Filling Voids in Jarrah Decking

[5teve]

Hi Guys

As a bit of a perfectionist i have run about 500lm of decking through my thicknesser so get it as nice as i can (105x30 jarrah reeded one side) as i bought the stuff cheap from auction at around a dollar a meter! quite a few boards have voids in them and im wanting to use some (not all as some are severe!) The voids are from sap runs etc.. but also look great.. but with bare feet running over them im worried about the jarrah splintering into the feet.

Im thinking epoxy could be used to fill them but have never used it for filling voids, so my question is.. could a clear epoxy be used, if so is it ok outdoors in full sunlight, and where would be the best place to go to get some.

Also will the decking oil have any effect on it.. ? im using cellavit general purpose clear followed by cellavit deck specific stuff...

thanks

Steve

[Vernonv]

Hi Steve,
Have a look at this post on the renovate forum - http://www.renovateforum.com/showthread.php?t=52601

[5teve]

Thanks Vernon.. thats exactly what i am looking for!

would any glass expoxy do.. or is there anything specific (ideally from carbatec or bunnings) that i can use.. i need to get some soon so i can fill and sand the boards prior to fitting (save me putting boards down that i am not happy with!)

Steve

[Vernonv]

Yep, I'd assume any decent brand epoxy will do. I'm not sure what Carbatec or Bunnings have in the way of epoxy.

[5teve]

going to try the West 105 epoxy unless anyone says not to? will fill it with some jarrah dust to get it to go a bit further.. and i'll try it on scrap stuff first..

http://www.carbatec.com.au/finishes-...hardener-fixes

is the stuff..

any opinions?

And thanks again Vernon

Steve

[5teve]

OK tried some last night, just clear with no filler looks great, will sand down today to see how it looks finished.

Few questions.. the epoxy is incredibly runny which is great for getting it into the voids.. but it seems to soak into the jarrah.. or its finding more internal voids as the resin seems to sag a touch. am i missing something?

am i best to run the boards back through the thicknesser or sand them flat? (not sure how the thicknesser will deal with epoxy) if i sand them would a light buff with a belt sander be the go followed by finishing by hand? im worried about the wood being sanded away around the epoxy due to the differential hardnesses?

any advice once again would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Steve

[Vernonv]

.. the epoxy is incredibly runny which is great for getting it into the voids.. but it seems to soak into the jarrah.. or its finding more internal voids as the resin seems to sag a touch. am i missing something?

Yeah I've found the same thing with straight epoxy. You can try overfilling the void, or adding a filler to the epoxy (i.e. jarrah dust, oxide, etc - stiffens it up) or try a second fill after the first is dry.

am i best to run the boards back through the thicknesser or sand them flat? (not sure how the thicknesser will deal with epoxy) if i sand them would a light buff with a belt sander be the go followed by finishing by hand? im worried about the wood being sanded away around the epoxy due to the differential hardnesses?

I would sand with a belt sander and then a final sand with a ROS or similar - depends on the level finish you want. I've never found differential hardness a problem.

[Ekim]

Steve,

The stuff that Vernon used can be purchased from Whitworth's Marine & Leisure:
33 Oxford Close
West Leederville WA 6007
Phone: (61 8) 9381 1442
Fax: (61 8) 9388 1975
HOURS
Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm
Sat 8.30am-3.00pm

Or:

Unit 8, 634 Stirling Highway
Mosman Park WA 6012
Phone: (61 8) 9385 5877
Fax: (61 8) 9385 5977
HOURS
Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.30pm
Sat 8.30am-3.00pm

I suggest that you telephone them first to check that they have the stuff in stock.

Note that I have not tried the epoxy used by Vernon.

Regards,

Mike

[5teve]

Yeah I've found the same thing with straight epoxy. You can try overfilling the void, or adding a filler to the epoxy (i.e. jarrah dust, oxide, etc - stiffens it up) or try a second fill after the first is dry.
I would sand with a belt sander and then a final sand with a ROS or similar - depends on the level finish you want. I've never found differential hardness a problem.

Thanks again Vernon i hadnt thought of the ROS but yes that would work well once the belt sander has taken the top off the resin.. the differential hardness i have found to be a problem (probably due to my inexperience and gung ho ways) mainly on ROS as the rubber backing plate allows the resin to be sanded and the wood at the same time.. causing wood to be removed faster.. i have got a filled resin too.. using jarrah dust but impressions prior to sanding is that it looks very poor.. i much prefer the clear look so that you can see the features.

Steve,

The stuff that Vernon used can be purchased from Whitworth's Marine & Leisure:
33 Oxford Close
West Leederville WA 6007
Phone: (61 8) 9381 1442
Fax: (61 8) 9388 1975
HOURS
Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm
Sat 8.30am-3.00pm

Or:

Unit 8, 634 Stirling Highway
Mosman Park WA 6012
Phone: (61 8) 9385 5877
Fax: (61 8) 9385 5977
HOURS
Mon-Fri 9.00am-5.30pm
Sat 8.30am-3.00pm

I suggest that you telephone them first to check that they have the stuff in stock.

Note that I have not tried the epoxy used by Vernon.

Regards,

Mike

Mike, thanks

I was aware that Whitworths did the resin as i am never far away from one of their catalogues thanks for mentioning it tho as other people (non boaties probably) may not know this.

leederville is my closest but it was the wrong way down the freeway for me last night, so decided to go to carbatec and try the stuff mentioned above. i think stock issue is a problem for most places round here at the mo.. even the cellavit i want has been out of stock for 2 months! at least carbatec has the resin tho!

Thanks again guys.. will let you know how it goes

Steve

[derekcohen]

Steve

I would tint the epoxy black using oxide colouring (for cement) from Bunnings. You only need a little. Add sawdust as a filler to thicken to a paste. This combination will preserve the look of gum deposits in the Jarrah.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[5teve]

Thanks Derek

Good idea.. i may well try it just to see what it turns out like.. im assuming that you add the sawdust until its a gooey paste..? the jarrah dust i added yesterday (the fine stuff collected from the paper filter on the vac used for the SCMS blackened the epoxy off incredibly for such a small amount.. but did nothing for the consistency so i guess i would need more.. i'll experiment once im happy that i can finish it in some way..

i think the black would look good on the sap runs.. and clear on the voids (where knots have been etc.. so i may end up doing both anyway.. i havent spent this much time and effort doing this for it not to be finished to the final degree either

Thanks

Steve