On Sun, 12 Dec 2004 00:47:37 +0000, Paul Oman wrote:

Solvent thin the first coat or two of epoxy for better penetration and bonding -
especially along edges, etc. Just about any solvent will work. Thin 15 - 25 % or so.
A little bit of solvent will greatly lower the viscosity.

Hmmm, to me the idea of adding solvent to epoxy doesn't sound too
good. The basic idea behind encapsulating wood in solvent free
epoxy rather than just varnish is to get a vapour-tight seal
around the wood. (Yes I know it won't be strictly vapour-tight but
it is orders of magnitude better than any varnish). Adding a solvent
may make the epoxy porous.

If you really want lower viscosity you could either buy an epoxy
that has low viscosity all by itself or you can heat it up to say
30C or so. If you for heating the epoxy you should choose a
type that has a long pot life or work with small batches.

A somewhat risky but simple alternative is to 'heat-gun' the surfaces
right after applying epoxy. Don't overdo it. There should be no smell
or fumes!

--
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Martin Schöön * * * * * * * * * *"Problems worthy of attack
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