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View Full Version : Sealing end grain on mantle shelf


Brian Penning
10-09-2009, 10:27 PM
I've a 3" thick 8" wide, 6 ft long piece of walnut to be used for a mantle.
It's ready for finishing.
There's a thin crack in the end of the piece.
Any suggestions to prevent the crack from getting bigger?
Was thinking of letting the endgrain soak up some epoxy before applying the oil finish.
Or will the simple soaking of the oil/varnish mix be sufficient?
ROY DICK
10-09-2009, 10:33 PM
Brian,
If you can get some walnut dust from the sanding and mix with epoxy, it might work for you.

Roy
John Kali
10-09-2009, 10:40 PM
What kind of epoxy do you have? I would thin it out so it penetrates all the way to the bottom of the crack.
Brian Penning
10-10-2009, 5:56 AM
I use West System, which is quite liquid when you first mix it.
Tony Bilello
10-10-2009, 6:27 AM
They make plastic hypodermic needles just for injecting epoxy in cracks. Ther work great.
Scott T Smith
10-10-2009, 9:37 AM
Brian, do you know what the moisture content is in the interior of the mantle? If it's fairly low (less than 10%, then the epoxy should work ok. If it's pretty green, you may get some movement and future cracks as it dries over time.