I Tested Viral Epoxy Rocks Table

I test building the epoxy rocks table done by The Donkey on TikTok !
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[@maybebored3283]

I love that the point of the rocks is to use the waste products, and then they make waste specifically for the table, and then the whole table becomes waste

[@hotshot7000]

Yeah... I wish they could've found a way to at least dispose of all that responsibly, rather than just dumping liquid pouring resin into the dumpster

[@ganjalfcreamcorn8438]

@@hotshot7000 itll cure and flake off over time. no different then throwing it away dry really. doesn't hurt the dumpster's feelings so who cares. although i would have happily taken it home to use the wood for a table lol.

[@KariIzumi1]

It’s the circle of life 😂

[@crowdemon_archives]

"An attempt was made" 😅

[@SatumainenOlento]

The irony the irony is strong with this one!!!

[@scoutsatan6206]

If you did the silver and blue "rocks" only you could do a frozen river with chunks of ice floating throughout.i think that's be a pretty cool table

[@colinblin1723]

Great video. I love when the mistakes are shown. It's unfortunate you couldn't track down exactly what happened.

[@MEATLOAFr]

Almost looks like one of the buckets of resin wasn’t mixed or bottles mislabeled when shipped

[@sahie]

It definitely felt like the hardener was missing, that’s for sure! 😬

[@Slide100]

Sorry about the bad pour. I had this kind of thing happen once, smaller amounts though. In the post-mortem, I realized that I had used more resin, instead of hardener, when I mixed it. <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="61">1:1</a> resin, guess I grabbed the wrong bottle. 🤷

[@lukedorey]

Yeah I think the exact same thing happened to me. One of the layers is still a bit gummy almost a decade later

[@meeprific]

I feel like you need to call Evan and Katelyn for any and all resin questions. 😂

[@BMSculptures]

Great now I cant stop thinking about doing this rock technique and carving something out of it. Fantastic idea.

[@TheRealCartman1]

To help prevent air bubbles I've put resin along the live edge, let it get to the gummy stage then done the main pour, seems to help keep any air bubbles coming through from the wood.

[@CurioussXe]

My two cents: besides your two ideas (expired resin and/or a bad ratio), the uneven cure could have been the degassing. I only work with 3 minute resin, so it may not directly compare, but if I try to degas, it foams and cures in about 15 seconds. The inside of the pot gets fairly warm, and that might have kickstarted your cure too soon. The finished table looks great though!

[@WiiNESticles]

IDK what you're talking about, I degass all the time and never have an issue, typically 60-80 oz degassed at a time single pours for me, never had a curing issue.

[@maddieadams75]

Wow table turned out great. Resin can be used years after expiration date, you’ll see yellowing to part A, this can be rectified by adding small amounts of blue if you need a clear pour, or add any color to mask the yellowing. I have a bottle of resin that I purchased in 2017 used it last week, colored it dark blue arguably my piece was smaller, the pour turned out fine. Resin that doesn’t set is 98% operator error ❤

[@darthroach9057]

Thanks for the tip. I have some that I put in a cabinet and forgot about but I still want to use.

[@niccilefevre]

This is why I think they should have added a touch of blue, total boat tends to yellow a lot over time and that would've helped it age a tad better.

[@maddieadams75]

@@niccilefevre actually I’ve been adding a mini drop of blue or green, I tried a micro drop of white and it clouded the clear resin, I’m still experimenting with colors, in all my clear pours to reduce the possibility of yellowing.

[@franklinhuenergardt3831]

It might be worth it to put the time in to making a rock mold for the epoxy.

[@JeffieWeffie23]

I've got a crazy idea inspired by this video. Do a small end table to see how it turns out. Try smaller/non transparent pieces of epoxy and see if u can mimic a geo rock. As far as crushed epoxy. Maybe a rock crusher or something then screen out 1/2" 1/4" and 1/8th in and use what best fits the project.

[@Geoff1787]

Thoughts on tumbling the resin rocks so they are smooth? Might be a cool evolution.

[@H3xx1st]

Good idea! Suggestion: Wouldn't it make more sense to mould the "rocks" smooth first then tumble to have less waste? (Yeah, I know this kinda defeats the "use the waste resin idea")

[@Aisaaax]

I BTW really like the result, the soft pastel colors and the fact they are semi-transparent. This is so far my most favorite river effect that I saw. Others look great too, but this one is just amazing. Does it lose structural integrity because it didn't harden at the same time?

