RR epoxy unconventional use problems- any ideas?

General Discussion
1

I’ve been building laminated wooden kiteboards with west system epoxy, decided to try resin research because of the lower cost, better clarity and UV resistance.

I vacuum laminate the board blanks on a compound curved mold, shape them, apply a water based stain, then a coat of epoxy with a foam roller and brush. Then I sand the rough surface smooth.

Then, (here’s the unconventional part) I apply graphics which have been printed on transparency film with a lazer printer. Put a bit of epoxy on board where the graphic will go, squeegee the film down really well to remove air bubbles, allow to cure, then peel off the film to leave the graphic bonded to the board.

After that I apply a second coat of epoxy to make sure the graphic won’t scratch off, to ensure that the wood is properly sealed, and to make the board more durable.

My problem is the second coat of RR epoxy did not stick to the graphic. As shown in the attached photo it looks like a case of surface contamination. However, I used additive F and wiped the surface down with denatured alcohol prior to applying the last coat of resin. I sanded the whole board except for the graphic, because of course even a light sanding would have removed it entirely.

Greg or any one else have any ideas on what I could do to make this work? The process worked fine with West System but when I use that I have to apply a few coats of UV protective polyurethane and even then I still get some yellowing over time. I would much rather use Resin Research epoxy.

I don’t think I used any additive F in the inital coat of epoxy, would that have helped? I didn’t use any for applying the graphic because it seemed like using a surfacant for epoxy curing under a plastic flim might be a bad idea (no exposure to air). The last coat of epoxy stuck to the 2nd coat epoxy all around the graphic, just not to the lazer toner itself.

Could I possibly use a thin coat of clear aerosol (rattle can) to make the rr epoxy stick? Would the aerosol leave a cloudy or yellow spot due to differences in clarity between the aerosol and RR?

any advice or ideas - even stupid ones - would be greatly appreciated.

Trent

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2

You have a bit of an anomaly there

Quote:

printed on transparency film with a lazer printer…

I think that is your problem, tranparency film will not soak up epoxy, laser toner just gets baked onto the film, it doesn’t become part of it. The surface tension over the toner prevents the resin from settling on top of it.

Rice paper with inkjet inks actually soak it up and combine to be part of the mix.

You could try floating a clean piece of Rice Paper over the top painting with epoxy first then over that again…

But I’m not an expert…

3

No I think I did not explain it clearly enough- here’s the deal:

Lazer printer electrostatically bonds lazer toner (like ink,but what lazer printers use instead) to plastic overhead transparency film (from the office supply store). I print the image backwards or “emulsion side down.” I put some epoxy on the board where the image will go. I put the film with the printed side down on the epoxy, squeegee it down and let it cure.

The lazer toner sticks to the epoxy better than it does to the transparency film, so WHEN I PEEL OFF THE FILM, the lazer toner is left behind, leaving the image right on the surface of the epoxy.

This process WORKED PERFECTLY WELL WITH WEST SYSTEM epoxy, but with RR, when I go to put a final coat of epoxy over the image to keep it from getting scratched off, the epoxy pulls away from lazer toner only, not from the area around the image which was also covered with the piece of film at one point.

Attached is another one I did a while ago with West System epoxy, this time using the color lazer printer at Kinkos - the deck on this board has an intricate wood pinstripe inlay inspired by some photos I found here on Swaylocks. On this one I had no problems.

I want to figure out how to make it work with RR, the West System is too expensive, too yellow, and too subject to uv degradation.

Thanks, Trent

4

Different toner cartridge perhaps?

Maybe test it on something with West and see if the same thing happens…

Lots of variables…hope that helps…

5

Hey T!

Interesting image process… I’d like to try it sometime.

Did some research in 3M’s website… here’s what I found in the FAQ section:

Q. What’s the material composition of 3M transparencies?

A. The material composition of the actual 3M transparency sheets is polyester (polyethylene terephthalate). This polyester film is coated with a patented solution, which is not disclosed.

This coating they put on the film might be the culprit… prolly why the toner prevents the epoxy from bonding because the expose side of the image after lifting was on the film side prior to removing it. I suggest wiping the film with DNA prior to imaging, then apply as usual see if that resolves your prob. If not, experiment with different solvents to remove this coating that is on the transparency.

Let me know, I like the idea that the image hardly adds any thickness to the board. It’s like “rubbed on” decal effect!!!

~ Ghost

6

I have had the same problem over some pinlines. I just babysit the hotcoat until the resin forms enough viscosity to overcome the “pull-away”. Any time I cover anything other than just foam I keep a sharp eye out.

Cheers,

Gary