How do you treat punky areas?

[Edwin Santos]

Hi,
My current project includes drawer fronts made from spalted maple. Some of the spalted maple areas are punky. I plan to use a clear finish, probably Arm-R-Seal, maybe over DW shellac.

I'm looking for advice on how to treat the punky areas. I've searched the archives here and seen mention of dripping cyanacrolate into the areas. Also seen mention of Minwax and other brands of wood hardeners. I just don't want whatever I do to end up highlighting the areas when it comes time to apply finish.
Unfortunately, I don't have much extra stock with punky areas to experiment on. I hope I've provided enough background. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for any input,

Edwin

[John Kee]

http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/index.html

Hopefully the link works for you. Its Smiths Clear penetrating Epoxy Sealer. Works extremely well on punky wood and should be applied to the whole surface. It does stink when used indoors and should be allowed to completely cure before applying an finish.

[Steve Eure]

Minwax Wood Hardner https://www.minwax.com/wood-products...-wood-hardener
You can also use CA glue to help punky areas. I use it all the time on turning projects.

[Bennett Ostroff]

I would go with two part epoxy. CA glue may be appropriate for very small and shallow punky areas but epoxy will ensure stability no matter the size. You'll probably need a few coats/pours depending on how porous the area is. Start with a thin coat to avoid bubbles. It should blend in well with Arm-r-Seal.

[Tom Bender]

They are drawer fronts, no wear and tear. Can you leave them to be appreciated as they are?

[Edwin Santos]

They are drawer fronts, no wear and tear. Can you leave them to be appreciated as they are?

You've got me thinking...

To your point, it's a walnut hall table and the three drawers are more decorative than functional. The fronts will only be about 4" high by 11" long. Everything else about the design is kind of sleek, so leaving the drawer fronts in a more natural state, blemishes and all might be a good counterbalance. Thanks, I hope to post some finished photos in a week or two.

Edwin

[Ted Phillips]

http://www.smithandcompany.org/CPES/index.html

Hopefully the link works for you. Its Smiths Clear penetrating Epoxy Sealer. Works extremely well on punky wood and should be applied to the whole surface. It does stink when used indoors and should be allowed to completely cure before applying an finish.

John - you are absolutely right about Smiths. Their CPES is perfect for this application - and also it stinks to high heaven. I made the mistake of applying it to a small piece in the basement one time and we had to evacuate the house for the rest of the day. Wow.

The Total Boat/Jamestown CPES is also very good and doesn't have very much of an odor at all.