[@dvperr]

I appreciate you leaving the mistakes in. We all make them, even experienced fabricators, but not all of us share our fails. A mistake is a learning experience, share it.

[@somebodyandthem]

I don’t, it makes the video longer

[@johnnyb95678]

Another great video showing the good, the bad, and the ugly about builds! Thank you for sharing!

[@michaelross8794]

Solid colors on the "rocks"...I was thinking the same thing the whole way through. In fact, when you pulled out the gold I figured you were going to with black and then drizzle the gold and maybe some white over it to make it look like marble.

[@darrylbuckett5380]

I've been thinking of something similar, but using lumps of coloured glass, looks great. Cheers

[@hesswoodwork]

My guess is that the epoxy ratio was not correct or it was not mixed throughly. The temperature and degassing would not have made some of it cure and some of it still be liquid. I also do not think shelf life would affect it that much. I've used TotalBoat epoxy that was years old with no problems.

[@user-vq1zz3bc3y]

Whenever you mix the epoxy it must be poured into the second bucket and mixed again, only in this way both components are guaranteed to connect

[@CathrinSK]

I can't get over how nice it ended up looking! So pretty.

[@kpp_3]

It's not from degassing too long. I worked as an engineer at a wind turbine manufacturing facility and we could leave resin in a degassing tank for 24 hours, conservatively. I feel your pain tho. 😢

[@John_Malecki]

Thank you, i still have no clue how i messed it up so bad

[@bearded_firemedic]

What type of resin was it that you used and are you positive that you kept under vacuum for 24 hours and not in a pressure pot? The reason I ask is that this type of resin will start to boil under vacuum very rapidly once the majority of the air bubbles are evacuated..

[@kpp_3]

@@bearded_firemedic polyester and epoxy resins and yes under vacuum. Not sure how industrial resin is different from this in the video. Good point

[@thefrankperspective4247]

Question for the engineer - Is it at all possible that the epoxy rocks and shards, under heat, partially reactivated or reacted, throwing off the ratio?

[@kpp_3]

@@thefrankperspective4247 if they're cured its fine. When we did any kind of repairs on blades, we used resin again (like filling holes or reinforcements) on cured resin with no issues.

[@chriscalon8913]

That turned out much nicer than I was thinking. Great job!

[@californiacritic9779]

Malecki should make a mold to get the rock shape he wants. It's kind of like an ice tray just for the rock shapes.

[@Allogenes]

GI 1000 silicone is amazing for such things.

[@paulcurley3164]

work with resin for composite boat building. only time i have ever seen that issue is ratio issues with the resin to hardener.

[@ronsimpson143]

You should do what Blacktail Studio does and paint the wood with fast set epoxy first. It keeps the bubbles from coming out of the wood into the resin.

[@christopher5855]

I actually really like the opalescent look and would actually prefer it to show more. Also maybe have more contrast between the light and dark color rocks. it seems to be a great way to use up excess epoxy in a variety of builds large and small scale like pen blanks, knife scales and all the way up to tables.

[@timothysebo-glenn864]

I’d love to see it with solid earthy coloured rocks like charcoals and what not. Keep up the amazing work !

[@why6212]

Or natural gem colors like turquoise

[@jimblack6733]

Another wonderful Malecki lesson! Thanks John, keep ‘‘em coming!!!

[@symbionictitan4074]

I like this channel because it is transparent and realistic, and shows the failures and struggles of creating. Also, takes both with a positive attitude.

[@markjohns4651]

That table turned out so much better looking than I thought it would. At the start of the video I thought there was no way this was going to look good, granted I never saw the one you got the idea from. Keep up the great videos.

[@CordsElectronicShow]

Great video John! This is what we like to see. Keep the builds comin!

[@JSFurst]

Just a suggestion for cleaning the "rocks" before your pour... Put them in a strainer and wash them, like lettuce.

[@pokeypso]

My husband and I love watching your videos together! Thanks for all you do!

[@adetokunbohakingba267]

I love the courage and creativity that went into this. I love the finished product 🎉

[@shibarmyburnz1978]

hahahah the courage to make it for content and the creativity to copy an idea. bravo

[@tedspens]

The table looks awesome! Now I'd like to see one with solid black resin, same clear stones, glass finish.

