Clear finish to fill a recess

[Jim Kountz]

A friend of mine made a table top from a slab of oak. He routed a large recess in the middle about 20"x12" and about 1/2" deep. He puts in some trinkets and coins and now he wants to fill the entire recess with some kind of pour in finish. Any ideas of what to use for this? I dont think poly would be a good choice since it would take so long to cure if it did at all at this thickness. Im sure they make something for this I just dont know what it is!

Thanks!

Jim

[Don Stutsman]

Casting resin (a two part product with hardener) will work. You can usually find it in craft stores and also hobby shops which cater to the model railroad crowd. It will leak through if there are any holes through the piece so tape them up first.

[Howard Acheson]

What you want is an epoxy pour-on finish. Most the the big boxes or paint stores will have it.

Go here for one brand but there are others: www.eti-usa.com/consum/envtex/envlite.htm

Do not use any varnish or poly varnish. It will not cure correctly in thick applications.