Filling cracks in dark burl?

[Dan_F]

I have a couple of burl pens underway, which have tiny pits or cracks in darker portions of the blanks. If the color was uniform, I'd sand with CA and fill the voids with the sawdust. With these pens, I don't want to get lighter sawdust in the voids in the darker areas. I have 3 coats of thin CA on both pens. What are some ideas as to how to proceed? Should a few more coats of med or thick CA do the trick, or do I need to use something else as a filler? Thanks,

Dan

 

[Dario]

Depends on what type of burl.

I usually fill with darker wood shavings (that I saved previously) and/or use black/rubberized CA. There were times before when I filled spalted buckeye burl voids with red (amboyna) shavings and the effect was really nice.

If the voids are not that big and the tube will not show...you can get away with just thick CA and have it create the illusion of depth.

 

[wdcav1952]

Dan, I like Dario's thick CA answer. If there aren't too many voids, you can fill the voids with the thick CA while the lathe is off. I like that method for the illusion of depth as Dario mentioned. I find that if I use accelerator or try to sand before the CA is completely set that I get cloudiness in the CA, spoiling the look. Consider filling the voids just before you leave the shop for the night. It may take a few applications, depending on how the glue is absorbed.

 

[Nolan]

I do as stated also, I only use sanding slurry when it is big enough cracks and can be part of the overal pen and not just look like a crack repair

 

[Dan_F]

Thanks, for the replies. I think a few good coats of medium or thick should do the trick.

Dan