Skeleton Key Serving Board
Within the last year, I have really gotten into working with epoxy. It is quite an addictive and expensive hobby, but so much fun. For several years now I have been collecting vintage keys and never knew quite what to do with them. Epoxy said hold my beer! Using a silicone cutting board mold I took all of those vintage keys and created an amazing skeleton key cutting board.
Materials Used to create the skeleton key cutting board
Resin Silicone Mold in cutting board shape (not an affiliate link)
Mas Epoxy Table Top (Not sponsored or affiliate link)
Vintage and skeleton keys I have been collecting through the years
Mixing cups and stirrers
Heat gun or blow torch (to pop the bubbles)
Gloves
scrap piece of wood (Big enough for mold to fit on)
Day 1
I took the silicone mold and all of the vintage keys and began laying out the keys in the mold. I wanted this skeleton key board to be visually aesthetic from both sides.
Once I had it just right I took the keys out of the mold and placed them beside the mold in the same layout. That way I would not lose my key placement.
I had everything just right and now I was ready to pour the first layer of epoxy.
NOTE: Before mixing the epoxy make sure you have everything ready to go because you only have a certain working time with the epoxy. For the table top epoxy you will have approximately 30 minutes. You also want to always wear gloves. You are very much working with chemicals and should protect your skin.
I poured Part A into cup 1 and Part B into cup 2. For Table Top epoxy I used a 1:1 ratio. Mix the two together. Make sure you stir until it is properly mixed; usually 4-5 minutes. A good indicator you have stirred enough is the epoxy will return to clear from a cloudy transparency.
Now you are ready to pour. I poured a very thin layer into the silicone mold. After sitting for a few minutes, any bubbles should come to the surface. This is where I used my heat gun to pop any bubbles so my project would come out nice and smooth. Once the pour was complete I allowed it to sit overnight.
Day 2
After 24 hours the epoxy is sandable. I used 220 or 320 grit to rough it up just a little bit and allow the next layer to stick to it. Before placing the keys make sure you clear out all of the sanding dust. If you see some sanding lines do not fret, they will not show after you pour the next epoxy layer.
After sanding, I placed all of the keys back into the mold just as I had previously arranged them. I was ready to pour the next epoxy layer and cover the keys. Gloves and mixing cups ready I mixed up the next epoxy layer. Once stirred properly I poured over the epoxy over the keys. I popped any bubbles that came to the surface and let it begin to cure.
Once I finished the final epoxy layer I allowed it to fully cure for 3-5 days before removing it from the mold. Once it completely cured I removed it from the mold and I had an amazing skeleton key cutting board.
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