How long do your resin/epoxy fills last...?

[Doug Rasmussen]

I've always stuck with solid wood. But now have beautiful dark to black desert ironwood where I'd like to fill open cracks with black died resin.

I'm asking because my experience with epoxy on boats is not so good. Maybe 15 year or so and cracks, etc.

The desert iron wood is for small oval jewelry boxes for the granddaughters for Christmas. Time flies so I'd like this use to last far longer than 20 years. My wife has a couple boxes I made for her 40 years ago and still like new that were glued up with Weldwood plastic resin glue and flaws filled with a sawdust glue mixture.

Youtube is full of slab table makers bridging the slabs together with epoxy filler that I can't believe will last very many years. It seems to be a newish thing so does anyone know how long they'll last?

I've seen suggestions to use CA glue/sawdust mixture for a filler. Also read that CA has a relatively short life span, something like 10 years or so.

Possibly I could fill the gaps with solid wood, but not even sure what type glue or how long glue lasts on an oily wood like this.

 

[John K Jordan]

Over the years I've seen and felt a number of cracks and turned grooves filled with various things like metals and minerals in resin or epoxy, especially if the filler is thick and rigid. As wood naturally shrinks and expends with seasonal humidity changes many of them show separation or the boundaries can be felt as sharp edges. Worse if the wood is not quite dry when filled causing the filler to sit "proud" of the shrinking surface.

It might be different with a flexible filler that would bond strongly to the contact surface but move with the wood. Is a strong but flexible resin available?

 

[Richard Coers]

Over the years I've seen and felt a number of cracks and turned grooves filled with various things like metals and minerals in resin or epoxy, especially if the filler is thick and rigid. As wood naturally shrinks and expends with seasonal humidity changes many of them show separation or the boundaries can be felt as sharp edges. Worse if the wood is not quite dry when filled causing the filler to sit "proud" of the shrinking surface.

It might be different with a flexible filler that would bond strongly to the contact surface but move with the wood. Is a strong but flexible resin available?

Polyester resin is very brittle, urethane resin is not. I have no idea how flexible urethane resin really is. This is one of the first suggestions given on Google. https://specialtyresin.com/products...LN1me4Nh8xy0Ln_GFSmqLC-1YWvEYuO9YXzBM89jw0cuk