Hole-y Moley!

[ChewTerr]

Hey,

I've only turned a dozen or so pens, so I am still figuring things out. I recently started turning a piece for a Sierra pen. As I was rounding it out, I started seeing a lot of holes within the wood. I could tell that some went clear through to the tube. I had heard reference to people filling in imperfections with CA/superglue, so did that for practice, using some random Harbor Freight super glue. This did smooth out/fill the holes, though it also sunk into the wood and darkened it a lot in the areas I poured it. I turned/sanded the darkness out to end up with a relatively smooth blank. This catches y'all up and brings me to my two questions:

1) What do y'all do when presented with hidden holes in the wood that are deep enough to show the tube? Is there a way to fill them, or is the tube just going to be visible?

2) What should I do with this blank? I could jam it on a Sierra kit, but seeing the tube through a few little holes seems pretty... rough. Is it worth wasting a kit on, or do I toss it?

Thanks!
-Will

 

[Skie_M]

This kind of problem will present itself when working with reclaimed wood ... those appear to be nail holes.


The typical fix is actually .... take some wood dust/shavings from the wood you are working with and fill the hole, then soak with CA to fill it and seal it ...


Those are fairly big holes, though ... I'ld turn the wood off the brass tubes to save them, and try again with another piece of wood.

 

[Charlie_W]

Bummer! You will probably get three dozen ways to fill a hole so I will just give my you my thought with what I see.
Either turn the wood off the tube and start with new wood or....make a bunch more holes similar to those down to the brass and then fill with CA and call it a design opportunity!

 

[CREID]

You know, it actually looks cool that way. Personally I would leave it.
Curt

 

[KenV]

Black colored epoxy to fill can work well. Common technique with mesquite.

Coffee grounds, smashed up turquoise, etc.

Inflate is sold in many colors for such uses.

 

[ChewTerr]

Thank y'all! These are some great ideas to get me started next time I see this. In addition to needing to pick up some oddball accessories (some kind of wax to prevent glue from getting in tubes, fill, and so on), I like the idea of shavings or coffee grounds to fill in holes... Now I'm a little tempted to drill holes laterally, just to fill them with interesting things...

 

[CREID]

Thank y'all! These are some great ideas to get me started next time I see this. In addition to needing to pick up some oddball accessories (some kind of wax to prevent glue from getting in tubes, fill, and so on), I like the idea of shavings or coffee grounds to fill in holes... Now I'm a little tempted to drill holes laterally, just to fill them with interesting things...

Don't worry, there will most likely be more times you end up with the holes, either naturally or manmade (as in you).
Curt

 

[TurtleTom]

These are the works you never forget, don't scrap it.
You can use dried coffee grounds too. My personal favorite is ground (green) malachite.

 

[magier412]

...some kind of wax to prevent glue from getting in tubes...

you can also just slice a potato and push the tube ends through to seal up the ends...dental wax works best (for me), but in a pinch, a potato works too.

 

[ChewTerr]

Oh, meant to ask -- if I tried to do a fill as recommended, is there a specific recommended kind of CA? Thin? Thick? Random superglue?

 

[Skie_M]

Thin will flow through small cracks much faster before it starts to set .... You want to use thin for getting crushed rock (like malachite or turquoise) set.

Medium and Thick are for building layers, or for initial glue-ups, where there's some extra room round your brass tube .... you don't want that thing floating about.



That having been said, I use the ordinary Harbor Freight superglue for everything.... It's what I glue my brass tubes in with, it's what I use for stone and metal inlay work, it's what I use for finish on my pens, and it's what I use for fixing voids, pockets, cracks, ect with ...


Though, I have been toying with the idea of getting the Gel to use for my glue-ups .... it's thicker and can fill those aforementioned oversized holes.


Last note about stone inlay ... some types of stone (malachite included) can be detrimental to your health if breathed in... and stay away from trying to inlay glass or ANY kind of crystal. Most will tend to shatter or overheat and break the glue bond rather than grind down.

 

[mecompco]

Thank y'all! These are some great ideas to get me started next time I see this. In addition to needing to pick up some oddball accessories (some kind of wax to prevent glue from getting in tubes, fill, and so on), I like the idea of shavings or coffee grounds to fill in holes... Now I'm a little tempted to drill holes laterally, just to fill them with interesting things...

Just bought a 10 pack of dental wax on Amazon--it works great. Just press the tube into the wax. The wax is packed in nice little plastic boxes and will do dozens of pens.

Regards,
Michael

PS I kinda like the "distressed" look of your blank. Looks like an old fence post or something.

 

[Drewboy22]

PS I kinda like the "distressed" look of your blank. Looks like an old fence post or something.

I was thinking the same thing. You could sell it as a "Reclaimed Wood" pen. I like it :wink:

 

[tjseagrove]

I had one that had multiple worm holes. When I got close to the end of turning, I filled the holes with glitter and sealed with thin CA. Looked great in the end and sold in a flash.
13

 

[ChewTerr]

Thank y'all! In the end, I did opt to put a basic kit on it because I had learned enough from making it that I figured the pen deserved it! Either I can give it to a friend having a rough day or add it to a tip or something!

 

[Sabaharr]

I had a Cigar pen that had a hidden nail hole. I went ahead and filled it on both sides with CA and let the tube shine through. I figure it will produce some questions and questions are interest and interest is a sale (in theory anyway).