I've had very good luck with an epoxy product called Klear Koat from US
Composites.
http://www.shopmaninc.com/epoxy.html You want to scroll about 3/4 of
the way down the page to the 'Table Top' epoxy.
I buy it in 1 gal containers with a pump & mix up small amounts for
filling voids & finishing 'found' wood turned bowls. I've also put it
on an old picnic table. It costs about $45 for 1 gal of hardner & 1
gal of epoxy, a set of 1:1 ratio pumps & shipping. They make various
thicknesses of the epoxy.
There's a pdf with instructions - read very closely. All you need to
know is there & you should follow the instructions to the letter. Thin
first coat, warm working conditions etc... they also specifically
cover how to embed items & what to watch out for. The company has been
great to deal with.
Jim
"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:RDT%[email protected]...
> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>
>
Polyurethane and/or epoxy.
--
Be cool,
Longshot
"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:xJT%[email protected]...
> Wow, that was quick.
> Do know the product name?
> Thanks Longshot.
>
> BTW: Where are you located in the hoosier state?
>
>
>
I have seen it done with marine epoxy, it was put on thick with a scraper.
I have never attempted it, so take it with a grain of salt.
Lafayette
--
Be cool,
Longshot
> >> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and
> >> tables,
> > Go here for an education on pourable bar tops:
> > http://www.epoxyproducts.com/bartop.html
> > Mortimer Schnerd, RN
Any idea of what was used to finish bar tops years ago, like in the early
1900s?
Mike B
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Don wrote:
> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>
>
System 3 makes something called "mirror coat" for this purpose, see, for
example: <http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?DeptID=5001&FamilyID=4140>
I imagine the other epoxy makers do as well. I've never used it.
Roger
It was somewhere outside Barstow when "nevems2" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Any idea of what was used to finish bar tops years ago, like in the early
>1900s?
Depends a lot on what country you're in. Generally it was "elbow
grease" - the origin of this term is the patina that develops when
countless grimy elbows rest on the same bannister or bartop, day after
day. Because there were no finishes up to the wear of this task, the
approach was often to leave the wood unfinished - maybe just some wax,
then let nature take its course.
In some countries, notably France, the approach was to cover the bar
or table with metal, chiefly zinc. The price of zinc dropped
considerably around the end of the 19th century, as new smelting
techniques for it came into use. England and Ireland favoured brass,
usually as narrow edge strips though, not whole counters. Copper
sheet was also used. Because copper patinates so readily it's
impossible to keep it clean and so "hammered" finishes were applied.
The copper was worn smooth and shiny on the ridges and the patina was
left undisturbed in the hollows. Although this was just as uneven a
finish as a flat sheet would have developed, it looked much better.
As to older varnish recipes, then there are some spirit varnish
recipes (plant resins in alcohol) based on amber that are harder
surfaced than the usual spirit varnishes from copal, gum benzoin etc.
These were expensive though and hard to apply, so they might still
just be used on panelling around a bar, leaving the counter itself
unvarnished.
--
Smert' spamionam
I've seen acrylic made for pouring in forms.
Wilson
"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:RDT%[email protected]...
> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>
Don wrote:
> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
Go here for an education on pourable bar tops:
http://www.epoxyproducts.com/bartop.html
--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN
[email protected]
"longshot" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:xJT%[email protected]...
>> Wow, that was quick.
>> Do know the product name?
>> Thanks Longshot.
>>
>> BTW: Where are you located in the hoosier state?
>>
>>
>
>>
> I have seen it done with marine epoxy, it was put on thick with a scraper.
> I have never attempted it, so take it with a grain of salt.
>
> Lafayette
We're looking at some acreage in Brown county, Nashville.
Thanks.
Don - It's a two part epoxy, sometimes also called bar finish.
Ed
"Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:RDT%[email protected]...
> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>
Thanks Mort.
Incidently, I am finishing the design of an 11,000 s.f. custom home for some
folks with the last name Mortimer, real nice people.
Its a rare name.
The only other time I've heard of it was Col. Mortimer, Lee Van Cleef, from
the old Clint Eastwood westerns in the 60's.
"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:CwU%[email protected]...
> Don wrote:
>> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and
>> tables,
>> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>
>
> Go here for an education on pourable bar tops:
>
> http://www.epoxyproducts.com/bartop.html
>
>
>
> --
> Mortimer Schnerd, RN
>
> [email protected]
>
>
On Tue, 22 Mar 2005 11:50:09 GMT, "Don" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and tables,
>with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
The times I've seen it done, it was a product called "fifty coat" and
was a polyurethane that is poured over the surface of the table and
allowed to dry. Levels itself, you just need to grind or sand the
bottom edge where the stuff drips off.
I can guarantee there's a classier product somewhere, but this stuff
works just fine if you're making a bar for your basement or something.
Aut inveniam viam aut faciam
Thanks Jim.
"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've had very good luck with an epoxy product called Klear Koat from US
> Composites.
> http://www.shopmaninc.com/epoxy.html You want to scroll about 3/4 of
> the way down the page to the 'Table Top' epoxy.
>
> I buy it in 1 gal containers with a pump & mix up small amounts for
> filling voids & finishing 'found' wood turned bowls. I've also put it
> on an old picnic table. It costs about $45 for 1 gal of hardner & 1
> gal of epoxy, a set of 1:1 ratio pumps & shipping. They make various
> thicknesses of the epoxy.
>
> There's a pdf with instructions - read very closely. All you need to
> know is there & you should follow the instructions to the letter. Thin
> first coat, warm working conditions etc... they also specifically
> cover how to embed items & what to watch out for. The company has been
> great to deal with.
>
> Jim
>
It was somewhere outside Barstow when "longshot"
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Polyurethane and/or epoxy.
It's rarely either of those. Polyurethane has quite a deep colour to
it. Although you can paint it on, trying to apply it thick enough to
set things into it (even paper) will start to look very dark. Epoxy is
too expensive to use like this.
If it's a poured top with coins in, chances are that it's polyester
resin. This is the same stuff as fibreglass resin, but it's a
water-clear grade for this embedding purpose.
If you use polyester, lay a sheet of mylar across the top when wet.
This will peel off to leave a reasonable surface behind. If you let
it air dry then it won't cure fully and you have to do some polishing
to remove the tacky surface layer.
A simpler material for hard-weearing bartops is a urea formaldehyde
resin (Rustin's "Bar Top"). This is mixed with an acid catalyst before
use, then painted or poured. It won't go as thick as polyester, but
it's very tough. A similar material is used on flooring.
Wow, that was quick.
Do know the product name?
Thanks Longshot.
BTW: Where are you located in the hoosier state?
"longshot" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Don" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:RDT%[email protected]...
>> Anybody know what the clear stuff is that they put on bar tops and
>> tables,
>> with coins and seashells and such underneath it?
>>
>>
>
> Polyurethane and/or epoxy.
>
> --
> Be cool,
> Longshot
>
>