[Helen]

Dear ByGeorge,

This Micro-Mark sounds too good to be true. No mixing hardener and measuring?

Does this dry clear and rock hard? Wow, it looks neat. I'll check with them first thing on Mon.

Thanks for the suggestion,

Helen

[Donna_T]

Helen,
I know you don't like mixing, but I like two part epoxy, especially the 5 minute kind. I glue my rocks, sand, sticks, etc. on my base with yellow Elmer's glue and when it's completely dry, I mix up some 2-part epoxy with either a plastic spoon or a popsickle stick, and quickly pour over the top of the habitat. It drys hard pretty quickly and is highly shiny clear. And since it dries so quickly, you can get some "build up."

Also, if I'm doing the epoxy water-look and I want it to take on a hue other than perfectly clear, I paint the base area that will be under water a light blue green and when the epoxy is poured over it, it takes on that tint instead of being totally clear.

If you need more time to work with epoxy, you can get it in different cure times--I think the next longest is a 30 minute one.

Donna T

PS: If you're planning to enter your carving in a competition, be sure to check the rules on amount of non-wood products that can be included in the habitat. Some rules don't allow for real sand or rocks, although you can use something like Durham Rock Hard mixture to make your own rocks.

[Helen]

Hello Donna,

Thank you for your suggestion. What kind of "2 part epoxy" are you talking about? Is that Envirotex Lite? I'm getting an education on this stuff. I think I messed up with Castin'craft. I think that's a polymer. Your epoxy sounds like what I'm after. I'm not into competition....yet...a beginner.

Thank you,

Helen

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I do the same as Donna only I use Envirotex...with Envirotex, you either have to have a dished out area to contain the envirotex, or you have to be prepared to let it run off the edges and sand off the drips off the bottom after it is dry......I think I put my crawdad on the carvers gallery under hi ho sliver, if so the water in it is envirotex. Dave

[Donna_T]

Hello Helen,

I don't remember the brand name of the two-part epoxy that I use, but I get it at the lumber yard (Lowe's) or sometimes Walmart. It comes in a double tube--side by side--and you squeeze out equal parts of both tubes and mix it thoroughly (I usually use a styrofoam plate and mix it with a craft stick or popsicle stick) and when mixed, use the same stick to dab the epoxy onto the carving habitat. It needs to be pretty much where and how you want it to look at 4 minutes--it hardens quickly! It's thick and will build up quite nicely and yet, everything that's under it will show through just like a clear stream.

Donna T