[@DavidVArt]

“It’s weird but it’s mine” should be the next shirt.

[@donovanleeds4012]

Love the idea of the leftover resin for use as fillers - I can see creating something using marbles to the same effect.

[@The_Slavstralian]

The yeeting them off the forklift is a great testament to epoxy's strength

[@Spain42]

I love that you still posted this video. We all make mistakes.. it’s nice to share them. We can all learn from them. Love you guys

[@spiritof1977]

I'm actually pretty impressed with the strength of that epoxy

[@RavenVargas27]

The chunks look like real crystals beautiful

[@markdull362]

That looks awesome. Might be interesting to embed some ARGB LED light strips underneath rocks for lighting effect.

[@brendanrobertson5966]

The opalescent result looks good. If you can find some storage space for the 'failed pour' tables, it could be a 'limited stock' item when you fill a storage bin.

[@josiecapps2555]

Excellent at the end…great!

[@MCsCreations]

It really turned out beautiful, John! Fantastic work! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@telefrag93551]

Really cool result! I love when your videos build things. The test ones are cool but the build vids are better. This was a great combination of both!

[@thundakat80]

First things first......the portrait on the wall is awesome.....now back to the video

[@ItsSaferUnderTheBlanket]

To me, this feels filmed and structured like a 2000's TV show in the best way possible.

[@MaryAGray-jj9tp]

Wow, that was really fun to watch!! Love the final table…just beautiful!!

[@camerongrimes715]

Love the way this one turned out, great job!

[@DonnyRP]

It’s amazing how good you are at this stuff. But then how bad you are at the same time 😂😂😂😂. Great work.

[@CaptainSpock1701]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="544">9:04</a> - Love that *"Yes!"* for the sledge hammers!

[@perry1559]

Where I was working before I retire, I used a couple different 2 part epoxies. The tech support rep told me that the catalyst has a such shorter shelf life than the enamel.

[@philblakely]

Y'all are a bunch of children with dangerous power tools... an I LOVE it!

[@richardservatius5405]

This couple bought a brand new UTV and went riding. They rode for about a half mile and it caught fire. They bailed off it without getting burned. Totaled of course. The aluminum wheels melted and formed puddles that looked like bright, shiny streams. Very pretty. I can imagine pouring molten aluminum down a new, flat aluminum plate while tilting it to form a crooked stream and then inlaying the stream into wood.

[@JessNV]

At least the bad resin wasn’t used on a high-end client project. Small blessing for sure.

[@davidnelson9775]

Interesting concept. Best part was using the bandsaw to flatten the top.

[@ElectricRose9001]

It's like clear terrazzo, or opal. Very neat~

[@laurastrause3293]

Turned out great. I might watch a few more of these to try my hand at one. !!! Great inspiration.

[@wpewingman5135]

True art takes patience and time.

[@richs5422]

It’s like terrazzo, but with epoxy. Very cool.

[@SchysCraftCo.]

Sometimes it goes bad. We live to learn and learn to live. Can't wait to see more videos soon my friends. Keep up the great craftsmanship and hard work my friends fab On. Weld On. Keep Making. God bless.

[@jacobkamphus205]

I want to see version two. Take the first table, slice it up, throw it in a new mold, and pour resin over it. 10/10

[@pervysage3604]

They make a type of resin you paint onto the wood slabs, and it will sink in and seal up the wood. So you don't get air bubbles from the wood.

[@RJSDZNS]

That turned out stupid awesome!! I love your stuff John! Love your channel!!

[@esaedvik]

The end result looks magical!

[@UnholiestJedi]

Live & learn. all of us must and you do it in such an entertaining way. Great vid!

[@timbrelypearsley3888]

I love that you celebrate the bark strip :)

[@DJELPSS]

Next level: Death Star trench waterfall table

[@napsolo3453]

As Portuguese the final product kinda looked like Portuguese pavement, give it a look, it consists in dark blue and white rocks cut to shape by hand, doing something like it in Epoxy could look really nice.

[@arthenry498]

Looks great to me. Agree, need heavier color in rocks but still really nice.

[@kimma3455]

❤ love the work you do. It's good to see you show the good and the bad. Not just the finished work.

