Trans-tint and C.A glue filled cracks

[Don Frank]

I have a slightly spalted river birch hollow form that i was wanting to use trans tint dyes on. I used C/A glue on some cracks and didn't apply it as carefully as I should have. It weeped out a ways on each side of the crack. Once I do the final sanding on the outside are those areas going to stand out like a sore thumb because of the C/A sealing the pores of the grain? Should I try it or pass?

[John K Jordan]

I have a slightly spalted river birch hollow form that i was wanting to use trans tint dyes on. I used C/A glue on some cracks and didn't apply it as carefully as I should have. It weeped out a ways on each side of the crack. Once I do the final sanding on the outside are those areas going to stand out like a sore thumb because of the C/A sealing the pores of the grain? Should I try it or pass?

Don, if you still have some scraps of the wood maybe you could sand a piece, add a drop of CA, and try the dye. I'm GUESSING it will show any place the glue wicked into the wood.

I have the same problem when I use CA to stabilize soft/punky areas of a turning - some finishes will make it look horrible. What I generally do might sound excessive: I flood the entire piece with thin CA, or sometimes wipe on CA away from the problem area and with the grain/figure to blend it and avoid the hard edge. If the intended finish is oil or something that soaks into the wood, wiping the piece with naptha will usually give a good idea of what the finished area will look like. (Also helps show any scratches!)

Sanding sealer applied before the glue can help prevent wicking. I also use the tiny capillary bottle tips (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H7H4NW) to apply micro-size drops of CA and immediately wipe any excess away and across the wood to blend the edge. I don't know if the tips will work if you are not using thin CA.

JKJ

[Harold Balzonia]

In my experience, the ca glue that wicked around the crack will most likely prevent the trans-tint from doing its job. But that shouldn't stop you from finishing the piece. If nothing else you will learn from the process.... please don't give up on it.

There is one trick I have employed to some success when the ca has gone where I didn't want it to go. I break out the wood burning tool and burn those spots/lines/cracks and try to make it look like an inclusion. It works particularly well on spalted wood where I can burn the ca filled crack and make the crack look like spalting.

obviously, do any burning before you use the trans-tint.

to avoid the ca glue from going where I don't want it, I've learned that if you spritz the area lightly with accelerator before you apply the thin ca, the glue will set in the crack before it has a chance to weep into surrounding areas. Like, JKJ, I use thin needles to place the extra thin ca exactly where I want it.

hope that helps

364422

This bowl was a spalted, punky mess... it was like turning popcorn. But after a lot of burning, thinned epoxy, and ca glue, I was able to make it into something. Some people hate it, others really like it. Not many people on the fence when it comes to this bowl!

[Don Frank]

Thank you both for the suggestions. I'll see if I have any cast off's from this that I can test. This is not real punky wood but I think the suggestion of a test would be worthwhile. I had never heard of using the accelerator to stop or slow the weeping.

[John K Jordan]

This bowl was a spalted, punky mess... it was like turning popcorn. But after a lot of burning, thinned epoxy, and ca glue, I was able to make it into something. Some people hate it, others really like it. Not many people on the fence when it comes to this bowl!

I like your spalted, punky mess! This is one I did a few months ago. A friend sent a small piece of wood that was so punky it crumbled when I touched it. I thought the figure was good enough for extreme measures so I used CA (repeatedly) to make the punky parts hard enough to turn and finish. It's about 2" high or so, I think:

364435

JKJ

[Neil McWilliams]

Yes, the areas where the glue went will look different. The answer is to make all the wood look the same by flooding the surface with extra thin CA glue from a capillary tube tipped squeeze bottle. With the blank revolving at very slow speed, this is rather easy to do. Do your 60 or 80 grit sanding first and be sure to wear vinyl or latex gloves. That ultra thin CA will get over your fingers otherwise.