My son and I are making a bar top with a Brazillian cherry veneered
top. Since it is going to see some hard use, what are other
alternatives to polyurethane? What are the pourable "plastic"
solutions, or are they a solution at all? If you have a specific
product in mind, please let me know.

System Three 'Mirror Coat'. Its a 2-part extremely clear epoxy made for
your specific application.
http://www.systemthree.com/p_mirror_coat.asp

"eganders" wrote in message
oups.com...
My son and I are making a bar top with a Brazillian cherry veneered
top. Since it is going to see some hard use, what are other
alternatives to polyurethane? What are the pourable "plastic"
solutions, or are they a solution at all? If you have a specific
product in mind, please let me know.

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:19:19 GMT, "Max Mahanke"
wrote:

System Three 'Mirror Coat'. Its a 2-part extremely clear epoxy made for
your specific application.
http://www.systemthree.com/p_mirror_coat.asp

Self leveling.. okay, so what happens if your bar has a rounded face
and you want that to be coated too?

(that website requires you to be a member before downloading PDFs...)

I've always been interested in how those 'deep' finishes are achieved.

eganders wrote:
My son and I are making a bar top with a Brazillian cherry veneered
top. Since it is going to see some hard use, what are other
alternatives to polyurethane?

If you don't want that thick plastic coating, and want a durable top,
Behlens makes a counter top varnish. It's not as tough as an epoxy
coating but I think it's far more attractive and will show off the wood
grain and color better.

Years ago I used an epoxy on a table top, covering foreign coins.
Thick enough to cover the coins. Does ANYBODY know of a way to get it
up, to recover the coins??? I'm willing to sacrifice the table.

Thanks for any answers...

Rich.....


wrote:
eganders wrote:
My son and I are making a bar top with a Brazillian cherry veneered
top. Since it is going to see some hard use, what are other
alternatives to polyurethane?

If you don't want that thick plastic coating, and want a durable top,
Behlens makes a counter top varnish. It's not as tough as an epoxy
coating but I think it's far more attractive and will show off the wood
grain and color better.

"rich" wrote in message
ups.com...
Years ago I used an epoxy on a table top, covering foreign coins.
Thick enough to cover the coins. Does ANYBODY know of a way to get it
up, to recover the coins??? I'm willing to sacrifice the table.

Thanks for any answers...

Rich.....

I'm picturing a chisel and a mallet....

todd

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:48:49 GMT, Owamanga
wrote:

On Wed, 14 Jun 2006 15:19:19 GMT, "Max Mahanke"
wrote:

System Three 'Mirror Coat'. Its a 2-part extremely clear epoxy made for
your specific application.
http://www.systemthree.com/p_mirror_coat.asp

Self leveling.. okay, so what happens if your bar has a rounded face
and you want that to be coated too?

(that website requires you to be a member before downloading PDFs...)

I've always been interested in how those 'deep' finishes are achieved.

The idea is that you let it drip over the sides and eventually the
increasing surface tension while it cures will hold some of the epoxy
on. It won't be as thick as on a horizontal surface. This results in a
huge mess, of course (make sure the WHOLE floor is masked). The whole
process is a pain in the neck, but done right it can look quite nice,
if you like the whole thick, glossy look.

--

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

On 14 Jun 2006 19:04:49 -0700, "rich" wrote:

Years ago I used an epoxy on a table top, covering foreign coins.
Thick enough to cover the coins. Does ANYBODY know of a way to get it
up, to recover the coins??? I'm willing to sacrifice the table.

Thanks for any answers...

Rich.....

Use a saw (cheap dovetail or X-acto saw) to cut through the epoxy to
the wood near the coins. Try to wedge a flat screwdriver or chisel
down into the slot (dependinig on how thick the saw kerf is, this may
be difficult and require a very thin tipped screwdriver - be REALLY
careful if you use a chisel) and 'lift' the epoxy. The epoxy will
generally not adhere to metal as well as to the wood, so you should be
able to 'pull it off' of the coins. This can be pretty difficult, but
not impossible.

--

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

On 14 Jun 2006 07:18:45 -0700, "eganders" wrote:

My son and I are making a bar top with a Brazillian cherry veneered
top. Since it is going to see some hard use, what are other
alternatives to polyurethane? What are the pourable "plastic"
solutions, or are they a solution at all? If you have a specific
product in mind, please let me know.


You can get pourable bar-top epoxy in Home Depot (I think Lowes
carries a 2:1 mixture that's a bit more difficult to measure/use) or
at a craft store. Remember, many craft stores will accept another
company's coupons, so you can get a large bottle of
Aristocrat/Envirotex Lite for up to 40% off. (i.e. bring in a Rag Shop
coupon to Michaels) which is far cheaper than buying System 3 or West
Systems epoxy. The Famowood brand that Home Depot carries is thinner
than the Envirotex and it is best to wait awhile before pouring or
/all/ of it will simply run off the edge of the surface. Ideally, it
should be just slightly thicker than maple syrup, but not as thick as
honey, when you pour it.

