Dealing with a fine line crack

[Gary Conklin]

So I am turning a closed form, and have a fine(hairline) crack on the rim. I have saturated it with thin CA to stop it spreading, but it is still visible. At least to me. I tried CA and sanding. Any ideas how else to hide, or should I not worry about it?

[Jeff Nicol]

So I am turning a closed form, and have a fine(hairline) crack on the rim. I have saturated it with thin CA to stop it spreading, but it is still visible. At least to me. I tried CA and sanding. Any ideas how else to hide, or should I not worry about it?
Gary, Most always you will see the crack after the CA has filled the crack. If the wood is light colored it will for sure be seen. If darker and has some spalting it may blend away, but they will still be there. It is a way to make the crack stable but not make it disappear.

Good luck,

Jeff

[David Walser]

Gary,

If the crack is still open (the CA glue did not fill the void), clean out the void with compressed air and then try to fill it with sanding dust. After the crack is filled with dust (so the dust is above the surface), carefully apply a drop or two of thin CA to the crack. It should wick through the dust into the crack. When the CA is cured (I wouldn't use accellerator), the dust should be fused solid, filling the crack. Carefully hand sand and the crack should all but disappear.

If the crack is not open (the clear CA has bridged the crack, leaving a clear piece of plastic between the sides of the crack), you've got a couple of options:


Use a dental pick, knife blade, or some other tool to re-open the crack so you can get some fill material into it. Then follow the steps, above.
Paint. If you're good with an artist's paint brush or and air brush, you should be able to disguise the crack with a couple of deft strokes of the brush.
Ignore the crack.

HTH!

[Wally Dickerman]

As you probably already know, applying thin CA to a crack will stain the surrounding wood. With light colored wood this can ruin the appearance of the piece. Tip...if you are going to apply thin CA, coat the surrounding wood with wax or finishing oil to prevent staining. I often use Deft brush-on lacquer for this purpose. Apply it, rub it with a paper towel to dry it, then apply the glue.

If the crack is unsightly and will detract from the looks of the piece, sometimes it works to accentuate it. Widen it and apply coffee grounds or turquoise or wood dust from a colored wood such as bloodwood or ebony. Trying to hide a crack seldom works, especially in light colored wood.

Wally

[Gary Conklin]

Thanks for the tips guys! The crack really is just a hairline and already filled with CA(I did coat the surrounding area with shellac) I think I will leave it alone.

[Steve Schlumpf]

For future reference - a while back it was suggested to leave the crack as is until you go to finish the piece. Then - using the finish of choice and some 400 grit sandpaper - sand around the crack until you have a slurry of finish and sanding dust and then work that slurry back and forth over the crack until it is filled. You may have to do this a couple of times until the crack is filled but it does work well as you are using the same wood - so the color matches!

[Bernie Weishapl]

I heard the same thing Steve did and use it. It works well.

[Lionel Mercier]

Now, it's just a hairline crack.
If you change the item from one room to another, the wood'll work with the possible moisture change.
My mind, ignore the crack or, if too obvious, embellish it with a knot for example.
Lionel.

[Bruce Hoover]

Wally,
Another way (and I feel a more reliable one) to avoid staining is this. I use a super fast accelerator (1 to 2 seconds set time as opposed the usual 5 to 7 seconds) called KWIK FRAME.
If you saturate the area around the crack first with the accelerator, let it sit a moment, then apply a second shot of KWIK FRAME, and then quickly apply the thin CA to the crack. It will run in the crack and cure instantly. The excess glue on the surface can not soak in because the surface is wet and it dries on the surface without staining. Same things happens inside the crack; the wood is wet with accelerator and glue cannot soak in to create an ugly stain. General rule of thumb is the softer the wood, the more accelerator you apply. When you sand away the excess all that is left is the fine line and no stain. To accentuate the crack, use black CA instead. This creates a faux spalt line. It does not work well with the slower "standard" accelerators. This method has worked better for me than oil or sanding sealer or finish, etc., and has been part of my "Sanding Secrets" demonstration for a number of years.
Bruce




As you probably already know, applying thin CA to a crack will stain the surrounding wood. With light colored wood this can ruin the appearance of the piece. Tip...if you are going to apply thin CA, coat the surrounding wood with wax or finishing oil to prevent staining. I often use Deft brush-on lacquer for this purpose. Apply it, rub it with a paper towel to dry it, then apply the glue.

If the crack is unsightly and will detract from the looks of the piece, sometimes it works to accentuate it. Widen it and apply coffee grounds or turquoise or wood dust from a colored wood such as bloodwood or ebony. Trying to hide a crack seldom works, especially in light colored wood.

Wally