Epoxy Resin Tutorial - How to Fill wood engravings like a pro 5 different ways to DIY

[@rajinkajun-2576]

Great tips! I love the extra info about using the heat gun on the epoxy. I like you don't just say; "be careful" you explain why and it makes total sense and I know exactly what I'm trying avoid doing and why. Great details!

[@pandorabox2121]

I like that this is a really different way of using resin, I haven’t seen anyone do these beautiful engravings before. I absolutely love them. 💜📐💜

[@striveandrestore9056]

How do you get the design into the wood

[@Christopher-oh2tv]

Thank you very much. Very clear (no pun intended) video explanations & demonstrations. Great details you talked about. I’ve never used epoxy but what a great idea for my engravings! Did not know that epoxy shrinks as it cures. Heat gun low w quick passes to eliminate bubbles is a great tip. Can’t wait to try this! Red would be great for valentines, green for St. Pattys. Really appreciate your sharing. Thank you!

[@williambuchanan2542]

Love the one place shoping for the effects. 5 in one video. Nice job.

[@mattthompson1592]

I JUST started laser engraving and teaching myself CNC and was thinking "ooo, I should epoxy them" after seeing a lot of wood+epoxy tables and lathe work. So glad I found this before I started experimenting this weekend on my own :-p

[@LifeWithRoger]

Awesome! I hope you do great things!

[@pattiepan]

I think they came out beautifully........I love the design.......thank you for sharing your work with all of us.

[@Barzins1]

Great tips for beginners. Thanks very much for sharing.v

[@LifeWithRoger]

No problem. I'm about to do a whole resin series

[@stevenwu78]

Very clear tutorial video, thank you very much!

[@LifeWithRoger]

Thanks for the compliment

[@AngieWilliamsDesigns]

That was pretty interesting to watch. Thanks for sharing.

[@inkytu7]

Nice. What you may want to consider, with the metallic pigment, is the pigment size. It may easily be too large to be inside the engraving. Glitter is usually too large of a pigment to sit below the outer wood surface.

[@ker348]

This is so helpful!!! Thank you!!

[@LifeWithRoger]

I'm glad it helped!

[@TheDwilliams1000]

I got to make my laser engravings a little deeper. I need to invest in a sander as well. I wanna learn how to colorfill and resin my engravings.

[@lisawintler-cox1641]

How deep is optimum?

[@dh-no2ke]

I have done epoxy filled engravings. If you don’t seal the wood before you epoxy the epoxy/color will bleed into the grain of the wood and cause bad inlay. You really should seal the wood before you pour the epoxy. Lacquer or shellac works for sealer. I did not hear him mention to seal first unless he is using wood the is already sealed. It was a nice demo, but it seem like really only two methods, one is to paint the engraving first then cover with epoxy or mix the color into the epoxy.

[@onlyychevys]

You are right, You have to seal the wood to keep the color or paint from wicking into the wood grain.

[@ameliamcgreevy1478]

Question... I see you mentioned shellac or lacquer for sealing, but what about sanding sealer? Would it achieve the same results? And does the epoxy stick to the sealer well? I ask bc I did a piece that I believe had been sprayed with triple thick glaze (found this out later) and the epoxy literally popped right out as if it were a mold, zero adhesion.

[@dh-no2ke]

Amelia McGreevy I belong to a CNC group and everyone familiar with this process suggests lacquer or shellac these seem to work the best. I think I had used sanding sealer once and I got bleeding. I would suggest you do some testing, cut a few pockets and try it plus it would give you experience before doing something more complicated and valuable. If I am remembering it correctly, sanding sealer doesn’t work. In terms of sticking, it should stick just fine, if you use lacquer, then use a flat finish, shellac would like be the best for adherence, just an educated guess. Again do some simple testing....

[@LifeWithRoger]

I sealed with spray lacquer beforehand. It didn't even occur to me to mention it since I seal all my boards before engraving them.

[@dh-no2ke]

The Woodworking Gamer You should spray with lacquer after you engrave the wood but before you apply epoxy. New people to epoxy inlay might not be aware of the wicking that can occur which can ruin the piece.

