I am having a difficult time locating 4×8 sheets of melamine. Can I use Formica for the mold or, should I just go with 3/4" mdf and line it with Tyvek sheathing tape?
Epoxy will/can bond to formica. Maybe not to the super smooth super shiny laminate, not sure there. I even had it bond to melamine on one pour and had broken off chunks of melamine stuck in my pour as I separated it from the form. It will not bond to tyvek.
Use the isle and bay for your local store to find it.
PS - There are a lot of surfaces that can used as mold, provided you add a couple coats of paste wax on top as mold release? Test and you will see for sure.
Have used 6mil plastic sheeting from BORG for epoxy vacuum bag work for decades. 10mil is better as can stretch it and break minimal adhesion that might get created, but most stores don't stock it. As long you don't allow epoxy to flow around a fold/crease, it peels away easily.
Thanks for the links! When I did a search on the HD and Lowe's websites, the only thing I would get were the shelves. At Lowe's, they were offering to ship to my local store for $95.
Your link to Lowe's showed me found sheets at the next store over from mine. Awesome man, thanks again.
if you are not in a hurry to get your project started,
I would suggest you purchase a rattle can of "Mold Release"
from your local art supply house or an online source.
especially if you think you will be doing more epoxy projects in the future.
if you don't want to do that, you can apply a liberal coating of hand rubbed
furniture wax to the parts where the epoxy will come in contact with the mold.
looking forward to following your journey in this fascinating project.
THAT is one big project !!
have you poured epoxy before ?
please keep us in the loop with this project.
(I"m not even going to ask about the logistics of handling it once it is poured).
it is AWESOME !
My wife got me started building planters during quarantine, then shutters then new porch lights followed by a new doorbell system.
During the planter builds, I got commissioned to build herb beds. Gave them a little twist by using plastic deck boards to make skids so they could be moved around the yard. Lots of people stopped to talk about the projects with one lady wanting me to put shutters on her house. Wife told me NO! Because if the lady's house burned down, I'd get sued so I passed on the job.
Our oldest graduates medical school in December so I am making this table for her. I plan on taking a lot of pics and making a book to go with the table for her. Maybe one day she will pass it on to one of her kids. Then they can look at my old wrinkled ass in the book.
Sainte, welcome to the forum !!
I'm sure all of your projects will be an inspiration to many.
looking forward to following your journey in this one.
pouring epoxy is an adventure by itself. do your research and don't rush it.
you don't get too many chances for a "do over" if you make a mistake.
(and yes, I knew it was a female in the photo).
Epoxy tables are pretty much a passing fad. I'm not say you should build one and have fun just don't be surprised if it turns into a white elephant.
All new and old woodworkers I know hope to build heirloom furniture. I have seen my work from 25 years ago and it's pretty beat up and wouldn't keep it in my house.
If your new to the craft stay small in your projects don't get too big too fast.
There's one place I know here in So Cal that sells Parota In Carlsbad?
I has to ban myself from there.
Good Luck
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