Manzanita bottle stopper checks

[wolf creek knives]

I've been asked to make a bottle stopper out of Manzanita. Problem is that the Manzanita I have has checks in it that I can work around for pens but not a bottle stopper. I've looked at mineral and stone fillers but was wondering if there's a size/depth limit. The checks are too large for saw dust filling and I don't want to splice another piece of Manzanita into the check. My other thought is to just leave the check in place and smooth out the edges. Any ideas?

 

[sbwertz]

Embossing powder from a place like Michaels works well. I use the black the most, but also use the Carnaline (brick red) for filling checks and voids on red/pink woods like carob. Mix it with epoxy or thick CA and work it into the cracks. It will sand and finish like wood.