[@stephenrogers7886]

Thank you for a great video. I love the designs the resin makes them pop out 👍

[@LifeWithRoger]

Thanks! I'm working on a series of how-to's for 3d illusion tables next. They should REALLY pop!

[@thebeststooge]

LOL, I was saying to myself that this dude is fucking all of this shit up and is on youtube? Then I made it to the end and my jaw dropped. Nice work indeed.

[@mindyabidnesstoo5720]

The fact that you say SHIT a lot makes you a favorite

[@re2248]

Sign of a limited vocabulary

[@JudiChristopher]

BEAUTIFUL

[@robertsullivan2396]

Great. Thanks for your tutorial

[@mtyler3047]

WOW. Thanks for this video!

[@samdub]

Really nice these pal

[@relaxlove.3678]

These are beauts!!!!!

[@cjbest6378]

Excellent video - very information. I make a lot of smaller items (wood key chains, dog tags, etc.) and was curious what type of sander you recommend? I currently use a hand held random orbital, but it's tricky to use on the smaller parts. You look like you had a great setup. Nevermind! Saw the link to your tools in the description of the video - that's awesome! Thanks

[@LifeWithRoger]

Glad it was helpful!

[@LifeWithRoger]

For small pieces i use my belt sander. Just be careful not to get your fingertips

[@wood4nothing284]

That's really cool man it turned out awesome .I liked it so much I've subbed to your channel ,I may do a video of my own on my own channel thanks for sharing Cheers Tim from Wood 4 Nothing

[@emefkay7712]

Hi Roger. Can you please tell me at what temperature your heat gun is set? Thanks.

[@LifeWithRoger]

amzn.to/3G7bJq0 Even better, here ya go!

[@RockyMountainBear]

This is probably a dumb question (they really do exist), but would the copper patina over time, or does the resin totally protect they metal? EDIT; Awesome work btw! Great vid. I can't wait to try it out.

[@LifeWithRoger]

The copper isn't exposed to air, so no green coloring should occur. (It never has on my projects). Thanks for the comment!

[@r5yamaha]

How did you prevent bleeding?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Treat it first with either a thin layer of epoxy or wax.

[@100proofjewelry]

What the name of the oil you used at the end of the video? Great video 👍🏾

[@LifeWithRoger]

Tung oil amzn.to/3O6PFBl

[@adrianwilliams-ug2lf]

what kind of sand paper did you use to sand them down?

[@LifeWithRoger]

what kind? you mean grit or type? I normally take wood up to 240 grit

[@alexandriacrews7532]

I know this is an old video! But I’m just starting out and was wondering what grit you use to sand?

[@LifeWithRoger]

120

[@captyr2099]

Inspiring!

[@firemenonbikes]

Do you have to seal it first if you are just using standard clear epoxy?

[@LifeWithRoger]

No. Not with clear.

[@anthonytriano9524]

What grit do you go down to? For wood I go to 220 but for resin is it different? I've heard all the way to 4000-6000???

[@LifeWithRoger]

really depends on the look you are going for. You can take it up as high as you like or leave it at 240. All depends on how much you want it to resemble actual glass

[@stephensharma3259]

what did u use to clean the dirt.. afterwards in the end

[@LifeWithRoger]

Dirt?

[@RobSandstromDesigns]

Good video. I am exploring various options on how to use resin on my laser engravings. This is helpful. It usually comes down to how do I get the excess resin off without damaging the veneer on the plywood - duh...reading your comments below it appears I'm trying to take the cheap way out and should use real wood blanks. I asked below on a comment, and if already answered don't need to repeat. But, do you have an affiliate link to real wood for coasters? I could resaw my own stuff but kind of a pain. Thanks again for the three stage demo.

[@LifeWithRoger]

No link but you can find wood at ocooch or a few other places. You can use water to get rid of laser residue also. Just let it dry before doing anything else afterwards

[@bigpapaporsche1]

Is Brass Metal Power available?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Yep. amzn.to/3dqBMPg

[@jlocke3185]

Great informational video however I am curious about how the glow in the dark wood looked in the dark.

[@LifeWithRoger]

Looks great. I did a special video with a few types of resin and glowing pieces that you can check out.

[@zaynblol]

Fab

[@LifeWithRoger]

(Bow) Thx

[@Clint3571]

Do you ever have problems with color bleeding into the wood grain? I have had some issues and I am trying to get around it somehow.

