Epoxy Resin Finish

I recently saw some work of a member here on a pair of COlumbia razors in the Gallery. Ever since looking at these wonderful specimens I have debated buying a basic system and doing my scales in this material since it appears to be very durable. My questions are these.
1) Can you dip the scales into the solutions and hang them like you can do with polyurethane?
2) WHen it is finished do you have to polish the finish or does it finish smooth on its own?
3) Would you need to drill pin holes before or after doing the finish?
4) How long will it stand up to use?

I maybe over doing the questions, but I have used Tung oil, Danish Oil, and Polyurethane, and I know that all these materials have to be refinished every so often and probably do not provide the best water proofing material and I have promised people who buy form me to help with refinishing in the future. SOmeone help me to understand the difficulty. I loved the ones I saw and it looked so smooth and still showed the beauty of the wood that I just don't feel like I get every time with polyurethane.

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Originally Posted by treydampier

I recently saw some work of a member here on a pair of COlumbia razors in the Gallery. Ever since looking at these wonderful specimens I have debated buying a basic system and doing my scales in this material since it appears to be very durable. My questions are these.
1) Can you dip the scales into the solutions and hang them like you can do with polyurethane?
2) WHen it is finished do you have to polish the finish or does it finish smooth on its own?
3) Would you need to drill pin holes before or after doing the finish?
4) How long will it stand up to use?

I maybe over doing the questions, but I have used Tung oil, Danish Oil, and Polyurethane, and I know that all these materials have to be refinished every so often and probably do not provide the best water proofing material and I have promised people who buy form me to help with refinishing in the future. SOmeone help me to understand the difficulty. I loved the ones I saw and it looked so smooth and still showed the beauty of the wood that I just don't feel like I get every time with polyurethane.

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All answers are IMHO.

1)Nope. The surface needs to be level.
2)Usually it's finished well on it's own. If you need to sand down any imperfections a light coat of poly works great.
3)For me I do both
4)They use the stuff to finish bar tops. It is very resilient to wear and damage.

I followed the tutorial by Cannonfodder that's now a wiki entry
Finishing scales using epoxy resin - Straight Razor Place Wiki

The only thing I can add is to follow the directions on the epoxy and use a small blowtorch if it is recommended.

It is more difficult than the other methods you mentioned, but don't let that put you off. The results are worth it when you get it right.

Also, I use System Three brand mirror coat. I tried a couple different brands before this one with poor results. With the system Three you do need to use a blowtorch. If you don't you'll get tiny air bubbles in the finish.