epoxy desk

ACG

Has anyone ever made anything like this? 
I had never even heard of it until last month when I seen one and fell in love with it. It was a bit pricey (£1,300), but when I have a read up, it looks like materials will be around £300.

I have been watching some youtube videos and it looks doable, but then I wonder whether the videos are there to make it look easy but in reality it is going to end up a complete mess.  Has anyone ever had a bash at making something like this themselves? How did it go? 

the_lunatic_is_in_my_head

Do you have the tools required? Most videos look easy as they have the right kit and space to work.

I'd imagine anyone can do it but like everything practice makes perfect and it might be a good few rounds of £300 worth of materials before you achieve a professional result.

Give it a go and if it doesn't work out offer £1000 for the table you like. 

Just to add, tried to make something out of epoxy and discovered I was allergic to it, nothing serious but was itchy as hell for about 12 hours. 

flashg67

I bought a small kit to make coasters etc as  trial run - doable, not quite as easy as it looks. I'd look at going this route before making an expensive mess!

ACG

I have most of the things I would need I think. I also have a 75 year old man who lives behind me and I think he has every tool known to man so should be set on that front. 

I will take a look at a smaller kit and have a bash. Good shout. 

MovingForwards

Keep us updated @ACG as I'm going to be making a mosaic resin table top with all the 'old' finds from the garden.

babyblade41

resin tables especially the river tables are not that easy ... The prep has to be 100 percent or you will have a very expensive mistake.

PPE is an absolute must as resin is very toxic so don't do it indoors or anywhere pets and children .

The river tables you see for sale are those prices for a reason . I have given up using it now as it was doing me too much harm and I completed a few tables .

After prep you have the dreaded bubbles which are hard to disperse on a large scale and you have to use the right resin for deep pours or you will end up with a smoking hot mess ..literally

FreeBear

babyblade41 said: After prep you have the dreaded bubbles which are hard to disperse on a large scale and you have to use the right resin for deep pours or you will end up with a smoking hot mess ..literally

To get rid of bubbles in the resin requires the use of a vacuum pump & pressure vessel. But too much vacuum, and you run the risk of the still liquid resin from "boiling" - That can get very messy !

babyblade41

FreeBear said:

babyblade41 said: After prep you have the dreaded bubbles which are hard to disperse on a large scale and you have to use the right resin for deep pours or you will end up with a smoking hot mess ..literally

To get rid of bubbles in the resin requires the use of a vacuum pump & pressure vessel. But too much vacuum, and you run the risk of the still liquid resin from "boiling" - That can get very messy !

I think a table would be too big for a vacuum... I tended to use a massive heat gun .Get it wrong and the exothermic reaction is pretty spectacular and yes an extremely "hot mess"

tacpot12

Epoxy resin can't be recycled so you are going to create a load of toxic waste just to have a flash desk. Why not consider a hardwood top with a high gloss shine from lots of coats of a water-based varnish? This would be  completely recyclable and safe for the environment, and no mess or toxic chemicals for you to handle. 

babyblade41

tacpot12 said:

Epoxy resin can't be recycled so you are going to create a load of toxic waste just to have a flash desk. Why not consider a hardwood top with a high gloss shine from lots of coats of a water-based varnish? This would be  completely recyclable and safe for the environment, and no mess or toxic chemicals for you to handle. 

I use Crystalac  a water based high solid topcoat .. beautiful finish

FreeBear

babyblade41 said: I think a table would be too big for a vacuum...

Mix the hardener in to the resin, then pop the tub in a pressure vessel. Extract the air to create a bit of vacuum, and most of the bubbles should come out. It is a bit of a crap shoot getting the timing & vacuum right without it blowing up in side the vessel. Once the bubbles have gone, pour the resin in gently and try not to introduce any more air.