[@LifeWithRoger]

no, that's why we seal first, then fill. Gotta close the pores and seal the grain ends.

[@Clint3571]

@@LifeWithRoger gotcha. I figured that you were, but did not catch that step in the video.

[@annahullihen8931]

@Life With Rodger I loved this video. It was very helpful. I've been trying to do a color fill in a wood engraving and have not had much success. Do you have a link to the type of acrylic paint you use? Also what do you use to seal your wood before you apply the acrylic paint? I would greatly appreciate your help!

[@Clint3571]

@@annahullihen8931 Try 2 thinned coats of poly. That worked well for me filling my etchings with colored epoxy.

[@minato4203]

Do you have any tips or well I don’t even know if it’s possible. I want to fill in letters that I carved out for a toy box lid with silver epoxy but I want to have the rest of the lid blue epoxy. Any ideas? Right now I’m thinking pour the silver in the letters with. Stencil above it so the silver is fills high. Then pour the blue and then sand down the silver to level it out. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

[@LifeWithRoger]

do the engravings in stages. First everything blue, then fill it and finish it, THEN engrave the silver and fill it.

[@minato4203]

@@LifeWithRoger thank you very much

[@midfloridatactical]

Great video! Thank you for taking the time to make it. What type of wood did you use? Thanks in advance!!

[@LifeWithRoger]

This was Maple

[@codrutbila9674]

Useful tutorial...which uv resistent resin do you recommend? Thanks.

[@LifeWithRoger]

What I use here is UV resistant. link is in description. Thanks!

[@nickdring604]

What resin fo you use buddy

[@LifeWithRoger]

Link in description

[@savannahengraving1]

How did you keep the paint from bleeding into the wood when you painted it black? Did you seal the wood 1st?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Yep

[@keepthecraftalive8336]

Do you think this will work on 1/8 inch thick cedar?

[@LifeWithRoger]

yep, it works. Just be very careful when sanding the resin

[@packardbellend]

What grit sandpaper did you use to sand these down before applying the polish?

[@LifeWithRoger]

normally 120, 240 for certain pieces, 600 if I want it to look like glass

[@packardbellend]

@@LifeWithRoger thanks for the rapid reply, I see people using like… 3000 grit sandpaper for their resin but it seems like overkill when you get such fantastic results from this process!

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@packardbellend I've seen it but i never use that high. The highest i even have is 2000 and I've used it only once just to test it out. The difference between 600 and 2000 is so small i couldn't discern it.

[@erinlalinsky6970]

I have a few questions, if you don't mind. I recently got a laser cutter/engraver but am still trying to figure out how to finish my pieces. Was this a hardwood or plywood that you used? What grit sandpapers did you used? Do you have to finish it anymore than using the Tung oil? Would using a different kind of oil, like Linseed or maybe beeswax work? How much ventilation is required when using epoxy (I only have a bathroom exhaust fan in a plastic storage tote vented outside)? Sorry for so many questions, but this is really interesting and I'd really like to try it.

[@LifeWithRoger]

These are maple. Sand in levels 8-120-240-etc. Normally 240 is enough. Finishing with any oil works. Bil, Tung, Danish, etc. Proper venting is essential

[@stevemichael8186]

Is it possible to sand by hand? i dont have a big sanding machine XD

[@LifeWithRoger]

Of course. By hand works, hand planing works, rotary hand sander, any of them. I use my belt just because it's fastest

[@TubeYouGuru]

I heard those kind of lasers are limited on how deep they can burn, because the laser is weak. As they are a more modest priced one compared to the huge ones.What would happen if you run the process twice and let it burn over the same spot twice? Would it deepen it or would it just end up being a burned mess?

[@LifeWithRoger]

You are confused. Epilog is an industrial laser. You might be thinking of those cheap Chinese knockoffs. There IS however 1 option for industrial lasers beyond my Epilog. Those are Kern lasers and they are stupidly expensive and nice. LOL. Running a job multiple times would deepen the engraving. Some people run slow AND run a job several times. (Just make sure you run it as much as you're going to before you move the piece or it could get outta whack)

[@happy2watchu]

Do you have green glow in dark? Is the glow, glow in dark?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Yep. Link's in description

[@ICanMakeThat]

Thanks for the video! I do epoxy work on serving boards and have a hard time with any finish being anywhere near as close as shiny as adding another layer of clear epoxy... which presents a constant challenge of air bubbles and dust making it into the final pour. I’m wondering if oil will stay on the epoxy though, or wash off the first time it is washed with soap and water. It will last on the wood, but can’t soak into plastic resin, right?