A few hints: /Seal/ the surface that you are going to coat with epoxy.
You can use a thin coat of the bar top finish. If you are in a rush,
you can use the cheap 5-minute or 2-hr epoxy from Wal-Mart. Mix,
spread and scrape flat with a razor blade or plastic spreader. It
doesn't have to be perfect, but you don't want any thick bumps in the
surface or it might poke out above the final coat. Use at least two
coats. Any minor unevenness will vanish into the final coat.

The instructions will say to breathe on it or to use a propane torch
to pop the bubbles after you pour. An easier way to do this is to find
a fine mist sprayer (try the travel or beauty supply section) and get
91% isopropyl alcohol. Once you pour the surface, wait awhile for the
bubbles to rise, then very lightly mist the surface with the alcohol.
This will pop many more bubbles than the torch method will. You'll
have to re-check and mist again (You can usually do this up to an hour
and a half after mixing) to make sure that no new bubbles have
appeared. If you did not seal the surface with epoxy this will be an
impossible task because air will keep escaping from the wood.

--

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:45:58 GMT, (Fenrir
Enterprises) wrote:

[snip]
A few hints: /Seal/ the surface that you are going to coat with epoxy.
You can use a thin coat of the bar top finish. If you are in a rush,
you can use the cheap 5-minute or 2-hr epoxy from Wal-Mart. Mix,
spread and scrape flat with a razor blade or plastic spreader.
[snip]

An excellent group of posts, thanks for your detailed input.

Printer Supply outlets carry 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. I use it for
mixing shellac from flakes as to 91% is hard to find.

On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:45:58 GMT, (Fenrir
Enterprises) wrote:

The instructions will say to breathe on it or to use a propane torch
to pop the bubbles after you pour. An easier way to do this is to find
a fine mist sprayer (try the travel or beauty supply section) and get
91% isopropyl alcohol. Once you pour the surface, wait awhile for the
bubbles to rise, then very lightly mist the surface with the alcohol.
This will pop many more bubbles than the torch method will. You'll
have to re-check and mist again (You can usually do this up to an hour
and a half after mixing) to make sure that no new bubbles have
appeared. If you did not seal the surface with epoxy this will be an
impossible task because air will keep escaping from the wood.

rich wrote:
Years ago I used an epoxy on a table top, covering foreign coins.
Thick enough to cover the coins. Does ANYBODY know of a way to get it
up, to recover the coins??? I'm willing to sacrifice the table.


Heat? Working with electronics I have sometimes needed to remove
something that had been held down with epoxy. I used a soldering iron
to break up/dig into the epoxy. For your coins on a table I'm thinking
maybe a heat gun? You would probably really want to do this outside as
I have not found anyone who is fond of the smell of burning epoxy.

--
-Harold Hill

On Fri, 16 Jun 2006 04:31:38 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 15 Jun 2006 18:45:58 GMT, (Fenrir
Enterprises) wrote:

The instructions will say to breathe on it or to use a propane torch
to pop the bubbles after you pour. An easier way to do this is to find
a fine mist sprayer (try the travel or beauty supply section) and get
91% isopropyl alcohol. Once you pour the surface, wait awhile for the
bubbles to rise, then very lightly mist the surface with the alcohol.
This will pop many more bubbles than the torch method will. You'll
have to re-check and mist again (You can usually do this up to an hour
and a half after mixing) to make sure that no new bubbles have
appeared. If you did not seal the surface with epoxy this will be an
impossible task because air will keep escaping from the wood.

Printer Supply outlets carry 99% Isopropyl Alcohol. I use it for
mixing shellac from flakes as to 91% is hard to find.


Alcohol is so hygroscopic (aborbs water from the air) that I suspect
that 99% isopropyl would turn into 95% or lower the moment you take
the cap off. I've found 91% in Wal-Mart, CVS, Eckerds, and Walgreens
(pretty much any drugstore) in the 'first aid' section.

Don't use 70% to mist epoxy with. I think that there's too much water
and you'd damage the surface because it wouldn't evaporate fast
enough.

--

http://www.FenrirOnline.com

Computer services, custom metal etching,
arts, crafts, and much more.

Thanks All for the input. Sounds like mechanical, or mechanical plus
heat. Was hoping there was a magic solvent that would free all the
coins, polish them, stack them neatly, and then evaporate!

Regards,
Rich.....



wrote:
rich wrote:
Years ago I used an epoxy on a table top, covering foreign coins.
Thick enough to cover the coins. Does ANYBODY know of a way to get it
up, to recover the coins??? I'm willing to sacrifice the table.


Heat? Working with electronics I have sometimes needed to remove
something that had been held down with epoxy. I used a soldering iron
to break up/dig into the epoxy. For your coins on a table I'm thinking
maybe a heat gun? You would probably really want to do this outside as
I have not found anyone who is fond of the smell of burning epoxy.

--
-Harold Hill