Comment by Steve Milroy on May 7, 2014 at 3:50pm

Love your tree trunk!  I just built something similar into a stool with a giant burl making the seat.  Does your extra-realism come mostly from the paint?  Is it airbrushed acrylic or is there more to it?     Steve

Comment by Mike Vernelson on May 7, 2014 at 4:07pm

Yes the epoxy is smooth, then its  two colors by brush and two by airbrush. All is exterior Valspar house paint.

Comment by Steve Milroy on May 7, 2014 at 11:02pm

I thought it was made of concrete.  Isn't building something that size out of epoxy cost prohibitive?

Comment by Mike Vernelson on May 8, 2014 at 5:49pm

 Epoxy  finishes on trees are much more expensive than concrete but the finished product is also far superior in the amount of detail achievable. I dont offer concrete finishes on trees unless a person specifically asks for it which never happens anyway. The epoxy is nice once you get adjusted to it.

Comment by Steve Milroy on May 8, 2014 at 6:06pm

I worked previously with an epoxy putty that was brutally difficult to mix adequately.  Both parts were the same color so I never knew when they were thoroughly mixed.  Ended up with soft spots galore.  Are you willing to share what specific product works best?

Comment by Mike Vernelson on May 8, 2014 at 7:04pm

www.polygem.com . Its the 307-lite. They also have other materials such as rubbers for making vines etc. Check them out.

Comment by Steve Milroy on May 8, 2014 at 11:53pm

Yes, I have dealt with Polygem.  I do like the guy on the other end of the phone, he's very positive and helpful  I bought several gallons of the Easy Sculpt.  While I do like many things about, the mixing is murder.  after some screw-ups involving soft spots, I now mix it twice as long as I think is necessary, then double that again.  Thanks so much for your help, Mike.

Comment by Christian Maucieri on May 9, 2014 at 6:22am

Hey Mike! This tree looks amazing. How many gallons of epoxy did it take to complete this tree?

Comment by Mike Vernelson on May 9, 2014 at 11:42am

Steve, use the 307. You MUST get the powder filler and mix it on the powder covered cardboard like bread dough. Just knead it together adding the flour until you get the thickness you want. Its quick and easy. I have a commercial Hobart bread dough mixer and its still more efficient for me to mix it by hand. the mixer sits in my basement.

Christain, that tree is around 9 ft to where it butts up to another log. I'd guess theres probably between 6-7 gallons on it.

Comment by August Riveira on May 13, 2014 at 7:38pm

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