Overview:

Marilyn Campbell has been a turner for over 20 years. Her studio is at her home in Kincardine, Ontario. Her fascination for wood began after she and her husband built a 36 foot Ferro-cement sailboat in the mid 1970’s. Once the boat was launched she looked around for a more creative outlet and discovered woodturning. She brought to her turning a boat builder’s staple – epoxy, a material which she had recognized during her boat construction as one with many artistic possibilities. For several years she has been exploring a creative approach made possible by the combination of wood and epoxy.

Marilyn begins with a turned form which is then cut into several pieces. These components are then reassembled using the epoxy as both a structural and decorative element. She considers epoxy as her second medium. She is always attempting to make work that resonates with the viewer and carries her theme within its imagery. Inspiration for her work is conceived in the natural world but takes a twist in its passage through her imagination.

Her works are in several noted collections including those of Alfred Selnick, Jane and Arthur Mason, Judy Davis and Robert Bohlen. She has also won numerous awards over the past nine years both in Canada and the United States. In 2004 she presented, by invitation, at the AAW National Symposium in Orlando, Florida.

Morning Session:

A slide show was presented depicting Marilyn’s earlier work of plates and platters. The piece would be cut out prior to turning, glued together with decorative epoxy in the spaces or voids and then turned and finished.

Marilyn showed a platter which had been cut out with the band saw and glued together with the epoxy and then turned. Small inserts of contrasting wood can be included in the spaces cut with the band saw prior to using the epoxy. Marilyn drew a platter shape with the design desired drawn on it. This would be transferred to the piece and cut out. A piece at this stage of construction was shown. Each cut edge had been sanded on a drum sander giving a pleasing curve and removing marks and saw kerfs. The edges were then coated with clear epoxy to prevent the bleeding of pigmented epoxy into the end grain of the wood.

The insert areas or the shapes of the insert areas are drawn on paper and then glued to the insert wood which is then cut to shape. Inserts can be made of any wood or combinations of wood. Other materials such as silver or brass can also be used in the insert areas. The inserts are numbered so that they can be returned to their proper positions after having been cut out. Edges of the inserts are sanded and coated with clear epoxy to prevent the colored epoxy from bleeding into the wood.

Epoxy can be pigmented with powdered pigments such as earth pigments from Lee Valley. Using earth pigments makes turning and sanding somewhat more difficult because the epoxy is made more brittle. Artist oil paints can be used to color the epoxy and they do not make it more brittle. Marilyn uses West System epoxy (105 epoxy resin and 205 hardener). Pumps can be purchased (which Marilyn highly recommends) that are inserted into the epoxy and hardener cans that provide the correct ratio of the two (5:1). One pump of each will do this. Epoxy is toxic so gloves should be worn as should eye protection. The dust produced when sanding should be avoided. Marilyn uses West System fillers (407 and 410). The 410 is a light tan and can be easily pigmented. The 407 is stronger and is used for more structural purposes.

Marilyn demonstrated making her epoxy mixture. She pushed one pump of epoxy resin into a plastic cup then one pump of the hardener. Once combined she added enough 410 filler to achieve a peanut butter consistency, using a Popsicle stick to stir the mixture. There is then a window of about 20 minutes in which to use the epoxy mixture. Marilyn pigmented the epoxy with artist oil paint. (Voids can be a problem when putting the mixture between the parts to be glued. This is more of a concern with the thicker mixtures. These can be repaired when they are found during turning.) Marilyn applied the mixture to the previously cut and clear epoxy-coated edges of the piece. The inserts were then attached and the piece assembled. When pressing the pieces together some epoxy mixture should squeeze out - this will help prevent voids. (Note: Before gluing the piece, lines should be drawn across it so when gluing up proper orientation of the pieces or parts can be achieved.) Once glued up the entire piece is allowed to dry or set up overnight. It can be turned the next day.

