Please help me to fill voids -- many voids

[John Huber]

In surfing the Intenet, I really liked the look of Black Palm. So I made a stave construction table lamp of Black Palm. It looks good from a foot or more. But it looks bad from close up. The face grain exhibits many voids of pinhole size. There are about one per square inch or so.

While I'm a novice turner, I've read woodturning books that talk about using epoxy or cyanoacrylate glues to fill voids. But I have dozens, or even a hundred.

I've tried a heavy coat of varnish and then sanding off the excess. But it looks like I'll need dozens of coats to fill the voids. Is there a better way to do this?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

John.....a lot of folks use coffee grounds and CA glue and some use coffee grounds and epoxy......and some use instant coffee crystals and epoxy to fill large wide cracks.

You can adjust the thickness of epoxy using DNA.

Depending on the size of the hole you're trying to fill.....You might try a coat of clear epoxy. If you have a buffer, epoxy buffs up nicely.

[Patrick Taylor]

Here's one I did with CA and burgundy colored sidewalk chalk I swiped from the kids. My MIL who received it thought it was a natural part of the burl. :cool:

http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=58533

[Richard Madison]

True. 12 to 20 coats of polyurethane varnish will do it. Mix a batch (pint, quart?) in a jar with lid, diluted 50% with thinner, and have at it. The varnish in jar will thicken as the days pass between successive coats on the work piece. By the 12th coat the holes will be filled and the varnish in jar will be full strength (or more), ready for finish coat. After about the first 4 coats (with a little dry sanding between), you can wet sand with 600 between coats, wipe clean, and do next coat. It is indeed a PITA, and I haven't done it this way for a long, long time.

[Jim Becker]

If you're going to do the varnish route, don't use polyurethane-based varnish. It's a lot of extra work because it doesn't like to stick to itself, etc. You also lose a lot of clarity with anything poly. Sanding between coats (necessary with poly) can also create "lines" because each coat is independent. If oil-based varnish is the choice, use an alkyd or phenolic based varnish. (examples being Sherwin Williams Fast Dry and Waterlox, respectively) Still can get the lines, however, if sanding between coats.

Another good choice would be shellac. Absolute clarity and by sanding back after each application, you fill in the small voids and grain with a product that becomes a single layer...it burns in. Same deal for NC lacquer and its associated vinyl sealer.

Option three would be to seal with shellac and then use a paste-wood filler, like Behlen's followed by the top coat of your choice.

[Don Eddard]

I've used CA with good success for filling the pores of black palm. It sounds like you're envisioning filling each void separately, but that's not the approach I'd recommend. Instead, I've applied medium CA like a finish all over the piece, then sanded and polished the resulting membrane finish smooth, usually after several coats. It's easier if the piece is still on the lathe, so you can spin it while sanding and polishing.

66545

[John Huber]

Thanks to all for the very helpful advice. How do I apply CA glue, since it sticks to practically everything?

[Lee DeRaud]

How do I apply CA glue, since it sticks to practically everything?Wear blue nitrile gloves. Wipe it on with a paper towel folded down to a 3"x3" square, then hit it with accelerator (the aerosol stuff is better than the pump bottles for this usage). Do all this with the lathe stopped: you can do it with the lathe spinning if you're using thin CA (e.g. as a finish), but not the medium or thick.

My standard bowl finish is:
1. Sand to 180 and clean thoroughly with mineral spirits.
2. (if necessary) Fill voids with medium or thick CA as described above, and repeat step 1.
3. While the piece is still wet from the mineral spirits, wipe on a coat of thin CA and hit with accelerator.
4. Sand with 320 until most of the CA is gone...the first coat is primarily a sealer. Clean with mineral spirits.
5. While the piece is still wet from the mineral spirits, apply coat of thin CA and hit with accelerator.
6. Sand lightly with 320, just smoothing the top of the CA film.
7. Wet-sand with 600 wet-dry paper and mineral spirits.
8. Buff and wax.

Except for step 2, everything is done with the lathe spinning at 1200RPM and takes a lot less time than it sounds. (Hint: don't stand in the splash zone. :eek: ) Hardest part is keeping from sanding through the CA film in steps 6 and 7, especially at edges/rims. If there are dull/uneven spots at step 7, it means you didn't use enough CA at step 5 or sanded too much at step 6: go back to step 4.