Where to buy epoxy dye?

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33coupe

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#300766 3-Oct-2022 12:24

Sorry for the post but I couldn't find anything on the search, and Google has me going around in circles.

Can someone let me know, where I can buy the dye (black/blue etc) that people use with epoxy to fill cracks in wood ( coffee table etc).

Also due to limited funds I am unlikely to buy epoxy, but have read online that polyurethane will also work (i have a tin of this). Can anyone confirm that this will be ok to use instead of epoxy?

Thanks

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#2976751 3-Oct-2022 13:13

For dye find a place that sells fibre-glassing supplies and paint to boatbuilders. Very little of this stuff is online in NZ.

I can't comment on polyurethane, sorry. I know that epoxy sticks very well to wood. The wood will let go before the epoxy does.

Edit: I forgot to say that epoxy yellows in sunlight, so needs to be protected by a UV-stable varnish.

Mike

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#2976752 3-Oct-2022 13:14

You can colour epoxy with food colouring. Apparently the colour might not be as good as the proper resin dyes. I've only ever done black food colouring with epoxy and it seemed to work fine but YMMV.

Polyurethane is a very different product from epoxy resin. It won't dry anywhere near as hard, so you can't work it like you do epoxy (i.e. pour it in to a crack then sand, scrape, plane etc. as for wood). It's probably okay for very small gaps (<1mm?). I also don't know about colouring it - I've never seen polyurethane tinted with anything. I definitely wouldn't add any waterbased colouring to oil based polyurethane or vice versa.

What are you trying to fix?

33coupe

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#2976756 3-Oct-2022 13:21

Thanks for the replies

Wow I didn't realise food dye could work, I'll check it out. Sad about the poly, but can understand, was more hoping than expecting.

I have a macrocarpa bar leaner that I'm planning on using outside. It has a fair amount of small cracks, although does have one well like hole where a knot went soft.

Couple of pics here, plus a photo of what I would like it to look

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AyPE8iJujwsexfVL7

Eva888

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#2976757 3-Oct-2022 13:23

Resene testpots have oil base stains in various colours which may be enough. Not sure if they also have coloured polyurethane in the testers. About $5

MikeAqua

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#2976758 3-Oct-2022 13:30

33coupe: Thanks for the replies

I have a macrocarpa bar leaner that I'm planning on using outside. It has a fair amount of small cracks, although does have one well like hole where a knot went soft.

Suggest you have a look at Blacktail studios on YT. He does a lot of slab work and uses epoxy to fill small and large defects.

It's likely that when you put your bar leaner outside, more cracks will open up, especially if it's in direct sunlight.

Mike

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#2976759 3-Oct-2022 13:36

Also: 10 dola for dye here Liquid Epoxy Resin Dye - Solid Colour (resinart.nz)

Mike

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#2976769 3-Oct-2022 14:09

33coupe: <snip>
I have a macrocarpa bar leaner that I'm planning on using outside...

Clear film coatings (polythane, polyurethane etc.) and exterior sun and weather aren't very good friends. Normal stuff will go yellow and/or blister. You probably need to go shopping for something marine grade if you want a film coating. Penetrating stains and oils are more common for outdoor furniture, but won't give you a glossy smooth finish. Macrocarpa is quite a "splitty" wood and I think an oil penetrating stain will give it more life, but that is just me guessing, I don't know for sure.

I'd suggest testing with some offcuts if you've got any to make sure it looks right.

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#2976771 3-Oct-2022 14:27

Marine varnish will withstand UV reasonably well.

Buy International Goldspar Original Varnish online at Marine-Deals.co.nz

The 'spar' reference relates to wooden spars on yachts. Edit: I've used this over epoxy paint for boat stuff. Holds up well

Mike

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#2976774 3-Oct-2022 14:44

mdf:
Polyurethane is a very different product from epoxy resin. It won't dry anywhere near as hard, so you can't work it like you do epoxy (i.e. pour it in to a crack then sand, scrape, plane etc. as for wood). It's probably okay for very small gaps (<1mm?).

