Putting a pic under epoxy

[Pizzaguy]

I'm thinking of putting a pic under epoxy for the outside of me tear...



Anybody ever done this?

Bruce

[Carter]

Bruce,
I put an inkjet photo on the wood wing of a model sailplane with some success. Stuck it on with some spray adhesive and sprayed it with rattle can satin lacquer to protect it. Depending on your printing system, fading might be a problem.
Jim

[kennyrayandersen]

you could have it done in vinyl which would probably last longer than something out of an inkjet.

[madjack]

...first concern...make sure there is nothing on the back of the pic which may "print" thru...2nd concern...edges of the pic tying to curl up while you are wetting it out...while a spray on adhesive may work for original attachment, I think I would put some epoxy down first...maybe even a seal coat first and then a "float" coat...place the pic in the wet epoxy and then epoxy over the top of it...I would put a minimum of 3 coats over the top of the pic...keep in mind...epoxy is not UV proof by itself, it will need a UV stable clearcoat or urethane over it, to protect it, from the UVie's.......
madjack

[Pizzaguy]

Thanks guys,

Madjack, I was planning to coat the epoxy with a marine spar varnish like Minwax Helmsman. Would that keep the photo from fading and last for years or am I just prolonging the inevitable and sooner or later its going to fade?

Has anybody done this before on the forum?

Bruce

[madjack]

...(I'm ass-u-ming here)...it will eventually fade BUT depending on actual exposure time, it should last a good long while...the Helmsman will give it a slight amber cast...as was suggested, a vinyl decal is a viable option...have the3 pic printed on vinyl and apply...should last a good many years and if(when) it gets tattered, it can be easily replaced...and no, you can't epoxy over the vinyl, or at least, I would be leery of doing so.......
madjack

[Boodro]

Pizzaguy, I built a picnic table a few years ago & put several pics from the kids & familys on the top. I glued them down with glue( don't recall what). I then applied 20 coats of helmspar varnish over the pics. It looked great for about 2 years or so then went to crap , fading,peeling,pulling up. I figured with 20 coats on it there would be no problems. I ended up sanding everything off & staining & varnishing the top without any pics. So good luck on your project.

[haul-all-day-rambler]

...that is an awesome picture.....i would definately put it on your camper......
funny you ask,i do mostly stone carving but i also study painting @ wetcanvas.com......this forum is awesome......& i learn alot of stuff pertaining to your question so here is a good way to do what you need...
get a spray can of "fixative"...you'll find it at an art supply store or online.........it's what they use to be able to stablize things like charcoal but also if oil based paint needs to be applied over water based or goauche'..fixative is the inbetween layer............
i would spray a small amount of "fixative" over the pic & not hardly cover much of it....let it dry...repeat 50 times or so..like the above poster said"you don't want to curl the pic".......take your time...it'll go quick...put layers until the pic is hard & covered...
put 4 or more layers & then epoxy it to the wall...then just epoxy over that........i think you'll get at least 5 years{don't put glue under the pic,only epoxy}when it gets funky dremel out & put the same pic in & epoxy over it.
sorry for the long post,,,,,,,,,jeremy

[Steve Frederick]

I print the photo on Rice Paper (Art Supply Store) using an ink jet.
Wet it out in epoxy. Don't over work it, so that the ink doesn't smear.
Cover in 'glass, finish in a UV inhibiting clearcoat.


I do the same process with labels on my T/D projects.

[haul-all-day-rambler]

http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/archive ... 40904.html[url]

so i guess get the picture on acid free media{paper} & then cover it with fixative.........& voila,,,,,another experiment none of us really know how long will last,but we're really curious so go for it.....it'll work good....it's a collage.

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[haul-all-day-rambler]

yep,,,steve pegged it.....rice paper is the answer....i was just worried about glue behind it..& acid....rice paper is acid free.........sweet butterflys on that kayak.......i really dig madjacks decal idea........

[Mary K]

Pizzaguy, I built a picnic table a few years ago & put several pics from the kids & familys on the top. I glued them down with glue( don't recall what). I then applied 20 coats of helmspar varnish over the pics. It looked great for about 2 years or so then went to crap , fading,peeling,pulling up. I figured with 20 coats on it there would be no problems. I ended up sanding everything off & staining & varnishing the top without any pics. So good luck on your project.

Boodro, Helmsman Spar is made by Minwax. A TDer here called them about this product and they recommend only applying 3 coats. 3 coats is what the product was designed for. Also they recommend once a year you should sand an apply another coat.

I just did this to my TD, and WOW what a difference it made. Should have done it last summer. That sun really beats the heck out of any finish.

Just thought I would add this here FYI.

[angib]

I printed this (top left corner of photo) on an inkjet and just wetted it out with epoxy, with another coat over it afterwards and then some UV varnish. It still looks just the same 10 years later. But note that wetting out the white paper with epoxy did make if turn semi-opaque and no longer very white.



Andrew

[Pizzaguy]

OK, I did it! Hope this lasts for the long run.

This is the pic of mine that I pick to be on the rear hatch. I used Photoshop Elements to add the "Voyageur" moniker and added the built by line.




I did the initial seal coating w/ the epoxy then glued down the pic w/ Titebond.



Layed the fabric over the top and started to fill in the weave......



Came out really nice!

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[Pizzaguy]

I then started adding the fill coats to fill in the weave....

Came out really nice.