Variations of the above technique can be employed to achieve interesting results. Epoxy can easily be textured with the Dremel or other rotary tool. When sanding, the epoxy is softer than the surrounding wood so care must be taken to not produce a wavy surface. Any time you use epoxy you should clear coat any surface that will make contact with the pigmented epoxy. Plate and platter rims can be decorated with pieces of contrasting wood inserted and surrounded by epoxy. The areas of epoxy can then be textured after turning and sanding. Two or more colors of epoxy can be used in the same area to give a swirl effect. This was demonstrated using a platter that had a one-eighth inch deep band turned about one inch wide. The epoxy was then mixed and divided into two containers so each could be colored differently (one black, the other yellow ocher). It was of a thinner mayonnaise like consistency so it could be applied with syringes. The black was applied to the outer and inner edges of the one-eighth inch deep platter band. The yellow ocher was then applied to the area between the two black bands. Marilyn used a toothpick to zigzag the yellow into the black. When cured, the epoxy would be turned and sanded first. Then the remainder of the piece would be turned and sanded. This keeps the epoxy dust from sanding, getting into the wood grain and coloring it. This completed the morning demonstration.

Afternoon Session:

Marilyn began this session by showing slides of her more recent work using epoxy overlays. She then showed the early stages of her black and white sculptural pieces beginning with the drawings on paper. These showed the shapes, the cut-away areas and the overlays. Marilyn draws the design on the actual piece which is then cut on the band saw, including the cut-away areas. The cut pieces are then put on a template to perfectly line them up in the proper orientation. This provides the spaces for the epoxy to be placed. Double-sided carpet tape is then used to keep the pieces in place in preparation for the epoxy. The piece is then flipped over and the ends of the open spaces taped so that epoxy does not run out. The epoxy mixture is then placed in the voids. Once set up, the piece can be turned and sanded. If a large void needs to be filled it should be done in stages to avoid overheating and subsequent bubbling.

Next the overlay is made. The piece or surface where the overlay is to be placed is covered with Saran wrap. Wrinkles in the plastic wrap should be avoided, especially under the part of the overlay that will be used. Convex surfaces are easily covered with the plastic wrap but concave surfaces are more difficult. Double-sided scotch tape can be used to hold the plastic wrap to a concave contour but the epoxy should not be placed over this tape. If it is, the overlay will not be able to be removed from the surface of the piece. Other methods to hold the wrap in (such as creamy wax or a vacuum bag) must be used if the epoxy overlay extends over this area. The overlay epoxy needs to be quite thick (refrigerated peanut butter consistency) so it will stay in place. This is spread over the Saran wrapped piece. Once hardened it will be turned to about one-sixteenth inch thick.

Marilyn next turned a previously made overlay. First, while the overlay was still on the plastic wrap, she removed any epoxy from the bottom and turned a short distance up the side to allow the overlay to be taped to the piece for the final turning. She did not want to touch the wood of the piece because it had already been finished. She then popped off the overlay.

Using a small rotary abrasive blade, she cut slits in the overlay so that its thickness could be determined. One slit began near the edge and extended half way toward the center and the other was placed 180 degrees around the piece beginning near the center and extending half way toward the edge. With these two slits, one on each side, she could see the finished thickness. It was then remounted on the piece, taped in place at the bottom edge and turned to final thickness using a scraper. It was then popped off. (The actual piece is then turned on the inside but only after holes are drilled to a predetermined depth enabling Marilyn to achieve a constant wall thickness. The areas where the holes are drilled will be discarded when the piece is cut in half for reassembly. The overlay is cut into the desired shapes and each piece is textured.) Texturing was done with two burrs. The outer edge of each piece of overlay was textured with two lines of small burr holes not entirely through the epoxy. The inner areas were textured with a conical burr that pierced the epoxy – first from the outside in and then from the inside out. This cleaned each hole and removed any tear-out.

Once the inside of the piece is completed it is cut in half. The two halves are brought together in a “half moon” shape with either a pre-turned spine or just edge glued together. The overlay is painted with acrylic paint and attached with epoxy to the piece in its proper place.

This completed a well-organized, very detailed, interesting and informative demonstration. The edited DVD will be in the club library in November 2005. Anyone interested in this technique will certainly benefit from the DVD.

--Bob Gunther

Marilyn's Website

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Marilyn's Epoxy Tips