What to mix with sanding dust to fill imperfections
jim_hall
| Posted in General Discussion on
In the past I’ve used thin superglue and sanding dust to fill imperfections on cherry by filling the defect with dust, applying a drop of superglue, sanding and then repeat until completely filled. Super glue does a decent job but is so toxic to work with. I’d like to try something else. I’ve heard using shellac or lacquer with sanding dust works, but haven’t tried it. Any advice out there on how to mix and apply one of those combinations or something else as substitute for super glue. Thanks
Replies
I always used yellow glue with sanding dust. But Cherry is tough because it darkens so much. Have you heard of Timbermate? It cones in a variety of colors. I would use a color much darker than the freshly sanded cherry to match better when the wood oxidizes. https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/timbermate-wood-filler.aspx
Like Eddo I use yellow glue, or occasionally, Elmer's white glue. The white doesn't alter the color of the sawdust so matching should be easier. Mix until the slurry's the thickness of peanut butter then pack it in. It'll probably take a few times until it's settled.
Another choice is Sculpwood moldable epoxy with something like Transtint dyes for color-matching. Sculpwood is what it says, an epoxy you should wear gloves when handling. However, I was impressed by the result.
Also, you can find Sculpwood at Rockler.com
Mikaol
I use epoxy mixed with lock lube graphite powder. Black cherry usually has black streaks, works well.
Wow! Never thought of that before. Great idea.
I have used glue. But after trying shellac I'll never come back!
Think about pore filling in the first step of French polishing. Filling an imperfection is the same except at perhaps a larger scale.
These work well.
shellac stick?
I always use shellac, it can be mix to be very runny, sort of a slurry,to seep in small cracks or a little heavier based on the need.
Marcel
I’ve mixed black ink into epoxy for some small cracks, mostly in turnings. The black matched well and nobody noticed.
I’ve recently mixed wood flour in with the watco oil I used to fill some gappy dovetails. Maybe 1.5 mm wide at most and did it in a few layers. It seems to work although I’ve not tried picking at it to see how firmly it set. Shellac may be less questionable.
Mike
Buy yourself a small bottle of Old Brown Glue ("OBG"). Take a piece of cherry that you used to build the piece and make some sanding dust with sandpaper. Place a couple of drops of OBG on the small imperfections, dust with cherry sanding dust, then mix until you have a nice paste consistency (not too runny but not too dry - almost like peanut butter spread on warm toast). Let dry and then sand away.
Unlike white glue, OBG is awesome because you can use an oil or stain finish afterwards and you cannot see the imperfection or the glue.
It really is the best, being transparent to finish. Yellow glue mistakes stick out like a sore thumb. Old Brown Glue is pretty much invisible.
Absolutely. It's how I convince my woodworking father in law that I cut better dovetails than him haha.
The advantage of a quick-drying (medium or thick) CA fix is enough that I'll continue to use it, with a fan to blow away the fumes. I dont like the way thin CA spreads all over.
Thank you all for your advice on substitutes for sawdust and superglue as a filler. I tried mixing sawdust and shellac but it didn't seem to dry hard enough and the leftover on mixing pad was crumbly. I did a sample with old brown glue and it seemed to shrink a little and cause a dimple in filled crack, but it dried hard, was easy to apply and seemed to have good color so I went with that. I did tape off the fill spots so the filler ended up a bit higher than the wood surface. That eliminated any dimpling. Here's a sample of a filled dovetail joint and corner of the lid. The color is a little off but not noticeable from a normal distance on the dovetail. Its a little more noticeable on the lid end grain. Thanks again for your help.
Jim, I still prefer to use dust & CA glue, but not mixing it up. Depending on the void to be filled. I pack it with fine dust, then squeeze the thin CA on to it. It soaks right in and achieves the purpose with minimum exposure to fumes. I prefer this because the speed of curing means I can keep working.
PS, anybody use the translucent Titebond?
Translucent Titebond!? What witchcraft is this??
Yep. I've got some here in hand. http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/e06720fc-44f9-42b2-8c5c-77e7d85cf624
It dries mostly clear. I just have no idea if it is equivalent to TB I, II or III. But thought it might be an easier color match for mixing with sawdust in the situation being discussed.
I still use CA glue for small repairs. Like you say it dries quickly. Do you sand right off after applying glue? That's what I've been doing. That approach seems to waste and clog sandpaper rather quickly too.
Looks like Translucent Titebond is closer to TB I. I'll have to get some and give it a try. Here's a link to Franklin's specs. Scroll down the page to get the full picture.
http://www.titebond.com/product/glues/e06720fc-44f9-42b2-8c5c-77e7d85cf624
Jim, with CA in this situation, I always give it a shot of accelerant before sanding. If its thick, or I feel a grab with sanding, I'll wait a bit or give it another shot of accelerant. If it results in a blob that will take too long to sand down, I might give it a scrape with a chisel or my chisel plane first. I'm no expert, just have made a lot of mistakes that needed covering up.
As the Guitar Doctor at Stars Guitars in San Francisco, then working with Mario Martello at Satterlee & Chapin's, then at Sierra Guitars all in the same city, it was either sanding dust and clear lacquer or CA that did the trick, or lacquer sticks, depending. While no one likes to hear (let alone utter) the word, "Oops", mistakes are learning opportunities. Just keep track of what went wrong, what you did (in what order) to try to repair it and keep those techniques that worked.
Old Brown Glue (OBG) and some sanding dust from the project boards. OBG is stainable/oilable unlike white/yellow glues.
I use OBG all of the time. Get some hot tap water in a bowl, place OBG in for about 10 to fifteen minutes, and it is ready to use.
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