I am getting ready to finish arts and craft coffee table and noticed a 2mm hole in the glued up top. How would you go about hiding this defect in quarter sawn white oak? Thanks for some advice.
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Replies
I have a similar issue and am going to try sanding dust and shellac.
I use mostly either FamoWood and Timber mate. Various shades.
post a photo of the hole.
Use the dust from your bandsaw if you have it and shellac make sure the dust is from the same wood you are trying to fill for a perfect match.
Ps you may have to thicken the shellac a little.
Cheers
Easy...
Just use some clear 5 min epoxy. No sawdust or other filler is needed. Once cured, sand it smooth and it will visually disappear after the finish is applied. Try it on some scrap first.
For that small I use a drop of thick CA glue and a sliver of wood or sawdust, and a razor blade to scrape it down when dry. Or just the glue. Avoid getting any glue or epoxy on the surface or you might get a spot that wont finish.
To all who said "mix sawdust with...", It doesn't work. You'll end up with a darkened blob. Mixing sawdust with a liquid binder always, ALWAYS produces a dark color.
The person who said Famowood or Timbermate was right. Go with that. Don't believe the hype. 20:1 no one who suggested otherwise has ever actually tried it.
No filler will ever match. None. All the commercial products that claim they are stainable are liars.
If you get a perfect match, the filler will stay the same as the piece ages, and it will stick out again.
I've had luck with two methods. One - Fill with whatever to level the surface. Finish. Use a delicate artist's brush and some paints to blend the spot with the surrounding wood.
Two - a perfectly round hole is always noticeable after filling. 2mm is pretty big. Make the hole somewhat irregular. Use a piece of the same wood wood, with the same grain, to patch the spot.
I'd simply fill it with your final finish. If it's lacquer, drip in lacquer until it's the same height and then do a final spray. If shellac, do the same.--You could even burn-in (melt) clear shellac stick with a final application of shellac. The 3 most important properties to match are sheen, reflection and tactile smoothness through the absence of surface irregularities. This method solves all three. It is the method used by furniture refinishers. I've used it with good success.--but of course I can't see your 2mm hole.
I still think sharing a photo of the hole is a good idea.
Not necessarily filling a hole but working with maple, hickory, and cherry with dark sap streaks, I use a epoxy and powdered graphite mix. Works well, fast, almost invisible. On a birds eye maple table top that had a swirl hole pattern from a knot, I was ready to toss it. My friend suggested filling cracks and swirls with a turquoise epoxy mix, highlight the defect instead of hiding it. Folks loved it.
Easy, MJ. This is a family magazine.
He said small holes, guys.
Timbermate can be tinted.
Haaaa... so many ways to reply, none of them appropriate.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Sorry no hole pictures. After several experiments what worked the best was packing the hole with sanding dust from the same wood and applying 1 drop of CA glue, letting it dry and then sanding down to right height and texture. Finish is 3 coats of danish oil. Looks great, even my wife of 46 years and the official esthetics director is pleased. There is rarely only one way to do something. Good to remember in lots of decisions. Thanks to all.
Make irregular and patch like John C2 said or drill out to 1/8" or 1/4" and patch with grain matched plug from same board or wood. Best chance at least noticeable fix.
I just finished restoring an antique sewing box, that had been 'repaired' over the years with nails. It was originally assembled with hide glue. ***
I drove round toothpicks into the holes and trimmed them flush, ad placed a drop of dye on the ends. Some of the holes were wallowed out, so I warmed some hide glue and flowed it into the hollows, let it harden and sanded it flush. The color matched the wood perfectly and when finished they are invisible.
*** to open a joint glued with hide glue, inject a little vinegar with a hypodermic needle. These turned loose in about 3 minutes.
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