Holes....

[Cory Davis]

Hi yall..

Fist time post here, and I'd like to thank everyone for the great information I've recieved off this site so far in my lurking.

I'm fairly new to turning. I've done a few pens, so far. Some have come out really well, and some have come out.... not so well.... Sorry for not having any pics, yet, but I've now learned to take some BEFORE showing things to LOML (which leads to "OOOOOO.. Is that for me?", and gets toted to her office, never to be seen by me again).

Recently, I went out to my folks house and saved some mesquite from the burn pile. I decided that I was going to try my hand at a small bowl from this wood. I got the outside of the bowl turned, and it's looking good so far. I found that it has quite a few bug holes in it that I didn't originally see (adds character, right?). Well, that's left me in a situation where I'm not quite sure what to do next.

I've seen some very nice turnings posted here, with and without the holes filled. I've decided that I want to fill them in this one, and I want them filled with something dark. I've seen people say that they've filled with black epoxy, and sometimes coffee grounds, and I think that either one of these options would get the look that I want.

I guess my main question is.... how?

Do I need to fill these before I turn the inside? Do I wait till it's turned and thinner before I fill, and then have to return both inside and out? I think I understand the coffee ground method, but that sure does seem like alot of CA to take care of the larger holes. As for the epoxy, I'm not sure I've actually ever seen it come in black. Do you / how do you color it? Or, do I just have blinders on and it's sitting right in front of my face?

Sorry if the answers to these questions seem obvious, I just don't get some of 'em. Any info you could give me would be great.

Thanks in advance.

Cory

[Stu Ablett in Tokyo Japan]

First, welcome Cory, I'm glad you have stepped out of the shadows!

I've seen some with and without filled holes, both look good to me, other than that, sorry I do not have an answer for you.

Cheers!

[Mark Cothren]

Cory, you'll get some different answers I'm sure...

But first of all - WELCOME!!!!

I mix coffee grounds or charcoal dust into epoxy and then fill the holes. I do this after I've turned it down quite a ways but before the last, final cuts. What I do is from things I have learned from folks on here.

I also know of at least one person who uses ebony dust (John Hart?) instead of charcoal or coffee.

I only use CA to mix with sanding dust on very small holes/voids. For everything else that I fill I use epoxy.

Good luck!!!

[Joe Fisher]

Sorry for not having any pics, yet, but I've now learned to take some BEFORE showing things to LOML (which leads to "OOOOOO.. Is that for me?", and gets toted to her office, never to be seen by me again). I don't have a good answer to your question (Curtis should have some help - he's got the mesquite-hole-fillin'-skills :) ), but I wanted to tell you you're not the only one with that problem. In my case, it's the MIL. Any time she comes over the house, I have to hide anything that I didn't make for her, or it's gone :)

-Joe

[Jim Becker]

Fill 'em just before you start to take the piece to its final thickness. That uses the least amount of epoxy or other filler. You'll likely need to use a little masking tape on one side of the hole to keep the stuff in place while it cures. Once that occurs, do your final cuts to smooth the piece as well as the filler to the same profile.

[Mark Cothren]

You'll likely need to use a little masking tape on one side of the hole to keep the stuff in place while it cures.

Oh yeah... I forgot that part...:D

[Keith Burns]

Welcome to the Creek Cory ! As you can see already, theres no place better to get your questions answered:)

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Welcome to the Creek Cory! Wade right in the water's fine! Be aware.....we think it's possible that the Chief of Photo Cops here is a closet turner! He hangs out on the turner's forum a lot! Again...Welcome!

[Brad Schmid]

Fill 'em just before you start to take the piece to its final thickness. That uses the least amount of epoxy or other filler. You'll likely need to use a little masking tape on one side of the hole to keep the stuff in place while it cures. Once that occurs, do your final cuts to smooth the piece as well as the filler to the same profile.

Yeah, what Jim said. Another reason is, If you try to fill it when the wood is not close to final thickness, sometimes, you'll get undetectable air bubbles down in there, and when you turn it down to final, those air bubbles will then be surface voids. It's easier to get the surface (and near surface) completely bubble free and then do just minor finishing up.

I use 5 and 15 minute epoxies depending on the size of the void being filled, and I use oil based artists paints in a sqeeze tube to tint the epoxy (it doesn't take much). I have a set of like 10 or 12 different colors and I can mix them for just the right match.

Happy patching:)
Brad

PS: Welcome to SMC!

[Bernie Weishapl]

Welcome to Creek Cory. Ask away and you will find a answer.

[Blake McCully]

Like everybody else, Cory, welcome to the Creek. My take, of course that's only mine, is if there are no holes, it's a soup bowl. If there are holes it's art:D. I never fill holes, or remove bark, unless it comes off while turning.

Just my thoughts.

[John Hart]

Welcome Cory!! It's a friendly lil' vortex ain't it?

Like Mark said...I use ebony dust....just because I have so much scrap ebony around. I belt sand a handful and mix it with epoxy to the consistency of peanut butter, then schmoosh it in the hole just before finishing cuts.

Is "schmoosh" a word?:confused:

[Mark Cothren]

Is "schmoosh" a word?:confused:

If it wasn't, it is now...;)

[Andy Hoyt]

Is "schmoosh" a word?:confused:

If it wasn't, it is now...;)

But only when used in proper context.

As in: "Ya need to schmoosh it in there a skoshe"

[Brad Hart]

Welcome Cory!! It's a friendly lil' vortex ain't it?

Like Mark said...I use ebony dust....just because I have so much scrap ebony around. I belt sand a handful and mix it with epoxy to the consistency of peanut butter, then schmoosh it in the hole just before finishing cuts.

Is "schmoosh" a word?:confused:

Without being any relation to John (that I know of) I do pretty much the same thing. I am good about saving turning shaving and dust from exotics and mix mine with either epoxy or CA depending on the size of the fill spot. To save on the expense of CA and Epoxy I get mine in bulk through hinkley mall (http://www.hinkleymall.com/caglue.html) If you use shavings you get a textured look in the fill, but if you want quick dust without using a belt sander take really dry shavings, most of mine comes from pen blanks so it was dry to start with, and run it through a cheap coffee grinder. I paid $7 for mine at kmart.

[John Hart]

Without being any relation to John (that I know of) ....

Welcome to SMC Brad!!! Well, since there's really only two or three major Hart clans....there's a chance.;)

[Ernie Nyvall]

Welcome Cory. Did you decide what t do yet? Got a picture?

Ernie

[Brad Hart]

who says I am not in the witness protection program????

[John Hart]

who says I am not in the witness protection program????


Oh yeah...I didn't think about that. So, your name isn't really Brad? I'm so disappointed.:p

[David Fried]

Is "schmoosh" a word?:confused:

I did know you spoke Yiddish!

Welcome Cory!!

[Jim Dunn]

Welcome Corey. Don't listen to about half of the people here. It's your job to figure out which half.