Grain Filler, what's the trick

[Randall Frey]

I have a question about the grain filling process on my Mahogany table top. On my test pieces, after staining and sealing with shellac I applied an oil base grain filler. I wiped it on across the grain, waited about 4 minutes and then used a squeegie going across the grain to get the bulk off, then, to get the resedue off I used burlap and boy, I had to apply a lot of pressure and still could not get it all off. The next day, I lightly sanded the piece with 600 to get the rest off. I was very afraid of sanding through the shellac below and then into the stain which would be a bad thing on my finished table top. Is there an easier way to get the excess filler off of the wood surface and keep it in the pours. Should I not let it set up at all before wiping it off? Should I have 2 coats of shellac below the grain filler? Any help would be greatly appriciated, Thanks

[Rob Millard]

Randall,

I’ll bet you used Behlen’s grain filler.

It seems to “get away” from a person pretty easily.

I add a little linseed oil, to slow down the set time. This has the down side of making the cure time longer; so if you do this allow 3-5 day under warm conditions before applying a topcoat. The other alternative is to work in small areas at a time.

I now use the oil based grain filler sold by Constantine’s. It comes from the can very thick, and must be thinned. In cold weather I use naphtha to speed up the set time. In warm weather I’ll use mineral spirits to slow the set time down.

No matter which brand or mixing procedure you use, after you have wiped across the grain with the burlap, let it sit for a few minutes and buff with the grain, with a wad of cheese cloth. This will remove the last bit of haze without disturbing the filler in the pores. Right before applying the top coat, you can also buff lightly with a synthetic abrasive pad; this is unlikely to cut through the surface, yet it does a good job of removing any minor amounts of filler left on the surface.

Rob Millard

[Steve Schoene]

One other point is that you don't need to cover entire surfaces in one go. You can work in smaller, more manageable portions, beginning the cross grain wiping as soon as it hazes over. Particularly over a sealed surface, you won't get objectionable overlaps.

By the way, when I do mahogany I often use a dye or dyes before the grain filler, and then use the grain filler tinted to the shade I want to color the pores. If I weren't using the grain filler this step would be accomplished with pigmented stain.

[Randall Frey]

Thanks guys,
I am useing Bartleys grain filler. I did a bit more tonight in smaller sections and it works much better although it still took a bit of effort. I will get some cheesecloth tomorrow and give that a go. Thanks again, if it all turns out I'll post some pics.
Randy