So I've begun building birdhouses. My last few has had natural bark and wood mounted to the faces to give them a natural look.

This is a woodpecker box I built:


And a bluebird box:


But I wanted a face that would pop a bit more. I've been wanting to start working with resins. So I mounted bark on this face and then routed "rivers" through it. I filled those rivers with epoxy resin colored with blue silica. Other than it is taking an incredibly long time to cure, it was pretty easy. I think it looks pretty good.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Micropterus,

Really nice work!

Looks good!

quote:

Originally posted by molachi:
Looks good!

But will the birds like it?

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by flashguy:
But will the birds like it?

flashguy

We shall see.

Pretty much turning into an effort into futility. This resin is simply not curing. It still extremely sticky after days. It may look cool, but I think this is going nowhere.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Micropterus,

Use a hair dryer to increase the temps slowly and see if it cures?

I've poured three layers, all according the instructions, and in the correct temperatures. And I used the right resin to hardener ratio - 1:1. And I mixed thoroughly.

I poured the first layer on Friday morning and let it cure 8 hours, like the instructions said before pouring a second layer. That cured overnight or about 12 hours before the third and final pour on Saturday.

I let it cure the rest of Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. On Tuesday night the last layer was still so fluid that it would run if not laying completely flat. I stuck a needle in various spots and it would sink in about 1/2 the depth of the resin.

I set up a small space heater on low and let warm air blow on it for last two days. And as of this afternoon, the last pour is as tacky as it ever was.

I stuck a needle in it in various spots to see if there was any solidification and there was. The needle would go about half way in.

A few hours ago, I set it in a pan up on end to let the last pour run odd. Once it ran off, I discovered that the hardest the deepest levels got was the consistency of cured silicon caulking. Kind of rubbery.

So this project is over. I've tossed it and will start over again at a later date. Before I do, I will switch to a different brand of epoxy resin. I found that of the stuff I was using, the only time is cured to any hardness when it was spread really thin, like wear it ran out and formed a near paper-tin layer on the newspaper I had under it. The resin I am using must not be suitable for a 1/2" deep pour.

I should have left it at one pour, maybe two. I think the third killed it. I won't make channels as deep next time.

I did pour some clear resin into a plastic spray can top as a mold and put a St Pauli Girl beer cap in it to see how that would turn out. That actually cured.

You may need to add a little more hardener into your mix and the tackiness will not occur. Try it on a small project and see what you think.

I would try a different brand resin as well, look for the words "deep pour".

When helping my Odyssey of the Mind kids, they used a table top epoxy for a river scene, and it did the same thing you mentioned, never cured but stayed tacky.
We got a deep pour epoxy that measured in a 2:1 ratio and it cured great (just took way longer, I think I remember a 48 hour cure time).

you may want to consider a predator plate in the future.

of some sort.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/7...1l8kkKRoC8nwQAvD_BwE

if you are investing that amount of time,
may as well keep it nice.

there are many out there to choose from

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
you may want to consider a predator plate in the future.

of some sort.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/7...1l8kkKRoC8nwQAvD_BwE

if you are investing that amount of time,
may as well keep it nice.

there are many out there to choose from

Cheapest predator safety I have found is take off the landing perch in front of the hole. They look cool but in 25 years of putting out bird houses I have noticed that the small birds are more likely to avoid those with a perch. It gives the predator a place to work from.

Very nice bird house.

check these out


I found'em while browsing

https://www.etsy.com/shop/twigandtimber

I have a perch on every house in my yard. Every house is on their second family this year, and one is on its third. In my side yard, I had a bluebird in one box, a chickadee in the next, and a titmouse in the next one. Each box was about 8 feet from the other. The only trouble makers are squirrels that run along the top of the fence from my backyard to the front. In so doing, they jump on top of each house as they go from one end to the other. I've seen these squirrels attacked in force by all three of the bird-types at once. The bluebird are particularly relentless. They make loud clicking noises and perform dive-bombing maneuvers reminiscent of the Battle of Midway. I've had them dive bomb me when I go too near their house - so close I can feel the wind on my face.

And the bird that live in them use the perches. Every one of them feed their young from the perch.