Clear resin or Epoxy?

[Devin]

This is a non-scifi project, but construction related none the less. I have some 1/8" holes in the deck of a Civil War ironclad that need to be filled with clear resin or epoxy. The holes aren't much more than 1/8 to 1/4" deep. If I go with resin, is it going to creep up on the sides and be lower in the middle? I know that the Smooth On clear resin is preferred for these applications, but I'd like to avoid having to buy that large of a quantity of resin.

[macfrank]

If I go with resin, is it going to creep up on the sides and be lower in the middle? I know that the Smooth On clear resin is preferred for these applications, but I'd like to avoid having to buy that large of a quantity of resin.

Devin, most resins will form a meniscus, unless you put something flat just touching the resin... but then you'll probably get some resin spilling over the edge.

You could use clear acrylic nail repair. Nailene is a brand I've seen at drug stores. They have a kit with just the powder and catalyst.

you'll still run a slight risk of both forming a meniscus (less likely, since the acrylic forms a slurry paste until the catalyst kicks in) and damaging the surrounding area.

What would work is to make a mold of the port holes, or find a right diameter rod that'll fit snugly in the holes if they aren't exactly 1/8" in dia.
Then cut a plug from the rod that'll be the same length as the depth of the portholes. Make sure that the ends are square and make a mold. Then pour any clear resin in (Envirotex or the acrylic powder) and when set, pop the porthole from the mold and use the side that was at the "bottom" of the mold; that shouldn't have a meniscus.

Frank

[Jonas Calhoun]

Can't you use Aves and repaint?

Dan

[Devin]

I could use Aves but that would defeat the purpose of doing it in clear. I need to paint the bottom of the holes silver, with a green clear over that, and then bring the holes up to a few millimeters below the deck height with the clear resin. The holes are channels for deadlights that brought some illumination into the ship's interior.

[TER-OR]

Envirotex Light is very easy to use.

[Chacal]

Do it in layers. Drill, paint the silver, paint the clear green, put a bit of epoxy down, let it set in a (concave) meniscus, then add—with a toothpick—some white glue (the kind that dries clear) because it tends to make a convex meniscus as it dries. Hopefully, one will offset the other.

[TER-OR]

Oh, if you use the Envirotex remember it will remain liquid for nearly a day. This is useful for some things, but you will need to be careful how you lay the model, so the clear sits just right as it cures. Envirotex is easier to make completely clear rather than 30-min epoxy, and it also doesn't yellow like Epoxy can.

[Devin]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a bit of free time this weekend so I'm going to make up some mock deck sections, drill them out, and try the epoxy idea, and I think I also have some Envirotex around here somewhere. If I have the Envirotex I'll probably do that, I have a gaming miniature I did 20 years ago and the water is still perfectly clear.