Filling open grain woods....

[Tom Crockett]

Hi all,,,,,

Im turning a piece of black walnut and I would like to here how you would fill the open pores. It is side grain and sanded really smooth, but I would like the "surface" to be really really really smooth. So any great ideas? I know, silly question, I know you know:) :) :) :) :)

Back to the shop now....

[Dennis Peacock]

Tom,

How smooth is really smooth? Walnut isn't all that easy to get great looking for me. It takes a LOT of sanding and sanding through some very fine grits, like 600, 800, and 1,000 grit. Fill the wood pores? Hummmmmm....something that has worked for me a few times that I've tried it to wet sand with 400 grit sandpaper with Tung Oil thinned 40% with Mineral Spirits. Just apply the tung oil and start sanding. The sanding dust will mix with the oil and you work that into the open pores of the wood. Sand lightly with the oil and sand with the grain. Allow the sanded surface to sit for 24 hours or over night and check the surface again for open pores. You can, if you have a small pile of walnut sanding dust, mix it with an oil finish of your choice and wipe it into the pores and let dry. Lighty sand after it's all dry with the next higher grit, like 600 grit.

The other choice is to apply a clear finish, allow to dry. Sand it down, re-apply another coat of clear finish, let that dry, sand it down, re-apply another coat of clear finish....repeat process until you have a glass smooth finish. Lacquer or Shellac works well for this as it builds and dries quickly.

Another choice is to get some Pumice or Rotten Stone and apply that with some Shellac. This is along the line of French Polishing and does require patience while working on filling the pores.

There...that's a few ideas for ya. Experiment around on some scrap and figure out what works best for you. Each person has their own favorite way of doing things and filling wood pores is one that some folks do it, and some folks don't.

The general idea is to put something in a medium that will fit in the wood pores and the oil or finish medium is there to hold it in the wood pores when dry.

Wow....I hope you're not as confused as I am on this. :rolleyes:

Hope this provides you a few ideas to try.

[Rich Stewart]

I have been experimenting with sanding sealer on walnut. It worked pretty good. I went right through the bottom of that bowl but the outside looked really nice. Sand through 400 then wipe on a bunch of sanding sealer and let dry. Sand with 400 again. Pretty much follow the directions on the can. I'm working on a mahogany bowl now with the same process. I'll let you know how it goes.

Rich

[Bernie Weishapl]

Tom I have started doing what Rich just described. On the advise of a couple of friends got some Mylands Sanding Sealer. I have used it now on one mahogany bowl and one walnut bowl. I sanded them both to 600 grit and put the sealer on then sanded again with 400 & 600 grit. It lets you put a fine finish on it. I just follow the directions on the can.

[Jim Becker]

I don't find walnut to be particularly "open" grained...in the sense that oak and ash are, for example. Sanding up through 400-600 and then multiple coats of a "danish oil" finish buffs out to a super smooth finish for me on walnut.

[Tom Crockett]

Thanks all. Great ideas to go try out......hmmmmmm, which one first:confused:

[Ernie Nyvall]

I don't find walnut to be particularly "open" grained...in the sense that oak and ash are, for example. Sanding up through 400-600 and then multiple coats of a "danish oil" finish buffs out to a super smooth finish for me on walnut.


I agree... this works really well on walnut and I have been known to take some 0000 steel wool or the like and create a slurry with it. Let it sit for a while and wipe it off. Not sure though that it changes much though.

Ernie

[Curt Fuller]

I know this will sound crazy but... The other day I stopped into Clead Christensen's shop to drool over some of his latest work. He was working on an order of Oak balustars. When he had them sanded smooth, he took a damp rag with sheetrock taping mud on it and rubbed some onto them as they were turning. When I asked him why he was doing that he said it was an old trick he learned for open grained wood. He said it seals up the grain and when he sprays them with polyurethane it goes transparent and you can't tell its there. It dried in seconds and then he takes a clean dry rag and gives them a hard rub like you would with friction polish. He showed me some finished pieces and they were smooth as glass but looked just like regular oak. I haven't tried it myself and I don't know if it would work on something dark like walnut. But it sure made those oak balustars look like glass.

[John Hart]

Curt...Was the taping mud a powder or was it a mud when he did that? Sounds worthy of an experiment on a some scrap dark woods.;)

[Curt Fuller]

Curt...Was the taping mud a powder or was it a mud when he did that? Sounds worthy of an experiment on a some scrap dark woods.;)
It was mud. He had a gallon bucket of the premixed stuff and he just rubbed it on with a damp rag, let it dry a minute, and rubbed it off. You could hardly see it on the wood after he rubbed it off.

[Rich Stewart]

Curt. Is taping mud the same thing as spackling? I got some spackling and put it on an oak platter and it really made a mess. Haha. Trying to figure out what i did wrong. Did he wipe it off with the damp rag he put it on with? I am very interested in this technique as i live in Jersey and oak and pine is pretty much all we have here. Pine sap makes too much of a problem so I am trying to find some way to make oak look real nice so i can use the TONS of it that can be found around here.

Thanks.

Rich

[Tom Crockett]

Hmmmm. sheet rock mud, haden't thought of that one before. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Probably wouldn't work too well on Walnut thought huh? I am going to try the oil and fine sandpaper when I get done (should be a few more days at my rate) then I'll report back.

[Jim Becker]

Naa....not on walnut, Tom. You even skip the white diamond when buffing on walnut!

[Lee DeRaud]

Naa....not on walnut, Tom. You even skip the white diamond when buffing on walnut!Now he tells me...grumble, grumble...:eek:

[Andy Hoyt]

I wonder if......

You sanded the bejeebers out of some walnut scrap; collected the dust; and mixed it in with the mud; and then applied.

Lather, rinse, repeat

[Lee DeRaud]

I wonder if......

You sanded the bejeebers out of some walnut scrap; collected the dust; and mixed it in with the mud; and then applied.

Lather, rinse, repeatOr maybe use tinted grout, mixed real thin?