Wood filler used for bright work?

[Jeff Kelety]

Hi all -

Any special boat "stuff" that you all use to cosmetically fill small splits or seams in wood that will be finished bright? For instance, I have a split in one of the faring blocks (probably not the real technical "boaty name") around the chainplate from where it exits the deck. This isn't a piece that the chain plate is attached to, it just lies flush on the deck surround the plate and it has a small, but noticeable crack. So what do you all use to fill areas like this that will be varnished? The wood is iroko, BTW.

Thanks,
Jeff

[John B]

Use some sanding dust from the same wood to mix into the epoxy as pigment.It's hard to get it right but.....

[Ed Nye]

If it is a shake (split) use something soft because it will work with moisture content. Don't worry about it showing, it natural. If you just have to get rid of it, cut it out and use a dutchman to fill it.
Ed

[fisherman]

Brown sealant works for me on small splits. I wouldn't use epoxy if it is not a real big crack or something structural. What also works for me is putting loads of for instance Cetol or another kind of oil. This also gives the advantage of something flexible.

Rients

[Leigh]

I've seen beeswax rubbed into small cracks to fill and exclude water. Seems to work ok.

[Jeff Kelety]

Thanks all.

[Ed Nye]

If I remember right, you can varnish over beeswax. Ed

[thechemist]

One *can* do many things.

Varnishing over beeswax is not something I would recommend. There will be a lack of adhesion to the substrate.

Putting anything on top of a waxed surface will give poor adhesion. Waxes are used as mold releases in many manufacturing processes.

Varnish fails over wood for enough other reasons, already. Please don't do that.

[Concordia..41]

I second or third John B's suggestion, but if it's just cosmetic there are multiple brands of wood fillers on the market. Some are sandable, some are not. If it's sandable, it's pretty much varnishable. None will match inspite of your best efforts.

If this is the worst problem you have, count your lucky stars.

Cheers!
- Margo

[Ron Williamson]

It's always a good idea to apply some coats of finish before applying your cosmetic filler.Then finish with more varnish.This way it is easier to match colours,the filler won't stain the raw wood,and you have varnish under the goop in case the goop don't stick so good.
Have fun
R
PS This is totally wrong if you are grain-filling/staining a whole boat.

[Nicholas Carey]

Originally posted by Jeff Kelety:
Any special boat "stuff" that you all use to cosmetically fill small splits or seams in wood that will be finished bright?If they're small enough checks, the varnish may well fill them (with enough coats).

For slightly bigger checks, get an alcohol burner, a shellac knife and shellac sticks. Carefully melt the shellac into the checks. Varnish (and just about every other finish will adhere well to shellac.)

Pay know attention to the "But Shellac's not waterproof!" crowd. Shellac comes from the shell of the larvae of a tropical beetle from India/Asia. It gets rained on a lot sitting on its branch -- It is in fact waterproof.

Commercially made liquid shellac isn't waterproof, though. Shellac reacts with the alcohol used as a solvent and, over time, it esterifies, becoming softer and stickier. Given long enough, it will get to the point where it is permanently gummy.

If you use liquid shellac as a finish, buy shellac buttons or flakes (http://www.shellac.net/) in the grade of choice: seed, garnet, orange or blonde) and dissolve it in pure alcohol. The ratio is traditionally described in terms of "cut" (pounds of shellac per gallon of alcohol.)

A one pound cut is the equivalent of one pound of shellac flakes dissolved in one gallon of alcohol. A two pound cut is two pounds of shellac dissolved in one gallon of alcohol. What cut you use depends on what you're doing.

You probably want dewaxed shellac -- other finishes may have bonding issues with other shellac. However, if you can't find dewaxed shellac flakes, just dissolve it in alcohol (in a mason jar,) let it sit quietly for a few days.

You'll see a cloudy layer at the bottom of the jar -- that's the wax that you don't want. Carefully pour off the clear shellac into another container. There you have it, dewaxed shellac.

Don't keep the mixed shellac around for more than a month. It starts to get old and esterified, as above.

Shellac also makes a great sealer coats as it bonds well to almost everything (including teak, so I'm told) and is compatable with almost any finish -- I suspect some of the more gory two-part finishes might make short work of it.

Hope this helps.

N.
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[ 08-30-2002, 09:11 PM: Message edited by: Nicholas Carey ]

[Jeff Kelety]

Say, a day or two away, and yet more "filler" suggestions. Love this forum. Thanks again.