Embedding Objects in Your Epoxy Pours
George VondriskaDescription
Epoxy can be fun to work with once you get the hang of it, and it can be used to add beautiful features to your projects. Make your epoxy pours and projects even more unique by embedding objects in the epoxy to give the appearance of floating down your river table.
Pouring in Layers
To make objects look like they’re floating in epoxy, you’ll need to pour the epoxy in layers. Think of the layers of epoxy like layers of wood. You’ll pour a first layer to establish the depth at which you want the object or objects “floating.”
Cure Time
As you pour epoxy it is, of course, a liquid, anything that you add will simply sink to the bottom of that layer when it’s still in liquid form. You’ll need to allow the layer to cure for just the right amount of time before adding your items. The layer of epoxy needs to be firm enough to support the item.
On the other side of that coin, you can’t wait too long. If the epoxy is fully cured, the next layer you pour may have a hard time sticking to it. The bottom line is that there’s a window of opportunity in which the layer is firm enough to support objects, but will still accept and stick to the next layer you pour over it. The epoxy manufacturer can give you information on how much time to allow for the correct cure for the particular epoxy product you choose.
Use the Right Stuff
Whether you’re doing a river table or tabletop pour you need to make sure you’re using the right product for your project. Different types of epoxy have very different working characteristics. Read the manufacturer’s instructions and have a look at this comprehensive video that explains where to use different types of epoxies.
This river table, which is cherry slabs with a river in between them, is really, really pretty. My friend Terry from Wild Edge Water King is making this and it just happens to be in my shop right now. One of the features that I really like on this table is the way that these stones have been embedded in the river. So you've probably seen a lot of river tables. This is quite a thing these days, but putting objects in like this is something that can really bring them to a next level. So the way this gets done is a layer of epoxy has to get poured and allowed to cure to a point where whatever it is that you're setting has the opportunity to sit on top of that. So of course, especially with something as dense and heavy as stones, if you go too early with that, they're just gonna sink to the very, very bottom. Now at the other end of that, there's a timeline involved. We don't want to let that first layer cure too long because then the second layer is not gonna wanna adhere to it. So the key to that is follow the manufacturer's instructions, check with them on what is that window of time, where that first layer is strong enough to support an object, but it's not fully cured and the next layer you pour over the top of it is still gonna have a chance to adhere. And if you follow those rules of the road, you're gonna have a cool looking table like the one Terry's got going here with that opportunity to embed different objects into the epoxy river.
I like to personalize my tables by adding something in the epoxy that is meaningful to the recipient e.g. a small sailboat charm for a sailor or a teardrop camper for someone who owned one or two dog charms for someone who owned that same breed of dog.