[@LifeWithRoger]

It should sheen just fine. It won't "soak" in, but it'll fill the pores to make the shine nice.

[@justmejay1]

It will rub and wash off over time and start to look like the headlight of a 1970 Chevy. A thin clear coat of epoxy can work but if you are doing serving boards make sure it is FDA approved for extended food contact, Alumilite Clear is a good one. But it you want a good quality shine on the epoxy and want it to last you have to be willing to do the work. Grab a set of micro mesh and work your way up. I did a resin inlay on a cutting board for a Christmas present and sanded the inlay to right out 5,000 before I did the first mineral bath.

[@ICanMakeThat]

Jay Shires I use Art Resin, which I believe is the only FDA approved one. I have micro mesh as well. I go all the way through 12000 on my boards before oil. At 6000 grit you can really start to see the colors pop. But I’ve wet sanded, micro meshed, you name it and absolutely nothing comes close to the shine of a new coat of epoxy. I wish I knew a trick, but nothing comes close.

[@pandorabox2121]

I Can Make That! Have you tried Yorkshire grit and I believe there is a fine one as well now?

[@ICanMakeThat]

Cathy 21 I’ll have to check into that. Thanks

[@kinderjojomojo]

I'm impressed by your skill and knowledge,, but even more impressed by the designs lol. Did you buy them or do them yourself?

[@LifeWithRoger]

I designed them in Coreldraw

[@naskuhl9618]

@@LifeWithRoger they all are verry nice.. can i buy or download the "Yin Yang trees" image file anywere ?

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@naskuhl9618 not that I'm aware of.

[@joewelling3278]

What did you use to do the engraving if it was a laser which model did you use ?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Epilog Mini 60 watt

[@kevenmcg]

I want to try this, but I want to see if I get this right. seal the wood, engrave (router), seal the groove, then fill with epoxy resin, then sand and then seal it with shellac? Thanks.

[@LifeWithRoger]

yeppers, u got it. Not needed to seal twice though. I seal first because I use a laser engraver and it helps the residue clean up.

[@kevenmcg]

thanks!

[@capnmac]

What kind of wood are you using for those engravings?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Cherry

[@kellyt2302]

Wow... love this 🤩 fabulous work!! Would this same technique work on MDF? If so, would the resin make it waterproof if adding an extra clear layer over all of the surface area x

[@LifeWithRoger]

have to test it out but you can seal with epoxy, yes.

[@tj3775]

I followed your instructions pretty close to the letter and the only problem I have is we chose a orange resin to infill the cut letters. But after sanding it down some the field letters are black instead of yellow. Is that due to not enough sanding or is that due to soot residue left in the letters? I blew them out pretty good but maybe that's it

[@LifeWithRoger]

I'm not understanding. You used orange resin so it should be orange

[@tj3775]

@@LifeWithRoger That's correct. When I first put it on it was an orangish color. But I did not get the black residue out of the engraved letters. I'm thinking that's what turned the letters a grayish color.

[@MountainGirlCustomDesigns]

What is the best wood to use for resin filling?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Those with tighter grain work best

[@MountainGirlCustomDesigns]

Can you do.the resin fill on plywood?

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@MountainGirlCustomDesigns you can but if you want to use colors, first brush on a thin layer to seal the engraving really well, then 2hr later add your colored resin

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@MountainGirlCustomDesigns if not you'll end up with bleed and it's kinda ugly

[@MountainGirlCustomDesigns]

Thank you so much!!!!!! Great video, by the way! Where are you located?

[@Plokman040]

Will a Hairdryer work in place of the Heat Gun? I am planing to do some inlay for a wand handle I am making, a Pottermore wand so just a prop but still want to look good when it is done. Also have you ever tried melting solder into the engraving and I mean just plain Iron melt Solder dripped into the gaps like the resin here? I want a silver color like that for my handle in one part.

