Epoxycraft
Menu
  • About
  • Epoxy Basics
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
  • Trade Secrets
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Aviation
    • Architecture
  • Meet The Maker
  • News
  • Contribute
  • Contact

Projects: Figuring out a solution
8th June 2018

Figuring out a solution

If you’ve created a work of art, you want to make sure it stands the test of time. Wood Carver, Robert Lawrence uses WEST SYSTEM® epoxy resin on wood  to make sure his pieces will carry-on living.

“I’m mad keen on sailing my Drascombe Scaffie,” Robert Lawrence says from his home minutes from the North Sea.  “So when I needed something to protect my sculptures, I knew exactly what I needed. Although I’d never used WEST SYSTEM® epoxy products before I knew all about them from a subscription to Classic Boat magazine. My carving process is very similar to boat building so I knew I needed WEST SYSTEM epoxy products to protect them.”

Robert designs and creates full-size figures to decorate gardens, offices, or in fact any spaces, from his home, the Crab House (an eco-property which he built in 2013 in Montrose, Angus). Similar to many boat builders, he uses larch, sourced from sustainable Scottish forests, and bought in 22mm sheets. But while boat builders are initially after pliable green, the boards Robert uses are already kiln dried, so much of the moisture has been removed.

“I mostly use larch because it carves well and has longevity,” he explains. “I plane the boards and then laminate with WEST SYSTEM epoxy – to add strength. I laminate them all together to get a piece which is big enough to carve. During the lamination process I orientate boards for the head in a different direction from the torso – which helps to get the carve right.

“To start, I roughly carve the central torso and head without going any further – if the face isn’t right there’s no point in continuing. When you carve you have to be totally calm and relaxed as you’re taking away wood and you can’t put it back. You have to be brave and confident.”

To allow them to live outside, Robert’s finished pieces are encapsulated in WEST SYSTEM products, he uses three coats of WEST SYSTEM 105 Epoxy Resin with 207 Special Coating Hardener and then a two-part polyurethane high gloss varnish is added. “When the sun shines,” Robert explains, “my sculptures have a warmth and glimmers of life in them; they glow as the warmth of the wood accentuates the grain. People respond to them because as a race we’re herd animals –people react to something that they recognise. Children even embrace the figures.”

When Robert began making these pieces, he thought that they’d sell to architects, believing that – like him – people would be as passionate about resurrecting ornamentation.

“All National Trust owned businesses, the ones that have people coming to look at time and time again, are highly decorated and ornamental.  Modernist cubist boxes don’t have the same appeal,” he explains. “I started out to market my work to decorate outside meeting rooms, gardens etc. I thought they’d go like hot cakes – they didn’t. But I am getting success through the art world.”

His surprise at being recognised as an artist however is not a surprise to anyone else, given that one of his pieces, Unconditional Love, was shortlisted for a national prize.  He’s hoping for similar success with his current piece in creation, again using epoxy resin on wood. That has a current working title of: single figure on a bench.

“It’s a prototype for a private memorial,” Robert explains. “Something to remember someone. You can sit with one and share a quality moment, or cry with them, or tell them things. This could sit in a glade somewhere, it doesn’t have to be in your own garden. But it provides somewhere for people without religious affiliations to spend time at a memorial.” Although the cost for one of these comes in at around £4,500, as each life size figure takes around 550 hours to carve by hand with chisels and a draw knife, the investment feels more than cost-effective.

Working with his hands is something that Robert has always wanted to do. “Generation after generation of my family were cabinet makers and wood craftsmen,” he says. “I was of an age when chipboard was introduced and cabinet makers were closing every week, so I missed out on an apprenticeship.” But, luckily for those who love works such as these, he’s got “to the point in life where I am able to do something that I want to do and I use WEST SYSTEM epoxy to do it as it’s so very, very reliable.”

Find more about Robert’s work and bow he uses epoxy resin on wood at https://www.ingrainedculture.co.uk


Share on


Back to projects

Subscribe to our newsletter
Our unique epoxy knowledge and experience, delivered straight to you

Events

RYA Dinghy Show 2023 25th-26th February 2023

What is epoxy?

Epoxy Projects

Boat Building 2022 Projects – Top Picks

  • 22nd December 2022
Read More

Our Favourite Nick Zammeti Creations of 2022

  • 21st December 2022
Read More

Decorative Christmas Tree Decorations

  • 16th December 2022
Read More
1234567
1234567
  • Home
  • Epoxy Basics
  • Projects
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Woodworking
    • Boat Building
    • Motorsport
    • Architecture
    • Aviation
  • Trade Secrets
  • How To
    • DIY
    • Artists
    • Board Sports
    • Boat Building
    • Woodworking
  • News
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contribute
  • Contact
West System
Pro-Set
Entropy Resins
Subscribe to our newsletter
Copyright © 2023 Epoxycraft | Website by MAA
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
bcookie2 yearsLinkedIn sets this cookie from LinkedIn share buttons and ad tags to recognize browser ID.
langsessionThis cookie is used to store the language preferences of a user to serve up content in that stored language the next time user visit the website.
lidc1 dayLinkedIn sets the lidc cookie to facilitate data center selection.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_91ZH5F88XM2 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
_gat_gtag_UA_103456315_31 minuteThis cookie is set by Google and is used to distinguish users.
_gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT16 years 3 months 20 days 13 hours 3 minutesThese cookies are set via embedded youtube-videos. They register anonymous statistical data on for example how many times the video is displayed and what settings are used for playback.No sensitive data is collected unless you log in to your google account, in that case your choices are linked with your account, for example if you click “like” on a video.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
_fbp3 monthsThis cookie is set by Facebook to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising, after visiting the website.
bscookie2 yearsThis cookie is a browser ID cookie set by Linked share Buttons and ad tags.
fr3 monthsFacebook sets this cookie to show relevant advertisements to users by tracking user behaviour across the web, on sites that have Facebook pixel or Facebook social plugin.
IDE1 year 24 daysGoogle DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile.
test_cookie15 minutesThe test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysA cookie set by YouTube to measure bandwidth that determines whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
AnalyticsSyncHistory1 monthNo description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
li_gc2 yearsNo description
pvc_visits_11[0]1 dayNo description
UserMatchHistory1 monthLinkedin - Used to track visitors on multiple websites, in order to present relevant advertisement based on the visitor's preferences.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo