Voids in Bowls

[Randy Heinemann]

I turned a bowl from spalted maple which turned out to have a "void" which, for part of it, goes from inside wall to outside wall. I filled it with ca glue, but the result, even after turning and sanding, is not desirable (should have guessed that, I suppose, but I didn't initially realize the void was as large and extensive as it turned out to be).

So, my question, at this point, is what can be done to improve the look after the bowl has been partially sanded.

A specific question I have is whether there is a way to bring the ca glue below the surface enough to fill it in with something else like a sawdust/glue mixture or dyed sawdust/shellac mixture? I've used sawdust/shellac on another project and the result was good, but I need at least as slight void to fill at this point. Will the ca glue solvent erode enough of the surface of the glue away to allow a refill with something that looks more compatible?

I have no problem experimenting, but I'm just trying to figure what a good starting point would be that gives the most likely chance of success.

This subject has probably been addressed before, but several searches didn't turn up an answer that helped me.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

How big is the void? I use CA and sanding dust (not sawdust) to fill small ones. I've used fake turquoise in larger ones. Big ones I leave alone and enjoy it.

[Al Wasser]

I hate dealing with cracks, but a void offers a lot of possibilities. I often use epoxy mixed with coffee grounds, turquoise, pearl essence or whatever you want. I don't trust CA to hold a very large void and then there is the problem of CA staining many woods even if you use sanding sealer first.

[daryl moses]

I cant help you after the fact, but i've found that instead of trying to make the void vanish it is easier and more pleasing to the eye to make it stand out.
I also use coffee grounds [K cups] and epoxy. It makes the void look like it is just a part of the wood.
I also sometimes leave the void as is, even if it goes completely through the side. Bowls done this way are always attention grabbers and usually the first to sell at craft fairs.

[John K Jordan]

I cant help you after the fact, but i've found that instead of trying to make the void vanish it is easier and more pleasing to the eye to make it stand out.
I also use coffee grounds [K cups] and epoxy. It makes the void look like it is just a part of the wood.
I also sometimes leave the void as is, even if it goes completely through the side. Bowls done this way are always attention grabbers and usually the first to sell at craft fairs.

I agree with Daryl. I'd personally prefer seeing a void than fill. And the more "rugged" the piece, the more attention it often gets.

Some people love the look of fill but most looks bad to me, including contrasting materials such as crushed stone. One problem I've seen with fills is no matter if they look perfect at first they can eventually break loose at some point from natural seasonal movement of the wood, leaving a crack along the boundary if not actually loose or proud or below the wood surface if the fill is not flexible.

That said, I have successfully filled voids in a way that stayed in place and looked like they were not filled. In one small platter a bark inclusion fell out leaving a void about 1/4" wide through the piece and all the way to the edge. I cut slices of bark from another piece of the wood and glued them into place in layers so the color varied across the void and looked very much like a smaller bark inclusion that stayed in the wood. (Sorry, no photo, the piece is long gone.)

I also wonder about the size and extent of your void. Maybe post a photo to give folks some idea of what you are dealing with, might spark some ideas.

JKJ

[Randy Heinemann]

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Here are 2 pictures which, admittedly might not show the problem well. At first I didn't realize that the crack actually when all the way through until I put some CA glue in and realized it was coming out the other side. I filled as best I could and turned the rest of the bowl. The groove still needs to be fill with a polymer clay design and then remounted and finished, so I can still do other things with the crack. Will CA solvent dissolve the glue and allow me to fill with something else or just leave it open?

[Mike Nathal]

just chip it out with a chisel or a carving knife.