Cloudy Day-Style Epoxy Board

Looking for a truly distinct look for a new charcuterie board or serving tray? These cloudy day-style boards pack a ton of variation & depth, and can incorporate various colors, techniques & layers to build a gorgeous piece. Michael from Hourglass Woodworks teaches you how to create a unique piece, the cloudy day-style epoxy board. This tutorial is ideal for advanced resin users.

Tools

Your lumber of choice , Squid-Clear Fast, Squid-Craft, Squid- Seal (optional), Iridescent/color shifting pigment, Mixing cups (minimum of 2 medium, 3 small), Stir sticks (or drill and small mixing attachment) Squid-Reusable Form (or other form) ,Drop cloth (optional, but recommended), Clamps, Torch, Flashlight (optional), Rubber mallet, Table saw, Planer/drum sander, Orbital sander & sanding disks, Paper towels, Finish of choice (if not using a flood coat of epoxy), Handles (optional)

THE STEPS

Overview:

I create these boards with a minimum of two layers, but I’ve found that three is ideal. Once you’ve got all your supplies above, you’re ready to roll!

Layer 1 – Once your form is set up, you decide on what lumber to use and you have that all laid out, you’re ready to put down the first layer of epoxy. I use Squidpoxy’s Clear-Fast product for this first layer & it gives me the perfect base to build the clouds on.

After my lumber is clamped in my reusable form,I measure & calculate the amount of epoxy I need & it’s time to mix. Mylumber for this project is just over an inch in thickness, and I know I want myfinal piece to be right at one inch – that way I can plane down the excess wood and not waste any epoxy. That being the case, I mix and pour my first layer of Clear Fast right at half an inch, which works out to 30 ounces of epoxy.

Squidpoxy’s Clear Fast resin is a 2:1ratio, so I mix 20 ounces of Part A and 10 ounces of Part B. Take your time and mix the two together thoroughly for a minimum of 5 minutes. Try not to whip extra air into the mixture & when you’re done you should have a clear, cobweb-free end result.

Pigment time! I used Origami color shift pigment from Eye candy Pigments for this project. For these boards it’s really important to use some type of color-shifting or iridescent pigment. You can mix others in, but the color shift will bring the most character and allow you to build layers with opaque and translucent effects.

After you get everything poured in your form, take a minute to pop any bubbles with your torch. I also like to use a flash light to help see the bubbles – it can be difficult with white/light pigments when you’re pouring in a white form. Once you’re bubble free, you can walk away for the day – I don’t do any swirls in the first layer, but you’re more than welcome to if you want some additional movement in your piece!

Layer 2 – I give the Clear Fast about 24 hours to set up before I start the second layer. You want it to still be tacky, but not fully cured. If you get sidetracked and can’t get back in time, no worries. You can just lightly scuff the surface with 320 sandpaper, wipe it clean with a damp rag (I use isopropyl but water is fine) and then you’re ready to pour again.

For layer 2, I use Squidpoxy Craft, and I pour it at right around 1/8”. This resin is ideally poured around 1/16“ but I’ve experimented with it & I know I can do 1/8” without an issue for this application. Squid Craft is a 1:1 ratio & it’s perfect for this because it’s very thick & it’ll allow us to incorporate a few different levels of pigmentation.

For my second layer, I need 8 ounces of epoxy total. In cup one, I mix my 8 ounces of epoxy. Once thoroughly mixed, I portion out 2 ounces into the second cup and 1 ounce into the third – I set this cup aside because I’m done with it for the time being. Back in the firs cup (with 5 ounces remaining), I mix in a very small amount of pigment. The goal for this cup is to have it almost completely transparent, but with just little bit of color to it.

Once the pigment is fully incorporated into that cup, I set it to the side and grab the second cup (with 2 ounces). Here, I want to go very heavy with the pigment – this cup will be used as the "clouds”, so you want it to be very opaque.

Once incorporated, it’s time to pour! I begin with the 5-ounce cup, and carefully pour it out on top of my Clear Fast layer. Take a moment to spread this epoxy out and make sure the layer is even. Since the Craft is so thick, it doesn’t flow quite as easily as the Clear Fast. And after I have that spread out, I do a quick pass with my torch (and flashlight).

Now it’s time to add the heavily pigmented cup of epoxy. Using the stir stick, I carefully drizzle this mixture along the edges of the lumber, and try my best to have it run down the sides.

Doing this will allow some of the epoxy to stick in the cracks of the live edge and bring some additional character to the final piece

Once the edges are outlined, I add the rest of the epoxy to the corners & anywhere else I want some accents. I torch that mixture quickly & then on to the third cup.

The final cup is the clear mixture, and Is imply use it to outline the areas I poured the heavily pigmented epoxy. There’s no real science to this part, just trace the outline of anywhere you poured the last cup of epoxy with the clear to help build more depth.

Now all three cups are poured & it’s time to swirl!

For this specific project, I have a dental tool that I use to swirl the epoxy and make the “clouds”. You can use any tool you like, or even multiple tools to do this step. In the other board above, I used a stir stick & it gives you thicker, “fluffier” clouds. I knew I wanted tight swirling and clouds on this project so I went with something smaller.

Now slowly use the tool of choice to swirl the heavily pigmented epoxy into the main section – the keys here are to go slowly and gently (to avoid creating additional bubbles) and to vary your directions(inside to outside, outside to inside, left to right, etc.). Once you’resatisfied with your masterpiece, time to torch it and walk away.

Now slowly use the tool of choice to swirl the heavily pigmented epoxy into the main section – the keys here are to go slowly and gently (to avoid creating additional bubbles) and to vary your directions(inside to outside, outside to inside, left to right, etc.). Once you’resatisfied with your masterpiece, time to torch it and walk away.

Layer Three– we’re ready to finish this bad boy up, and this is the easy part! For thefinal layer, I use the Clear Fast epoxy once again & I pour it completelyclear. This will continue to build depth & make sure you can see all thosebeautiful clouds and any areas where the pigment stuck to the edges in the laststep. I give the Craft about 4 hours to set up – again, you want it tacky, butnot fully cured – and then I pour my final layer. I used 21 ounces of ClearFast for this final layer (again, at a 2:1 ratio), and that put the surface ofthe epoxy just below the lumber, which is exactly where I wanted it. You canput a little bit of pigment in this layer if you choose, but be very light withit – you don’t want to obscure all that amazing work you did in your previouslayer! Either way, simply pour, torch & walk away.

I give the piece a full 3 days to cure(minimum 48 hours), and then I can demold, which is super easy & clean if you have a reusable form. All you need to do is “crack” the edges by pushing the sides of the form out and tapping it with your rubber mallet, then flip it upside down and give it a few firm whacks. Your workpiece falls right out and you’re ready to roll for your next pour!

Finishing –now I plane, sand & finish just as I would any other board. I drill holes for handles (if needed), and for this project I decided to do a final flood coat with Squidpoxy Seal. It gave the piece just a little more depth and a gorgeous shine!

There are tons of variations that can be used in this process - with different colors, different swirling tools/techniques or different layers – so get creative and see what you come up with! When you create yours, make sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@Hourglasswoodworks)so I can see it too! I hope this guide helps to inspire and motivate you to try it out, and I’m happy to answer any questions if you want to message me ateither of the above accounts.

This article has been written by Michael Hodgin from Hourglass Woodworks. Michael has years of experience in woodworking and has perfected his unique touch. Be sure to check his Instagram profile for more amazing work @hourglasswoodworks