Filling Gaps

Birdhunter

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Jun 16, 2012
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I’ve been using some highly figured walnut for bowls. All too often, I uncover cracks or voids that need to be fixed. If the bowl won’t have food in it, I often leave the defects along.

I use two methods of filling the defects.  One, I sand a scrap of the wood and collect the dust. I pack the dust into the defect tightly and then put a few drops of thin super glue on the dust. I hit it with an accelerator and then sand it smooth. Two, I do the sawdust collection and mix in TITEBOND thinned with a few drops of water. I pack the paste mixture into the defect. I let it harden well and sand smooth.

Any other tricks I should try?
 
You could use other things with the super glue. Brass or aluminum shavings. Crushed Shells. Epoxy with any number of colorants/fillers.
How large are the cavities are you filling?
 
Colored CA glue?
https://rustydesign.ca/collections/...MInNKjpOao8AIVWCitBh0FmAN2EAAYAyAAEgJqEfD_BwE

Examples:

"Starbond KE-150 Black Medium CA glue is commonly used in the hobby for RC car tires, woodturning for inlays and spalted wood."

"KBL-500 Black Medium-Thick CA glue is commonly used in reconing speakers, hobby RC car tires, woodturning inlays, burl, and spalted wood. heavy duty bonding, and filling void."

"BR-150 Brown Medium CA glue... It is a general purpose adhesive that dries light amber in color, eliminating the need to use sawdust with CA glue for filling voids. Therefore, pairing with light-colored wood is recommended."
 
Another + for epoxy - tinted to the wood I am using. Works great for filling large voids and cracks.
 
Hi Everyone

I often use epoxy and demonstrate one example in this video:


Peter
 
I use a cellulose binder mixed with sawdust for these types of jobs. I essence what it allows you to do is make your own liquid wood of any colour you might want. I prefer this much over using things like CA glue. One of the biggest benefits is that you won't see it after finishing the wood (it is made of the same stuff as the wood itself after all). Unless you choose to create a contrasting filler, but even then you will see the filler not the glue. No more worries about glue stains. It sands perfectly too.

Sorry, it is in Dutch, but I use this product to fill gaps:
https://www.frencken1901.nl/producten/cellocol/

I am sure there must be equivalent products in your part of the world too.
 
hdv said:
I use a cellulose binder mixed with sawdust for these types of jobs. I essence what it allows you to do is make your own liquid wood of any colour you might want. I prefer this much over using things like CA glue. One of the biggest benefits is that you won't see it after finishing the wood (it is made of the same stuff as the wood itself after all). Unless you choose to create a contrasting filler, but even then you will see the filler not the glue. No more worries about glue stains. It sands perfectly too.

Sorry, it is in Dutch, but I use this product to fill gaps:
https://www.frencken1901.nl/producten/cellocol/

I am sure there must be equivalent products in your part of the world too.

“A transparent binder for making your own malleable wood in any desired wood color. Since the standard colors of malleable wood usually do not have exactly the right color, Cellocol is the solution for, for example, filling nail holes in parquet.
Cellocol is a product that is used to make malleable wood in exactly the right color. Cellocol is used in the interior construction and parquet industry: the sanding dust from the last sanding cycle is mixed with Cellocol. With this mass, nail holes etc. are closed. Cellocol can also be used in the furniture industry to close cracks.

COMPOSITION AND PROPERTIES
Base:                                      nitrocellulose and solvents
Solid content:                          approx. 25%
Specific gravity (20 ° C):          approx. 0.9 g / cm³
Viscosity:                                approx. 2750 mPa.s.
Min. processing temperature:    10 ° C
Color wet:                                transparent yellowColor dry: depending on color of wood flour
Odor:                                      solvent odor
Number of components:            1
Dust dry after:                          approx. 10 minutes
Recoatable after:                      2 hours, depending on the size ofthe filled hole

Attention 

The above values ​​are determined at 20 ° C / 65% RH and a wood moisture content of 10%.Different circumstances result in different values.

APPLICATION Cellocol is a product that is used to make malleable wood in exactly the right waycolor. Cellocol is often used in the parquet industry: the sanding dust of the lattersanding is mixed with Cellocol. With this mass, nail holes, etc., are madepoem. Cellocol can also be used in the furniture industry to close cracks.

PROCESSING First make surfaces dry and free from dust and grease.
Stir cellocol and approx. 75mix parts by weight with 25 parts by weight of wood flour.
Then stir up to onesolid mass has formed.
Apply with a plastic spatula or putty knife. Max.3 mm per layer.
The use of gloves is recommended, in the solventsCellocol can dry out the skin
and possible reactions of the body's own substances (acid,sweat)
with ingredients from knots / knots can be used with certain types of wood,
such asfor example Oak, lead to black discolouration around and in knots / knots.
Deletewet residues and clean tools immediately with Thinner K,
Cleaning Wipes orRemover 16 spray.
Remove cured residues mechanically.”
 
For black walnut I am really liking Stick Fast Black Flexible ca glue. Also the Stick Fast accelerator is leaps better than the Fast Cap version FWIW.
 
The cellulose/solvent binder that hdv posted sounds like our Famowood (original formula) and DAP Plastic Wood filler. The difference is the stuff we get here is premixed with relatively coarse wood fibers (buy a can of the species you want) and may or may not match the actual wood you are using. Wounded nice to have the stuff he uses.
 
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