[@VicLaraJr]

Oh! I would really like to see you build your best version of this

[@Johnb3366]

Should have applied resin to the live edge before the pour to ensure air did not permeate through the wood

[@user-ym5vs2dh4e]

Toss the big "rock" chunks into a clean cement mixer. Basically, tumble them.

[@carlabaize1988]

That's freakin' gorgeous, I love it. Great job, and y'all know shih happens just keep on rollin'.

[@vcrmonstermusic]

Been going through a hard time lately in general but also struggling to keep a positive mindset after making a mistake on a project. Obviously you can’t throw a fit on camera but I’m gonna let this video be a lesson for taking one on the chin with grace. I feel like having a great attitude is so important when trying something new. Table looks great.

[@GoldmansGarage]

Love screaming donkey. His stuff is amazing

[@X-Being]

Might I recommend an air hammer with chisel tips next time? Really BEATS the old manual hammer and hand chisel bit...

[@Jiiu27]

I Love John's Videos 💗

[@blandon9748]

I have learned so much from your mistakes, thank you! I have been doing epoxy tables for more than two years, and have avoided many major mistakes by watching your videos. Unfortunately, I have been able to invent some monumental blunders all on my own. The real talent in making epoxy mistakes is the ability to fix that which you have screwed up. And you have helped immeasurably with that process. Again, Thank you!

[@5THRTB]

Great project! Not sure of my favorite denim but wondering what a corduroy table would look like lol

[@paulrobinson5833]

Aren't we done with thus epoxy and live edge fad? Brutal.

[@user-qh7ul4rq6w]

The important thing is this: to be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

[@johnnyv303]

Some LED lights underneath would make it even more 🔥🔥🔥

[@brandonhoffman4712]

What would be cooler? Actual rocks! Maybe a couple geodes, or some fossils

[@severalbees5115]

my guesses on what caused the pour failure are either that it wasn't mixed properly (I've seen those streaks form in that case,) the wrong ratio was used, or that there was moisture that got trapped in it. moisture in the wood or mold, or even in the epoxy itself would probably vaporize from the heat and form those big pockets. I don't know if epoxy resins can trap moisture, but I work with 3D printers a little, and I know that whenever you use certain plastics like Nylon, for example, you have to dry them out before use.

[@im_cent]

Also might wanna do multiple pours for bigger epoxy pieces, probably keep it less than 2in deep each?

[@89ccullen]

I really love how the table turned out :)

[@jennydice]

literally just saw the video you were talking about on TikTok, opened youtube and your video was recommended. man i love algorithms lol

[@romansdzalbs]

Looks amazing

[@RangeWoodworking]

That was actually kind of cool!

[@washellwash1802]

You might even say it was... mr cool!

[@ProfessionalByNoMeans]

Love my mini split. Didnt go with MRCOOL, but a definite game changer.

[@michaeltorres877]

Sure is a game changer. Purchased one from Costco last year and it's been amazing.

[@jessecunningham2305]

Your videos are always fun to watch my guy 👌

[@shawnolson8222]

That is one of the coolest look tables you have made... Great Great job....

[@vegasmaniac7745]

This was an entertaining watch, thanks! Too bad about the wrecked pour but shift happens. You take it in stride n move forward.

[@mistypadgette7645]

Wow I love this new way of doing it.... 😍

[@bdub16]

Love the video. Probably because misery loves company Lolo Seems like your shop I always having fun!

[@jasonswayden9802]

When you throw something you must exclaim “YEET”

[@staceyritchie7100]

Wow! I love it!

[@SANFRAN]

John, how cold was the room when it was curing? Hotter cures faster, cold takes longer or not at all. I aim to have it around 75. If it's really cool, it can still cure, but can take a lot longer. I normally work with polyurethane, so I'm not sure about your total boat resin. Also how old is it? If it's around 6-12 months, it SHOULD be okay. But again, every case is different and resin can be a bitch.

[@John_Malecki]

We keep the room under 70. The longer it takes the less bubbles we get so we prefer cold.

[@SANFRAN]

@@John_Malecki Gotcha, Hmm... I did have a case where I degassed too long and it started to cure faster than normal. I also did get those booger whisps when over degassing too. It would be amazing if you built a huge pressure pot and it will solve a lot of bubble problems. If anyone could do it, you have the resources and space. Maybe not for full slabs, but the smaller end tables Degass - pulls bubbles out Pressure pot - pushes them to microscopic (not able to see w/ naked eye)