Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I'm planning on making a set of Mickey coasters for a good friend of mine who lost his wife unexpectedly last month. She was a huge Disney and Mickey Mouse fan. The idea will be to take this design and make them out of wood. Minus the myriad number of circles on these. I have a set of these exact coasters to go off of. Last night I took a piece of paper and did a crayon rubbing of the top of it so I can transfer it to wood. My idea is to use forstner bits for the Mickey head and glue a contrasting color of wood there. The Mickey will either be a complete insert or an inlay. Probably will be easier to make a complete Mickey insert. I also plan to enlarge the Mickey head a little bit as well. I'll be looking through my wood collection/pallet wood, to see if I have something that will work to keep grain continuity throughout all six coasters. I'll either make my own shop sawn veneer or buy some. It will all depend on what I have in the shop. I'll definitely be making a template first. I might also be investing in a pattern bit for my router. I am going to try and get them done for a Christmas gift but it won't be the end of the world if I don't. I'd love to hear any kind of feedback, tips or suggestions. What kind of finish should I apply to these? He's mostly a coffee drinker and I suppose they will see some use from cold drinks that will sweat and get them wet, so will I need to put something that will hold up to any water that will get on them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I've also been thinking of using epoxy for the Mickey head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 The epoxy thought is cool! You could add some transtint dye to it to create some different colors. Would also make them much faster to build. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Gilbert Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 (edited) well my 2 cents. use can use a whole saw to cut the shape faster as well as do many at once. have you thought about using a epoxy that is colored ad the inlay? i use epoxy alot. and instead of the flat colors use like a automotive pearl. how big are you want to make them in a whole i can make a template to the size you want that is clean so you don't have to mess with any hard stuff. Edited December 4, 2015 by Gary Gilbert added photos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 The epoxy thought is cool! You could add some transtint dye to it to create some different colors. Would also make them much faster to build. I agree with both these thoughts. Much quicker and it would be reversible where you could use both sides. Also would look cool with a black dye. A dyed epoxy would probably hide any air bubbles too. Any suggestions for a brand and type of epoxy? One that I could pick up in a store and not have to wait for it to be shipped to me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 well my 2 cents. use can use a whole saw to cut the shape faster as well as do many at once. have you thought about using a epoxy that is colored ad the inlay? i use epoxy alot. and instead of the flat colors use like a automotive pearl. how big are you want to make them in a whole i can make a template to the size you want that is clean so you don't have to mess with any hard stuff. Where would I get an automotive pearl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Gilbert Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 The main product I use you would have to be a contractor to use.. check out http://www.smooth-on.com/Castable-Epoxy-Res/c1295/index.htmlI use this stuff alot and it's good for the price. they have color as well. as far as the automotive pearl I buy in bulk from a overseas supplier so for you on a time crunch check out http://www.tcpglobal.com/Automotive-Paint/Custom-Shop-Automotive-Dry-Flakes-Dry-Pearls/ you can do flakes or pearls. they do have a sparkle black or use can use a standard gloss black the samples in the photos have more then one color in them. I hope this helps. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I use West Systems epoxy. Rockler carries it.. Not sure if you can find it locally, I usually can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Moore Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 West Marine boat stores have it on the shelf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I'm wondering if this stuff will work. TotalBoat Penetrating Epoxy (Pint) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0141F71II/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_btzywbGXCYY42 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 (edited) I've never used that stuff.. I do know that you can buy the West Systems cheaper and I know it works.http://www.rockler.com/search/go?w=west%20system%20epoxy Edited December 4, 2015 by TIODS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I'm also looking at this epoxy system. http://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/310367197632 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Gilbert Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 what ever you use use wax paper and in the holes put some tiny nails so that the epoxy has something to lock on to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 what ever you use use wax paper and in the holes put some tiny nails so that the epoxy has something to lock on to. So the epoxy doesn't separate from the wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 what ever you use use wax paper and in the holes put some tiny nails so that the epoxy has something to lock on to.I'm not following? I've filled much larger spaces than the OP is looking to fill with the WS without any nails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 The west system is too pricy for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 The west system is too pricy for me.Cheaper than the original one you posted. Has a great shelf life as well..What ever you decide on, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Gilbert Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 I'm not following? I've filled much larger spaces than the OP is looking to fill with the WS without any nails. i like to do that like pouring concrete so it has something to grip too. with some of the projects ive done it was better to do that then chance a redo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapid Roger Posted December 4, 2015 Report Share Posted December 4, 2015 Needless to say, I would cut them out of 1/4" thick wood with a scroll saw.You could stack cut them three at a time, fill the voids with colored epoxy and sand the surface down to show the wood top surface.If you use a nice wood and let the "background" have some color and coat the whole thing with urethane to protect the wood, I think it would look very nice. Rog 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Wright Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 I did a mickey head inlay on a project, and originally thought I could just use a forstner bit, and drill three holes (face plus two ears). Unfortunately it looked like crap. Mickey's ears are oval and they didn't look right as circles. I ended up doing a three piece inlay with aan inlay router bit set (both ears in the first step followed by the face) http://m.woodcraft.com/product/09I16/whiteside-9500-solid-brass-router-inlay-router-bit-set.aspx It was surprising to me how much different the mickey head looked with round ears instead of oval ears. Go out the shop and drill some holes and see if you have better luck making it look like Mickey than I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Luther Posted December 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 I'm not planning on doing an inlay nor round ears which is why I made a template of a Mickey coaster that I already have. I agree it would look silly with round ears. I will make a template then use a pattern bit or flush trim bit on the actual piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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