South Florida Bluewater Build.

    Quote from Wishihadgills

    You can use a regular ball mill. The epoxy isn't that different from wood when working with it. I would use a slower speed and make sure the bit doesn't clog. Try a 12" pass then clear the bit and repeat.


    Thanks Xan,


    Have you poured a track before? If so any tips from your experience? Ive been doing some research and it seems to be a tricky bubbly process.


    So far the tips ive read are:


    Warm up the blank a little before pouring the epoxy (not the epoxy) so the teak doesnt bubble when it warms
    Build a wall and overpour the track to increase hydrostatic pressure, give a place for bubbles to end up, and ensure it doesnt fall below flush as it cures



    Since im not doing enclosed Im not really worried as I can just re pour and recut if bubbles appear in the track. But hopefully I can get a good pour first time.

    Welp, No turning back now!



    Gonna tape up a wall and pour this sucker tonight. Im considering pouring the whole mech and just cutting the trigger pocket out again with the router. I followed dans advice and hit the mech with a hammer a few times and now its .50 on the money. So it makes sense to mill out a clean pocket.


    Im also considering pouring it with the pocket in there as a mould. My only concern there is the saran wrap i use to cover the mech making the pocket uneven. How does one cover a box in saran wrap smoothly?

    I have one. Thanks for the offer though Judah. My only concern with the gun vs a torch is the indirectness of the heat heating up the teak not just the epoxy and causing bubble problems instead of fixing them. Supposedly thats why its good to warm the teak first, if you dont when the epoxy warms it it offgasses and creates more bubbles.

    Ive poured 3 tracks so far. I havent worried about heating the teak and I found most if not all of the bubbles come from the epoxy itself. As long as the temperature of the wood doesnt increase while it sets youll be fine.


    I would say the most important thing to do is over pour. I would suggest as much as 1/4". 99% of the bubbles will be in the top 1/8 but the epoxy will sag a little as the bubbles rise and if you only over pour by 1/8" then you run the risk of having a few bubbles in your final product.


    The torch works better than the heat gun but you have to be careful not to burn the epoxy. However, the torch and heat gun only eliminate surface bubbles which will be removed when you sand down the excess. The best way to get the bubbles to come to the surface is to warm the epoxy but that will shorten the pot life of the epoxy.


    I used the 207 which has a fairly long pot life but is also extra clear. It is also the most expensive. I would recommend at least the 206 but for the track its not a huge issue as all you have to do is mix and pour. The longer pot life is more important for complex fabric layups.


    Another thing that I used in my tracks was graphite and west systems 403 microfibers. Rumor has it that the graphite makes the track slicker but it could be pretty marginal. The 403 fibers act as a thickening agent and increase the tensile strength of the epoxy which could help tear outs on an enclosed track but wont change much for an open track. The other benefit of the graphite is it colors the track a nice dark grey/black color. If you dont go that route and you choose to use a die be careful how much you use and only buy a quality die. If you use too much or choose a low quality die you can have curing issues. The dies are very concentrated and you would be amazed how far a drop will go.

    Thanks for the awesome info Xan. I had a suspicion the bubbles would be at the top so I planned to overpour by a lot, 3/8 probably. Although im lost on figuring out how much eopxy volume is in one pump. Ive also got graphite I am adding. Mostly for looks but Dan has a new gun with a graphite enclosed track and I felt like I could notice the graphiteness when it slid in the track. Then again Ive never felt a shaft in a pure epoxy track.

    Edited 3 times, last by Reefchief ().

    One technique that I learned that will help cut down on how many bubbles you have is to mix more epoxy than you ill need and then pour it into a ziploc freezer bag. The bubbles from mixing will rise to the top in the bag. Then you can cut one of the corners of the ziploc and pour from the bottom of the mix leaving the bubbles in the bag. Its basically a ghetto, disposal icing bag.

    Quote from Wishihadgills

    One technique that I learned that will help cut down on how many bubbles you have is to mix more epoxy than you ill need and then pour it into a ziploc freezer bag. The bubbles from mixing will rise to the top in the bag. Then you can cut one of the corners of the ziploc and pour from the bottom of the mix leaving the bubbles in the bag. Its basically a ghetto, disposal icing bag.


    Defiintely going to do that to try and minimize bubbles. I knew my cake baking skills would finally come in handy.



    Yep a real pumpkin. The secret to carving them is finding pumpkins that are heavy for their size, usually means the walls are thicker then usual.


    So far the track looks.... Pourfect.



    Well see how it looks when I face it off but as far as I can tell it turned out really well so far.


    Ended up finding out one pump each of the West marine 300 pumps produces .8 fl oz of epoxy/resi.


    Ill let it cure and wait till tomorrow to cut it.

    Well done. You've given new meaning to "over pour". What I've seen others do runs all over the top of the blank. This is going to turn out sweet.


    I'm not sure how teak oil combines with an epoxy track. An epoxy coating is a natural companion to an epoxy track stock.

    I was wondering the same thing dan. I wonder if anyone has any experience with the two? I was hoping that as long as the epoxy stayedoff the wood surface it where it would be oiled it would be fine. I wont cry if the gun ends up epoxied. But im gonna have to beg Xan to tell me his glassy finish magic.


    Also I just realized I should have put magnets in the track. Damnit!

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