Releasing Stones Dopped With Epoxy
Author: Brian Boyle Date Posted:27 April 2015
Release the stone from the dop just like you would release it from wax. Simply heat the dop away from the stone – no paper towel, no heat sink. Just heat the dop (not the epoxy).
As the heat transfers to the epoxy, a gentle pulling on the stone will release the stone. The dop will be fairly hot, but the stone won't be. At this point, if you act relatively fast you can peel the epoxy off the stone pretty much like chewing gum in one or two pieces. Virtually no picking or prying, just peel the stone off like a sticker.
The stone should NOT be hot. In fact, this uses much less heat on the stone than initial wax dopping to cut the pavilion.
You should have your finished stones off the dop and cleaned up within a couple minutes of completing the stone. No boiling water, no nasty solvents