[@LifeWithRoger]

A hairdryer should work for thin applications. Just get it hot and keep it moving. Solder wouldn't be a good medium for inlay just dripped in....it'd take some finish work. scraping/sanding/polishing/etc. It isn't very shiny.

[@Plokman040]

That was what I thought on the Hairdryer, it takes a light hand and a nice hot air flow. As for the Solder I've seen some shiny joints made with the stuff my father being a electrician but I also know it can really vary depending on the quality, as for the sanding to get it to a good gloss well I am kind of stuck doing that manual for now anyway as I've not got a belt sander like you used. So I was thinking just going through the grits and using my Micro Mesh could do it but it will be hard work and to be honest I need to learn that a bit more if I'm ever going to get to this skill level of wood working and such. Thank you very much for the advice I only mentioned Solder as I know it can hold a shine if layered right and of course polished but I'll keep looking for a good alternate just in case.

[@taylorduryea4587]

Hello! I am trying to do research for a homework assignment. You video was SUPER helpful and im so glad im not the only one with the idea to fill an engraving with epoxy!! This is exactly what I was looking for! However, my original idea was to laser cut a design into wood and then fill the empty spaces with epoxy. Would that be feasible? Have you tried it? If not i will just stick to just laser engrave but I thought with cutting you could really get that translucent effect

[@LifeWithRoger]

It works fine... BUT, you need to use something to seal the back of the wood where the pieces are cut out. For me, I use house wrapping tape. Here's a link to what I use. amzn.to/2Eaeb0A Hope this helps!

[@JoseRamos-jh3tg]

Looks like a glowforge is that what you engraved with?

[@LifeWithRoger]

No. I dislike glowforge. I own an epilog.

[@mauriciovalencia3374]

Does using something like a masking tape, engrave and fill in engravings without removing the tape work? Was wondering if it helps making sanding the epoxy off easier? I only have an orbital sander not a nice belt one like yours lol

[@LifeWithRoger]

still have to seal it before filling or color will run the grain

[@Cellottia]

What grit did you sand to, please?

[@LifeWithRoger]

at least 240, but u can go as high as needed to get the shine you want.

[@angelanewingham3690]

what kind of wood is that?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Cherry

[@coloradoqueen3282]

what was the size of wood are you using to do this project ?

[@LifeWithRoger]

these pieces are 4x4 inches

[@andrewwolenter6857]

Helllo, I've recently started playing around with epoxy inlays on wood, I was curious what your sanding theory was to get them so good? Do you wet sand to an extremely high grit? or does the epoxy finish nice with a lower grit and your tung oil finish? I've seen resin get extremely clear looking when they wet sand it up to 3000 or whatever, but those have always been on big resin pieces, not ones that have a bunch of wood and resin next to each other like you designs.

[@LifeWithRoger]

You can really do either but these are sanded to 240 and oiled. Depth of the resin matters also for clarity

[@andrewwolenter6857]

@@LifeWithRoger thanks for your reply and sharing your experience!

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@andrewwolenter6857 no worries. Have fun making cool inlays!

[@RobSandstromDesigns]

@@LifeWithRoger a little follow-up. I saw you using a belt/flat sander. Did you put 240 grit on that sander? What's your technique to get to 240 grit - I'm assuming you start lower initially.

[@kellyklaask7su990]

Very cool video! How deep is the engraving?

[@LifeWithRoger]

These were laser engraved, so about 1/8 inch. That's the minimum I'd go.

[@kellyklaask7su990]

@@LifeWithRoger Thank you!

[@miltonflorest3352]

Can you put a link to your sources for the epoxy and colorants?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Sure did, just check the description and you'll find my links to it.

[@shanerussell334]

I tried this technique with Dremel engravings. However on all the places on the wood where the epoxy was, it left moisture rings so the wood is discolored. I tried using a sealer on the engraving before filling with epoxy and sading but i am still having some issues with the moisture rings. Any tips or tricks to prevent such rings would be much appreciated.

[@LifeWithRoger]

I'm afraid I've never had "moisture rings" on any of my resin fills. I don't really understand what you mean since epoxy isn't technically "wet", it shouldn't be a factor.

