Hello there,
I am trying my hand at making wooden scabbards for traditional Japanese knives. I use black walnut that I would like to finish in water based dyes and shellac. For pores filler, I use tinted diluted water-based Timbermate filler.
I do it in a following sequence: stain the wood, put 1/2Lb wash-coat of shellac, pack the pores with a brush, remove excess, thoroughly dry, and sand the piece. My problem is that I tend to sand through the stain.
I am wondering if filling pores with (with tinted pores filler) before applying stain would work. I was thinking about putting down 1/2Lb coat of shellac, apply pores filler, sand down past the coat of shellac, and then apply the stain.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Marko
Edited 12/9/2008 11:23 am ET by anvlts
Edited 12/9/2008 11:35 am ET by anvlts
Edited 12/9/2008 11:36 am ET by anvlts
Replies
Marko,
The basic schedule for a filled finish would be;
color as desired, seal the color and then paste fill. If you paste fill first the water dye you are using will not penetrate as needed.
A few things to try;
After you dye use at least a one pound cut to seal the dye, a two pound cut if the pores are large.
I prefer to use an oil based filler due to it's working characteristics. A water based filler dries so quickly unless you work in small areas at a time it's hard too control.
Also, I remove all the excess filler using a variety of methods; on a large area I'll use a large plastic scraper followed with a rub down with a white scotch pad. The goal when filling is to remove all the excess from the surface and only leave it behind in the pores.
I never sand a filler, never. On a small project such as yours consider using a small plastic scraper to apply it. Think of a credit card for something like this. This way you'll apply it by forcing it into the pores and remove most of the excess at the same time. Follow close behind by rubbing the surface with a white scotch pad and you'll have a clean surface with the pores filled.
If you are not familiar with the white scotch pad it is a finer cousin of the grey and maroon colored type. It is a synthetic abrasive pad. Burlap was the traditional material used for this but I never liked the way my surface looked using it. I switched to the white pad and haven't looked back. I'll also use a tee shirt material to give it a final wipe.
One more thing to keep in mind with filler; less is more. The less I slather on the surface the less I have to remove from the surface.
Done properly, you won't need to sand at all.
Peter
Dear Peter,Thank you very much for the info. I would prefer to continue with water based filler as the surface area is 9x3x.5 and I do my work on a kitchen counter (I live in an apartment), and try to avoid using strong smelling substances. I would like to ask you a couple of more questions regarding application of the paste:
- what is the right consistency of the paste (I am mixing my own from a wood filler water and dissolved water based dye)?
- is there any advantage of using brush to apply the paste as opposed to a plastic scraper (I have a squeegee that could be well suited for application and removal of excess material)?
Marko,
For filler I use it at the consistency of heavy cream.
Concerning brushing vs a squeegee; It's just a matter of preference. The goal is to force the filler into the pore. Experiment a little, you may find that on something so small you can put it on with you finger tips and cut the excess off with a plastic scraper.
The end justifies the means.
Peter
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