Hi guys and ladies,

This question deals with how to remove/fill grain tear out on the inside of bowls.

This dent is nearly 1/16" deep so it will take a lot to remove it

Is there a way to fill the "dents" on the inside with a food safe filler if there is such thing? or do I have to just sand it out as far as I can and call it done?

Thanks!

I tried applying a coat of mineral oil to keep the dust down because even with wearing a mask there was too much dust to not use oil, it sure did darken the wood though in the process

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Charles Nicholls
Site Host
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This website is new so it doesn't have much to it yet but you are welcome to take a look

Charles,

I don't have a lot of experience with splated wood. It seemed to me there were areas so soft this type of "defect" was almost unavoidable. On the couple of bowls I turned, I did the best I could and the allowed the finish- water based poly- soak into those areas. You can still feel them but they are not quite as noticeable. 

If you must have a completely smooth surface, maybe some clear drying epoxy might fill the voids as can then be sanded down. Or, maybe some thick CA.

I read that stabilizing the wood, with CA glue, before turning can help reduce this problem. The problem I had with that was the equipment required and the amount of glue. On one of my bowls, I did "spot stabilize" some of the really pithy areas with thin CA. It helped some but also caused a noticeable change in color. After the bowl was finished, the color changes blended into the overall appearance of the spalting so it really didn't look that bad.

Hope some of this helps.

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Lew Kauffman-
Wood Turners Forum Host

Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!

you could fill it with epoxy and then sand but no guarantee it will stick.if you still have 1/4 inch i'd sand it out.

 

by the way, i know the dust is a pain but won't the oil burn if it gets too hot and scorch the wood?