use for this rosette.

I had a look at the West System web page and see they have a bunch of different products but not sure what is the best for this application.

I want to experiment with adding ebony dust or other colors to reproduce the brownish color of the original Panormo.

I would like to know what others have used and how easy is it to level and what you use to color it?

Or,,, if there is some other product that will work. I have read that HHG and ebony dust will work but I question the brittleness of HHG.

Thanks in advance

Bob

I have used epoxy (StewMac, West Systems and System III) to fill voids (mostly bug tunnels) in wood by mixing in sawdust. It works well and I don't recall any issues with sanding.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I use Devcon 5 Minute Epoxy (clear) for inlays. I learned about it years ago from Rick Davis who is an accomplished inlay artist. It sands just fine and there have not been any problems with shrink back over time. I've used sanding dust or powdered dye to color it. One thing about using sanding dust is that, if your target color is lighter than a dark wood like Indian rosewood or ebony, you need to use dust from wood that's lighter in color than the target color you are going after because the epoxy darkens it significantly.

There are a couple versions of Devcon 5 minute epoxy available. The one I use and know works is this one: https://www.amazon.com/Devcon-20845-Strength-5-Minute-Epoxy/dp/B002YC88SS/ref=sr_1_3?adgrpid=1342504261387403&hvadid=83906587332070&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=111499&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvtargid=kwd-83906861984773%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=7578_10468805&keywords=devcon+5+minute+epoxy&qid=1699309790&sr=8-3

Not the "Gel" or "Flow-Mix" versions.

You may be able to find it at your local big box hardware store.

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Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

I've used Pacer's Z-poxy 'finishing resin' with good results as a sealer, and it sands just fine. Most epoxies do just as OP described, they're meant for structural use, not finishing, and I think gumming up the works is not a problem they want to solve.

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Peter Havriluk

Thanks Steve, I just got some System III from a neighbor who does some small woodworking stuff so I am going to see how it works.




I have seen that around a number of places, I will get some and give it a try. Thanks for the tip,



Never heard of it but will do a search for it.

The stuff I tried never seem to get hard enough to sand easily, so that is what I am looking for.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I have some testing to do...

Cheers,
Bob

I use the Devcon "TWO TON EPOXY 2500 PSI " epoxy, mixed with saw dust. It sands and scrapes fine and you can't tell it from the wood on a dark wood like rosewood. I've also used it for filling dings in spruce OVER LACQUER and for filling grain tear-outs on binding. Its two parts and comes in a red and white box.

I have also tinted this epoxy with Homestead and StewMac dyes, usually black. I found a tech note on Behlens site saying to mix colorants with the resin first. They were talking about pigments specifically, but it would probably apply to wood dye and sanding dust as well. Have not done it that way and it works fine for me.

I always retain my mixing stick and a small pool of mixed material for evaluating the success of the mixed batch and the finished "cure" . Have only had one failure to fully cure (my fault more than likely) but it cleaned up with scrapers and acetone, and a follow up application was successful.

I love the Devcon 2 Ton....

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

I generally use Bob Smith Industries 20minute finishing epoxy, both to pore fill and drop fill small gaps. I also use Glasscast 50 to make tortoise shell pickguards and inlays. Both sand wonderfully.

I use West system epoxy with the 207 hardener for pore filling, and 206 hardener for glueing, when appropriate. Sands fine.

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http://www.vanguyseguitars.com

A bit off-topic, but Devcon 5-minute epoxy works great as a pore filler. It sands well.

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Thanks for all your suggestions guys, I have a test board I made that has 3 different kinds of epoxy set into a groove I cut.

I did it yesterday and am planning on waiting 72 hours for them to fully cure before I try to sand them. This round I am trying:

Gorilla Glue
System 3
Clear Cast (casting resin)

I did them yesterday afternoon and both the System 3 and the Clear Cast I can press my fingernail into.
Surprisingly the Gorilla Glue is hard and leaves no fingernail marks.

I will show the results when I complete this test.

I am also planning on getting a few others to try.


Cheers,
Bob

my experience is that when it's cured -I can sand it.
long set & 5 minute.

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Mike Collins