Replies

1. 
   Quickstep | Jul 21, 2008 05:56pm | #1

   My best success has been with epoxy thickened with a mix of colloidal silica and fine dust from the same wood that's being filled. Using all wood dust ends up being too dark.

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 21, 2008 06:11pm | #2

   Oh my, where does one find "colloidal silica"?  I know where to get colloidal oatmeal, but wouldn't be the same, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jul 21, 2008 07:28pm | #5

   Any good boat supply place will have collodial silica, it's one of the standard thickening agents for epoxy.  Probably in a cylindrical container packaged by West System epoxy. 

1. 
   forestgirl | Jul 21, 2008 09:47pm | #6

   Thanks, Steve, we have boat places galore around here!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   xmike | Jul 21, 2008 11:18pm | #7

   Thanks for all the replies - good stuff.I think that I'll try the epoxy, silica, and sawdust route. I think that I can handle that, especially after I practice it on a test board. The traditional shellac burn-in method intrigues me, but also intimidates me. so, while I can get a Mohawk burn-in kit from Pond Paints (a good source for Pratt & Lambert products, by the way) with 15 different colors for $35, I've watched that being done - impressive, but a definite learning curve!Mike D

2. 
   HowardAcheson | Jul 21, 2008 06:48pm | #3

   The first thing you want to do is to apply the first coat of you clear coat. Let it dry. Now you know what color filler you will need. Mix up that color, fill the holes, level and apply your clear coats.

   Filling holes in maple can be problematic. Maple can be a number of different colors depending on the species and where it was grown. Also, because it has little grain structure, even a perfectly color match filler will be noticeable.

   I suggest you first put some nails in a scrap piece and try different schemes to see which one does the best job for you. Never try to fill nail holes before applying your coloring and/or first clear coat. You will never get a match because your filler will never color the same as the surrounding wood.

   Howie.........
3. 
   sapwood | Jul 21, 2008 07:16pm | #4

   Use shellac sticks or one of their offshoots. Mohawk has a good selection. These come in a rainbow of colors. First apply the clearcoat then match that color. These sticks melt with a hot iron or knife. Yes they are difficult to learn to use well but worth the time spent. I've filled nail holes for a friend and he couldn't find them afterward.

   On the same subject (sort of). It is well worth learning to use touch-up stains/colors. These are often simply dyes dissolved in shellac. Used with a fine brush, many glue splotches, patches, bumps, stain sand-throughs can be made to disappear. Again, the learning curve is steep, but well worth it. It is probably also painless if one does his practice ahead of time on scrap and samples. (It's a bit nerve wracking to do it on a nearly completed piece or three. This I know from experience.)