Repairing Tearout?

[Jason Scott]

Hey guys,

I'm finishing sanding finally my coffee table. On the front apron b/c the grain was so figured there was a patch of tearout from the planer, about 3"X3" area or so where there is numberous little tearouts...What is the best way to repair this? I figured using the CA glue and dust will cause a lot of dark spotting so I then thought about just leveling the whole area with epoxy and then sanding flush...Question is how much will the tearout spots be noticeable with a clear finish over them. I never stain beautiful wood, just finish with a tung-oil blend or shellac. Thanks for any guidance.

jason

[David DeCristoforo]

How deep are the tearouts? The "best" way to "fix" them would be to remove them by scraping down the apron a bit, assuming they are, as you say "little" enough that you would not have to remove so much material as to make an obvious depression.

YM

[Jason Scott]

Thanks for the reply, no they are too deep, some more than others, but as a whole I would say some are 1/16" deep, anyone else have any other opinions on it?

jason

[Joe Chritz]

Never really had any luck with repairing them.

You could always change gears and do an inlay of walnut or ebony.

Joe

[Mike Cutler]

Jason

Next to a "Dutchmans patch" of the same material, solid epoxy sticks are your next best option.Mohawk Finishes specializes in them.


Match the color(s) as best you can,and then start in with an artist brush and some oil based paints that match the grain colors from an art supply store. It isn't going to be quick work.

[Sam Yerardi]

I would still follow Yoshikuni's suggestion on the scraper and try to bring the general area down a bit, and then you will have smaller tearouts to deal with. Then you can try things ranging from filler, wood dust/shellac, wood dust/varnish, etc., and then perhaps the repairs won't be as obvious.

[glenn bradley]

If you are going to use an oil that has mineral spirits as a reducer (like BLO or tung oil blends) check this out . . . Jeff Jewitt wrote an article-ette on fillers. When using oils as described, he uses plaster of paris as the filler.

I was intrigued so I tried it. The P of P fills the pores and other, larger, problems as well. It sands easily and turns translucent when the oil is applied making it nearly invisible. Try it on a scrap, you'll be surprised.