anybody use Pore-O-Pac Grain Filler

[Mark Saberniak]

Hartville tool sells a product called Pore-O-Pac Grain Filler. It comes in natural and medium brown. I would like to use this on red oak. I am assuming the medium brown would look best since the pores on oak stain dark. Has anybody out there used this product and can critique it? Thanks

[Rob Millard]

Mark,

I have used it, and it works very well.
The only problem I encountered was that it hazes over very quickly, so you have to work in small areas at a time. Because of the Pore-O-Pac's quick dry nature, I prefer to use the oil based filler sold by Constantine's, which dries more slowly. I believe they have a larger range of colors, than the Pore-O-Pac.
Rob Millard
www.americanfederalperiod.com (http://www.americanfederalperiod.com)

Rob Millard

[Jim Becker]

I used that product on the mahogany base for our teak kitchen table. My recommendation is to use it over a sealer, rather than directly on the bare wood...stain/dye, seal then fill, seal again...then your remaining top coating regimen. As to the color, the choice is relative to the effect you want. If you want to accentuate the pores, then the colored stuff will do that. If you don't want to accentuate the pores, then the natural (clear) is the way to go.

[Al Wasser]

In the case of red oak, I have had real good success by using danish oil. For the first coat flood the surface with danish oil, then sand with wet/dry sandpaper - something like 220. This creats a slurry that fills the pores. After you have a good slurry wipe the excess off cross grain. Let dry and then sand lightly and proceed with the finish you want

[John Timberlake]

I just used it on a walnut dining table top. It worked great, but I had the natural which caused the pores to stand out light colored. Ended up putting a gel stain over the filler.

I first sealed with garnet shellac. To apply the filler, I got a plastic putty knife at the hardware store and sanded the sharp edge with 320 grit. Applied at 45 degree angle. Got as much off as possible with the putty knife and then wiped with burlap. After a few day, I sanded with 320 grit and wiped clean. I had to apply the stain to get the light color out of the pores. Did a very nice job of filling the pores with one application. If you plan to stain the oak, I would probably use the brown.

[Steve Schoene]

You can chose your own color, adding pigment to the natural. Japan colors work as do artist' oil paint. (Choose a good oil paint--without wax filler--and look for the light fastness index for the pigments. The most used pigments for furniture--umbers and siennas with a little ocher thrown in are generally pretty light fast.)

You can tinker with the drying time of pore fillers by how you thin them. Current pore o pak comes very thick. For fast drying use naptha, for slower use mineral spirits. Remember the evaporation of the solvent is only part of the equation--affecting mostly workability. The speed of cure--after the solvent evaporates--is very important because if you top coat too quickly bad things such as pores turning light grey can happen. So give oil based fillers a good week to be safe and remember low temps really extend curing time.

I have never found the slurry method to do more than just take the really objectional part of the oak grain out. But to achieve a truely full filled finish pore filler would be needed--quite often two coats with oak.