Black Epoxy - crack filler

[SteveI]

I have a cracked dining table top - oak - stained dark - (was exposed to elements and had some expansion/shrinkage) - and would like to fill with a hard non-shrinking filler.

It appears epoxy is the way to go.

I've looked through the posts about using epoxy (Alraldite, Envirotex etc) and have seen reference to a black epoxy - but have not been able to identify the product name.

Any suggestions on brand names?... or ways to colour epoxy? (ie if I sand and re-stain the top after using Araldite, will the epoxy take the stain in a similar way?)

[ozwinner]

Hi
Go to your garden/sand supplier and get some Black Oxide, the stuff brickies use and just mix that with your araldite.
Its as simple as that.
Cheers, Allan

[Shane Watson]

Quite simply what your aiming to do won't work. You can't put something that has no movement into something to fill a void that is moving constantly, movement is what has caused this problem to start with. Somthing will have to give & it most likly won't be pretty.

[Dusty]

Shane's thinking how I'm thinking.

Because you now have a gap/crack in the table top it's always going to move with the weather, so you'll have to allow for that.

I'm going to suggest you use a product by HB Fuller called Caulk In Colours. The beauty of this product is that it is water based, easy to put into the gaps, sandable, coatable and comes in ebony, perfect for your situation. And most importantly, it's flexible so it will go with the flow and not cause any further problems.

You can pick it up at Bunnings, and the like.

[Toymaker Len]

I beg to differ with the others Steve and say go with the black epoxy. The cracking could have been caused by extreme conditions like exposure to the weather which we hope will never be repeated. Hence if you fill the crack with epoxy and restore the boards integrity there will be no differential movement, one side of the board to the other, to cause the crack to open again. After all, furniture is designed with joint movement to accomodate components expanding and contracting. This will continue to occur at the edges and ends of the board but should not occur at the crack. I use epoxy all the time to fill natural cracks and voids and colour it with pigment from the fibreglass material suppliers. You use a pinhead of it and a film canister size container lasts just about forever.

[Toymaker Len]

Oops, second part of the question- no the epoxy will not take a stain once it is set so you have to get the colour right first time the bring the colour of the wood up to match the epoxy. Brands ? I am using a 'wests system' I think 504 from memory sets in about twenty minutes, also a generic clear badging resin from my supplier which sets in six to ten hours which I thin <20% to penetrate very fine cracks, and of course five minute setting resin to hold the runny stuff in place until it goes off.