Even then you'd have to be very careful because it probably won't cure well, and definitely nowhere near its normal rate. Polyurethane hardening is a two-step process, first the solvent evaporates and then the molecules cross-link in the presence of oxygen. If you pour a thick layer of it neither of those two will happen properly because the thickness of the coating will protect the lower/inner portions from both evaporation and exposure to oxygen.

I wouldn't use it as filler.

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#2976788 3-Oct-2022 14:47

MikeAqua:
Suggest you have a look at Blacktail studios on YT. He does a lot of slab work and uses epoxy to fill small and large defects.

More generally, there are 6.022e23 videos on Youtube of people filling in gaps in wood with epoxy finishes, with lots of advice and info.

However, if the OP is going to put outdoors-rated varnish over it, why not just use the old standby of sawdust+PVA filler? The varnish will protect it from moisture.

33coupe

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#2977773 5-Oct-2022 14:27

Thanks everyone. To play it safe I might have to just bite the bullet and buy epoxy (funds allowing).

Just to check Would this one be ok?

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/norski-epoxy-timber-sealer-500ml_p0277195

I'm pretty sure the polyurethane I have is marine grade as I was always planning on having it outside.

I'm thinking the $5 test pot from resene will work as well.
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#2977791 5-Oct-2022 16:02

33coupe: Thanks everyone. To play it safe I might have to just bite the bullet and buy epoxy (funds allowing).

Just to check Would this one be ok?

https://www.bunnings.co.nz/norski-epoxy-timber-sealer-500ml_p0277195

I'm pretty sure the polyurethane I have is marine grade as I was always planning on having it outside.

I'm thinking the $5 test pot from resene will work as well.

Um, no, and no, sorry. The sealer is for stabilising rotten wood, so it soaks into the spongy rot and hardens, it's not a gap filler. For the polyurethane, if you're using it for outdoors UV protection you'll need to build up multiple layers to give an appropriate level of protection, a minimum of three coats, so a small test pot won't be nearly enough. Also, dilute the first coat with turps to allow it to penetrate the timber.

If you're not familiar with the filler method I mentioned, you mix PVA and sawdust from the timber into a paste and rub it into the cracks, this forms a filler the same colour as the timber. This is relying on the varnish to give it waterproofing and UV protection.

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#2978623 7-Oct-2022 13:43

I've used couple of epoxy timber sealers. They both had an amber colour, when cured.

The one I use now (Norski) can be applied to bare timber and it soaks in well, un-diluted. It is probably just diluted epoxy, but I'm only using small quantities

I wait until it cures to the tacky stage and then recoat - this is called 'hot-coating' and it ensures a chemical bond between the coats of epoxy. If you can't do this, you have to sand between coats to create a mechanical bond. If you use epoxy filler, this can be hot-coated too.

Epoxy needs to be top coated, with something UV stable.

Mike

33coupe

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#2978650 7-Oct-2022 15:04

Thanks for the info.

Might sound like a dumb question but as I don't have a dust collector, it all ends up on the floor so probs couldn't use that to fill gaps?

Do you have a link for the norski you used, I think Bunnings or M10 sell that brand. I would prefer to buy from either of those shops as I get a discount and fairly close by etc.

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#2978658 7-Oct-2022 15:21

33coupe: <snip>

Might sound like a dumb question but as I don't have a dust collector, it all ends up on the floor so probs couldn't use that to fill gaps?

Do you have a sander with a bag? My process for getting "clean" sawdust is to empty out the bag (give it a quick vacuum) then sand a scrap or offcut of the wood I'm matching, then use that dust. I used dust out of the collector once and it was really dirty/contaminated with other stuff.

So long as your sander had a dust port, you might also be able to tape a clean paper bag to it.

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