ABOGLASS® Clears Design Challenges
Recently, our workshop completed two unique custom tables featuring ABOGLASS®, a clear tabletop coating. ABOGLASS® was chosen for its toughness, scratch resistance, water resistance, and exceptional high gloss.
The first project is a coffee table for a home theater. The theater has a warm cabin feel to it, and a harpoon-shaped table was designed to complement it. Not a single mechanical fastener was used in this piece. Spalted maple was inlayed into pine, and the legs were bonded using wooden dowels and ABOWELD™ 55-22.
To keep the natural look of the woods and avoid any sign of filled spots, we carefully poured a base layer of ABOGLASS and let it flow into cracks and low spots. This filled in the problem areas perfectly. We followed with a final coat of ABOGLASS.
Air bubbles rising to the surface naturally pop with the coating. Therefore, it is not required to use a torch to pop surface bubbles, especially with a smaller application like this. It is still a good practice to at least have one on hand, and it can be used sparingly while observing the post -application for at least 30 minutes.
The second project is a “Restoration Hardware meets Scandinavian Design” dining table for a Chicago apartment. The challenge was to create a sophisticated yet practical high table that would be comfortable for 4 and expand to accommodate 6 to 8. The design features Douglas fir 4X 4s, cast iron piping, and a drop -leaf that pivots up.
The wooden pieces were bonded together with ABOGLASS-Gel. This adhesive was selected because it is creamy, slump-free, sandable, compatible with ABOGLASS, has superior bond strength with wood, and can be used as a thin film or built up. The adhesive has a double function of bonding the wood together and filling in the seams between pieces. Thru-bolts were used to hold the wood together while the adhesive hardened and left in for aesthetic value. ABOGLASS-Gel worked beautifully with the table and blended perfectly with ABOGLASS when it was poured.
Only one coat of ABOGLASS was applied to the table. Because this was a larger application, a small heat torch was used sparingly to help relieve bubbles, which appeared as air was escaping parts of the wood while Aboglass saturated it. The table was finished just in time for Thanksgiving and was a huge hit with a gathering of 7.
Please get back to us if you have any questions regarding these or any other projects. We are eager to work with you on your own projects, where ABOGLASS or any Abatron products or services will be a great fit.