[@shanerussell334]

@@LifeWithRoger So I've been doing small engravings on coaster sized pieces of Basswood and when I fill the engraving the epoxy doesn't cover the whole piece of wood. Once its cured and I sand down the resin to make it flush with the rest of the piece, there's a discoloration between the parts that were covered with the epoxy and the parts that weren't, I kind of just assumed it was moisture.

[@LifeWithRoger]

Clear epoxy should look almost like glass. if there's a discoloration, it could be the resin, or you haven't applied your finish yet.

[@shanerussell334]

The Woodworking Gamer I was using black dye so maybe that was causing it? I tried doing just clear and the wood seems to be absorbing the resin so it doesn’t end up flush. Sorry new to the engraving community lol

[@shanerussell334]

The Woodworking Gamer do I need to be sealing after engraving?

[@sandroabate]

How did you engrave the wood? It looks laser engraved. How deep does the engraving have to be?

[@LifeWithRoger]

yes, laser engraved. 1/16 depth is sufficient. deeper is fine also.

[@chezsylvie007]

I could not view the side by side because your advertisers plunked numerous images across - annoying that I could not view them

[@hansdegroot8549]

Great video. Thanks for showing and explaining. Personally, I like the painted one the best. What kind of wood did you use? Is it a kind of thin plywood or "real" wood?

[@LifeWithRoger]

This was Maple wood.

[@hansdegroot8549]

@@LifeWithRoger Thanks for your quick reply.

[@RobSandstromDesigns]

@@LifeWithRoger this is what I was looking for in the comments. You used real wood, not plywood, that makes total sense because of the end sanding. Do you resaw your own coaster thickness size or do you have a link (affiliate) to where you buy the coaster size solid wood?

[@LifeWithRoger]

@@RobSandstromDesigns i cut them by hand usually

[@ManojKumar-jq8pi]

Price of epoxy resin per litre ?

[@LifeWithRoger]

Varies, but in the link of this video you can get a gallon kit for just over 60 bucks

[@rattailcat]

What ratio would you say to use the metal powder to resin? 1:1? 2:1?

[@rattailcat]

Also, if I would like to stain the wood after, do I have to use the oil finish?

[@LifeWithRoger]

I normally do 1:1 for Metal

[@benjaminshields9421]

In what order should I stain, engrave, fill, and apply a poly finish? And how would it turn out?

[@LifeWithRoger]

I don't generally apply stain. But the order would be stain, engrave, fill, poly. But there's no way for me to tell you how it would turn out, that depends on your skill level, materials used and execution.

[@puryeareaker7975]

I made it with Stodoys plans!

[@phookadude]

if you burnish the copper it'll look like metal.

[@mariestecklow3651]

I tried this for the first time and it looked like foam, why?

[@LifeWithRoger]

you mix too hard and make too many bubbles

[@mwx6187]

That brush is a stick!

[@MrConnert]

Super dangerous to sand that way. Your finger hits that sandpaper and pulls it into the gap of the metal and paper and you're in a world of pain.

[@LifeWithRoger]

Only dangerous if you don't respect the tools bud. 30yrs and haven't hurt myself using this method yet....and I routinely sand tiny pieces this way. However, thanks for the concern.

[@rickmellen8663]

No gloves? You really should be wearing gloves and a respirator when working with epoxy. You might be OK for a while but at some point you will become allergic to epoxy and won't be able to get anywhere near the stuff. If you're making a how to video you owe it to your viewers to warn them about the possible hazards. That aside, the finished product does look very nice.

[@LifeWithRoger]

I don't know what kind of terrible ventilation you have, but my shop has several filters. I don't need gloves or a respirator for small amounts of epoxy. No one does. If you were doing a boat or a large river table, then you would. Thanks for the message though.

[@jimbauer6822]

Don't look that great very little color difference in any waist of time

[@LifeWithRoger]

First off, thanks for the comment. Secondly, fix the color saturation on whatever you're using to view. Most importantly, please go back to school and learn how to speak properly. I believe spelling was somewhere around 3rd grade. Have a nice day.

[@Megalomaniacat]

Thank you very much for the informative video!!

[@LifeWithRoger]

Glad it was helpful!