Thread: Filling in Holes

I recently purchased some burled scales blanks from ebay. Some of them have holes in the wood and I am wandering if there is a way to fill them. I was going to try a finish using epoxy resin, but I wasn't sure if this would fill the holes or if I needed to just use wood putty. Worst case I can always put them in the garbage. ANy hints are greatly appreciated.

Originally Posted by treydampier

I recently purchased some burled scales blanks from ebay. Some of them have holes in the wood and I am wandering if there is a way to fill them. I was going to try a finish using epoxy resin, but I wasn't sure if this would fill the holes or if I needed to just use wood putty. Worst case I can always put them in the garbage. ANy hints are greatly appreciated.

I know that gunstock makers, who deal with figured grains all the time, frequently use the sanding dust from the piece of wood to be repaired to fill small imperfections. The wood powder is mixed with some wood glue (clear drying) and used like a putty to fill the gaps in the burl. Using the sanding dust gives you a good color match and when it is sanded should be very unobtrusive.

Tried wood filler?

I will try. I haven't begun yet, and I just wanted to get some ides and help before I jumped in.
THanks, for the suggestions.

Mirror Coat will fill in the holes. It is self leveling so you will need to bush and dump accordingly.

I like to use epoxy that is shaded black, the black seems to blend in well with figured woods. Glue or finish mixed with wood dust along with various wood putties/fillers will also work.

You can color epoxy with pigments, epoxies will also tolerate a small amount of acrylic paints mixed in to color them.

Charlie

There is a product called "wood stopping" that was made for this and comes in a variety of colours - easy to use, easy to sand and quite robust. If the holes are large, you could try cutting tapered plugs from an offcut and gluing them in place before sandind.

Regards,
Neil