Divots in Buckeye Burl Blank

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Mordi

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Dec 24, 2012
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Location
San Diego, CA 92131
I am new to pen making, so if this has already been asked and answered multiple times, please forgive me :eek:.

I just finished shaping my first burl - a stabilized buckeye burl blank for a Wall Street II type pen. The blank turned like butter - but upon close examination, it has a few small divots. Although some might like the "rustic " look, I think the finished pen would look better if these blemishes were not so visible.

Any suggestions? Should I dribble some medium CA in these areas , drop some of the shavings on top and then turn away? Or maybe just some CA and no shavings :confused:

Thanks for any help and suggestions,
Mordi
 
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<grins> We have all been there -- usually it is "tearout" where not all the grain was even and some extra wood left. Usually from running "up hill" or the tool could have been sharper.

If you are using a CA finish, you can fill the tearout with some medium CA then shear scrape to a smooth surface -- or a light touch with a skew.
 
Agree with Ken V

sometimes you can make a quick slurry of sawdust (or coffee grounds) and CA and use it to fill in the holes. Then return/sand to size.
 
Mordi, I just finished turning a small piece of BEB and it had a couple of divots in it, to fix it, I used the medium CA glue which I believe is the best solution to your problem. If it were missing a small piece or if it had a larger flaw such as an open split or wormhole, that is when you should use the glue or resin and sawdust fix.
Len
 
Start sanding with 220 or 320 grit and get some dust built up on the sandpaper. Add a couple drops of thin CA glue and sand again (with the lathe running) and work the slurry into the blank. You may need to repeat this with another piece or two of sandpaper (I use strips about 4.5 x .5") until the surface of the blank is smooth. Then finish sanding and finishing as usual.
 
Mordi,
It also depends on how big your divot(s) is(are). I usually turn unstabilized Buckeye Burl with no problems. Not so my last effort. I had a 1/2" or so chip out which was too deep to sand out, and I felt too big to use sawdust to fill. My solution was to fill the void with ground turquoise. LOML aka SWMBO likes it so I guess it turned out OK.
 
Yes, as KenV said "We've all been there." But as much as I hate to fill those voids, the end result is really worth the effort. I've filled voids all the way down to the brass before. If you have that in the future, be sure & paint your tubes black if you don't fill the voids with a filler.

I didn't see anyone mention thick CA, but I use that for filling voids over medium.
 
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