Mr. Foxen Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Heading a bit toward furniture stuff here, but anyone used wax to fill gaps in woo? For my Wishbass, dunno whether to fill then sand, so maybe wood dust sticks in the wax, or leave till sanding is done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted October 21, 2011 Share Posted October 21, 2011 Are you sure wax is the right product for the job? It wont really harden if left in a clump. Ive never done this myself, but Ive seen voids filled with sawdust, then a drop of liquid superglue. Ive also seen coloured epoxy used to fill voids, which has the advantage of stabilising any punky bits. Depends if you want to refinish after filling, I guess both of these methods would probably need sanding back to bare wood once the glue has dried. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soopercrip Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 There are wax crayons used by carpenters to fill and repair furniture, I used some myself on a bookmatched top with good results. A friend is a cabinet maker and he lent me a set he had to match the colours of the walnut I used. Took some time softening and running into the joint and matching the grain, but the end result was worth it. Once laquer had hardened over it was fine. Be aware that the wood colour will change slightly when laquered, try and allow for that. Kits are available (briwax or Konig are a couple of makers), but for the amount you would need I would seek out an 'old school' carpenter/cabinet maker, and loan a set. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulflan0151 Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 when you say gaps, do you mean the grain or notches or holes in the wood? Also, what wood is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 I used to use wax repair sticks for furniture (when I worked in the furniture industry, not on musical instruments). They work well for small to medium cracks or nicks. Regarding the Wish bass, it depends on what you're doing with it. If you're sanding it to give it a sprayed on finish I would avoid wax sticks like the plague, but if you just need to repair a small ding in a naturally finished body, then I don't see why not. [url="http://www.axminster.co.uk/liberon-liberon-shellac-filler-sticks-prod23270/"]http://www.axminster.co.uk/liberon-liberon-shellac-filler-sticks-prod23270/[/url] This is what I used to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 22, 2011 Author Share Posted October 22, 2011 Finish will be danish oil. I'll have a lot of sawdust so superglue/epoxy and that is probably the way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_Stu Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' timestamp='1319291726' post='1412337'] Finish will be danish oil. I'll have a lot of sawdust so superglue/epoxy and that is probably the way to go. [/quote] If it's just to fill holes or gaps you don't want I'd be more inclined towards a PVA based woodglue & use as fine sawdust as you can. If you've got bits off the actual wood/body then cut it up with a hacksaw & mix the dust as thick as you can with PVA. The wood-glue in a green bottle made by Evostik is excellent. Done it too many times to count & it's never failed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slipperydick Posted October 22, 2011 Share Posted October 22, 2011 When I was an apprentice we used to use heelball wax, from the cobblers to repair, or at least hide damage to finished furniture, But these days theres bound to be better, if its under the finish youd be better of with some of the things already mentioned ime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Sawdust mixed with a hard setting glue (eg superglue or epoxy) can work well. I personally wouldn't use PVA because I find it a b****r to sand (it can remain very plastic) - but that might be my technique! However, I do find with the darker colours of woods, the result can sometimes be lighter than the original and, preferably, the fill should be slightly darker. The best commercial filler I've found is Timbermate (sold in UK as Metolux) 'Premium Joiners Grade 1 Part Wood Filler'. It comes in various colours, but also as 'stainable', where you just mix in your stain into the paste to make it the colour you want. There are some good Youtube video clips of it (search under Timbermate). I recently used it to fill some dark walnut and used Camp Coffee as the stain - bit of a mistake as it took ages to set but my guitar is now visually gap free and smells just like a good like a good cup of Starbucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubis Posted October 23, 2011 Share Posted October 23, 2011 Try Titebond Original (looks like custard) its the glue which a lot of guitar builders use and mix it with fine sawdust from your guitar into a paste, its sands very well and takes a finish easily. If you have any little dents you can steam them out with a steam iron and wet tea towel, works a treat but it will raise the grain so do it before your final sanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikey R Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Might be worth checking the danish oil plays nicely wirh whatever you use as a filler. danish oil works by penetrating below the surface of the wood, the filler may stop this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 At the moment, I'm putting glue in and sanding over it, see how that turns out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.