I just made a small vase out of spalted wood. Over the years I have turned some rough grained wood that had open spaces and areas that I'd like to fill to a smooth finish that does not cover up the wood grain or look out of place. I have tried several things to achieve that, including epoxy and some super glue. So far my results have only been just ok, not great.

 

Any  suggestions. Maybe I used the right approach, but my methods were wrong. 

 

Thanks

Honestly, I mostly just leave them. Maybe I'm lazy but I like to call them character marks.

 

I've been following a couple of turners on Google+. They mostly use something contrasting and/or colorful. One guy uses crushed turquoise mixed with some sort of bonding agent- maybe epoxy. I've seen some others use powdered metal (brass, aluminum). I've even seen someone use crushed sand and/or glass but I can't imagine how you would sand that.

 

If I have to, I use TiteBond and sawdust.

i'VE USED COLORED BONDO

Dry coffee grounds in epoxy works for dark filler

I've used colored sand in epoxy with the void filled just a bit shallow then topped off with plain epoxy to make sanding easier.

Check out

Aqua Coat Grain Filler

https://www.google.com/search?q=grain+filler&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=Aqua+Coat+Clear+Wood+Grain+Filler+review

 

You might also check Behlen's Pore-O-Pak  paste grain filler

 

Not  for musical instruments though.   Wouldn't  trust the effect on sound quality.

Thanks for the info on Aqua Coat Grain Filler. I did a search on reviews and they seemed good, but did not mention using on the wood lathe. I called the Company and talked to an informed person. He said it would work great on the lathe, but may require some thinning. He had not tried it, but had heard from people that did. He was selling it, so I would expect him to praise his own product. We'll see.

So I ordered a pound can of it. Today I turned some rough pine with many open grained areas. I should get it tomorrow. I'll try it and let you know how it did, from a turners perspective.

 

 

 

 

I've use Hut for a long time and really like it. You apply it on your piece with a rag and run your lathe and polish with the rag until it is dry and polished

As far as fillers, I usually use the sawdust from the project, and a generous amount of CA. It can take a bit of work but other than coffee grounds, it's the best I have found.

On 3/24/2015 at 10:00 PM, Charles Nicholls said:

As far as fillers, I usually use the sawdust from the project, and a generous amount of CA. It can take a bit of work but other than coffee grounds, it's the best I have found.

That's what I do... It always surprises me how much glue it takes

to mix up a cup of sawdust. 

I don’t think I have ever used that much lol  not all at once. 🤣

Edited January 25, 20206 yr by Charles Nicholls

I make slab benches and tables mostly from white pine.

The pine Beatles makes lots of tunnels in my wood.

I like using red wood sanding dust to fill my holes.

It makes them stand out. I give up trying to hide them. 

Working with mesquite, holes and cracks are expected. They're just design opportunities to be celebrated with epoxy and crushed Turquoise with a sprinkle of brass filings. kinda looks like gold flakes. I get mine from the key shop in Ace. Sometimes, for a bit of whimsy, I'll embed a small petrified sea creature in clear epoxy. Or just plain colored epoxy can be striking.

Edited January 25, 20206 yr by Gene Howe