Using resin with wood

[theartist]

Hey fellas, I'm new to this forum, so not sure if i'm in the right section - I have 2 problems to solve!

Problem one:
I have a 2m piece of jarrah plank that I have cut up the middle in a "river" or "snake" shape. I am intending to put resin in the gap between the two halves so that effectively i have a plank with a resin "snake" shape up the middle of it. (I may colour the resin but I would like for it to be transparent.) I plan to stand the plank upright on one of its ends in a specially made stand

Can any one tell me
1. What kind of resin is best to use?

2. Can I cover this distance with the resin (the plank is aprox 1inch think and the gap to be filled will be about an inch wide and 2m long)

3. once the resin is cured and the plank put in position will the resin be a weak spot, ie will it be likely the plank will snap along the "snake" shape.

Problem 2:
With another 2m plank, i would like to cut it on the horizontal into 3 pieces. I would then like to rejoin these pieces with clear or coloured resin so that i have 2 resin strips of one inch separating the middle piece from each end piece. As with the first plank this plank will too be placed upright in a specially made stand.)

1. Will the resin act as a glue and have enough strength to hold the pieces in place when plank is placed upright? Or will it be a weak spot where the wood is likely to snap on these resin joins.

Cheers
Eva

[Ed wood]

Fr251 from "Resin Sales" in perth (or any good hardware) is a good easy to use clear resin (it has a slight unnoticeable yellow tinge).
You will need to cover the underside with say painters tape then perhaps staple a 2or3mm mdf strip over the tape to ensure no resin leakage from underneath.The resin will not stick to the tape.
Generally you only do 20-25 mm(1inch) at a time so you might fluke it on the first go, although it sounds like you will need a fair bit of resin so maybe mix up one batch and go the entire length first then mix up another batch and pour it in over the first layer.
Some people wait till the first layer is dry then sand it a bit to key next layer in .
Alternatively you can just pour another layer straight on top after you mix up the second batch(the first layer being still "unset") which seems to work ok too.

Make sure the timber you are using is definately "dry"as if its not you will prob get some cracking along the join between resin and board.
End joining timber is not recommended(unless your japanese and like complex joins) and will reduce overall strength, although if its only a display piece it may be ok if it`s not bearing too much weight.

I am not sure on the structural properties of fr251 over long distances as I only use it to fill holes or gaps in dining tables and bar tops.
West systems is a very penetrating 2 part epoxy which is very strong but somewhat brittle but good if you want to use a pigment, say black.
You will have problems with bubbles so I would recommend filling the board with the exposed face down so all the bubbles rise to the top giving you a bubble free face.
They say the wood will snap before the join goes with west systems which seems to be generally true.
Good luck
Hope this helps

[theartist]

Thanks Ed, I will check out Resin Sales today...I went to a place in Welshpool yesterday called fiberglass and resin sales so will check if its the same place or not. I was blown away by what you can do with resin!

The pieces I am doing are for the student sculpture competition at Gombok Sculputre Park, so I have until the May 30 to do the pieces...so may do a bit of experimenting.

Do you have the address for Resin Sales?

cheers

[pugwash]

Maybe drill some shallow holes along the inside edge of each "snake" for the resin to run into. That should increase its strength a lot.

[theartist]

what a great idea! thanks for the tip.

Also any idea where i can get some timber (pref jarrah -2nd hand ok)
with the following dimensions
W: 200 or 300mm
D: 1 inch
Hight aprox 2metres.

I have tried Gunns and they cant do the depth.

cheers

[China]

Try Westfarmers they gow the stuff and should be able to send you in the right direction

[joe greiner]

Pugwash beat me on the drilled holes. A little undercut on them should enhance the anchorage.

Curing shrinkage may need some experimentation to establish optimum hardening additive, especially with periodic anchoring holes. Large castings may develop cracks in the wrong places. Your resin supplier should have some guidance on this.

As Ed implies, end joins are inadvisable. If it doesn't detract from the appearance, continuous outboard side members could be beneficial to the integrity of the piece.

Cheers,
Joe

[Ed wood]

Yeah I forgot its actually called Fibreglass and Resin sales and it is in welshpool so your onto it.
Hey China , Westfarmers don`t grow Jarrah trees they grow themselves in the forrest.
Bunnings (Westfarmers owned) once upon a time were heavily involved in logging and processing but now it`s Gunns from Tasmania who are the big boys on the block.
Anyway `the artist`- apparently you had no joy with them so you could try a salvage yard and get something a bit bigger and get it "dressed" by someone.
Or there are a few timber places in Fremantle in the industrial areas and an 8` by 1` (200x25) shouldn`t be hard to find, but something 12` by 1` will be a lot harder to find.
Can`t remember exact address but one is off high st as you head to Freo take a left just before Stirling Hwy up about 600m.
Cheers