Applying an epoxy finish interior/exterior

[Wally Crawford]

I am thinking of turning some goblets and was going to use an epoxy finish so the the item could actually be used. I have heard of using a BBQ rotisserie set up to slowly rotate the piece while the epoxy dries but I cannot figure out what kind of fixture you are using to hold the item on the rotisserie while it rotates. Guidance for this thick skulled turner would be great and pictures would be greatly appreciated

 

[hockenbery]

You rig a way to mount a chuck on the end of a short rotisserie shaft - direct drive
Or you can mount a pulley on a short rotisserie shaft and use a belt to drive the chuck. ( if it’s a few and you have a mini lathe you can free the lathe belts and rig the rotisserie to turn the lathe spindle

You can turn shafts and pulleys from wood cut belts from old innertubes

John Williams does superb epoxy finishes. Is system would be overkill for goblets but you can use it for idea.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI1oo0zwP7I

 

[Peter White]

Paul Bartlett shows how he does it with a rotisserie motor on his u-tube channel.

 

[Wally Crawford]

Thanks guys. I will check those out. My lathe, a Robust AB, will just not go slow enough to do this.

 

[Dean Center]

You can also do it by manually turning the piece 90 degrees every 5-15 minutes. More often at first, less often over time. It's labor intensive, but requires no special gear. If you warm the epoxy components prior to mixing, the epoxy will be thinner, easier to pour and flows over the surface of the wood. It's also supposed to speed curing of the epoxy, though this is less clear.

 

[Erik Christensen]

I finish most of my bowls with one or more coats of resin. Let it cure for a month & it Beal buffs just fine. I knew I needed a way to slowly rotate the bowl while the epoxy flowed out, leveled and cured. I got parts from McMastrer-Carr including a slow speed gear motor - think total was ~ 150$ including a 1 1/4 x 8tpi bolt to mount a chuck. I have the whole thing on a pivot so I can adjust the flow of the epoxy depending on the bowl shape...



motor turns @ 6 RPM and if I make another I might try a slower speed - here is another shot of it in use...



works great - a out of town friend who I talked into getting a lathe used it when he visited and went home and made his own version... gear motors can run continuously so you can let them run overnight with no worries

 

[William Rogers]

I just bought a slow rotisserie motor from Amazon about $20. I had a couple of pillow bearing blocks I bought 20 years ago for a project that never happened. I turned some aluminum to fit the rotisserie shaft, bearing block, and chuck diameter. The chuck just slips over the aluminum and I use the anti-rotation set screws in the chuck. I attacked the motor to the pillow bearing block drilling and tapping. It can rotate to any position and clamped in place. This motor turns at 3rpm. I have a second pillow bearing block I am going to us a 10 rpm motor. Not sure what will be the best speed or if both work. The bearing pillow blocks are not that expensive. I even used it on the bowl shown in the chuck to spray lacquer.