I have some 2″ walnut wood slabs that have fairly long narrow sections with punk wood. I am going to make end tables that will be about 12″ x 40″. The punk wood is in the center 24″ x 1 1/2″ but does not go thru the boards. I plan on using a clear finish on the table tops.
The tables would not see heavy use but setting something heavy might be placed on them and dent these areas.
What would be the best material and/or method to firm up this punk wood??
The slabs have excellent grain and natural edges and I would hate to ruin them by doing the wrong thing.
Replies
Use a pour-on liquid epoxy on the entire surface, filling "punk" wood too. But it ain't cheap. Neither is a good slab of walnut.
Expert since 10 am.
You can use a very low viscosity epoxy so that it largely penetrates the surface before hardening. I'd seriously discourage the thick pore-on gunk that looks cheap without spectacularly ept application, tends to yellow and get hazy fairly quickly, and buries the beauty of the wood in plastic.
I suspect, that with the epoxy you would still want a varnish top coat to ensure even sheen and to protect any epoxy on the surface.
Epoxy doesn't need protection. It is tougher than any topcoat. I've melted carbide bits trying to cut through it. The viscosity can diluted to suit.Expert since 10 am.
Mostly the varnish would be aesthetic. But in some circumstances, perhaps not so much here, depending on the usage, epoxy would certainly need protection, but from UV light, which can accelerate it's deterioration. I'd hope there was actually very little if any epoxy visible on the surface.
Fibreglass boats are routinely coated with epoxy and naturally exposed to UV rays everyday, and corrosive saltwater. My kitchen table has a pour-on epoxy. They hold up fine.
Expert since 10 am.
Edited 7/15/2009 12:20 am ET by jackplane
The outer coating of fiberglass boats is polyester gel coat, and the majority of boats are built with polyester resin, though epoxy is used on occasion. Clear epoxy used on exteriors would always be overcoated.
West Systems and other epoxy makers routinely recommend the varnish overcoat for exterior uses--one example is stripper canoes. Here is a brief article about coatings for epoxy. Epoxy doesn't accept the same sorts of additives that make marine spar varnish particularly UV resistant.
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/finish-coatings/
I would fill those areas with Kwik-Poly. It is extremely thin and will penetrate the wood deeply and harden greatly. It also makes an excellent prime coat for the whole surface... I like to wipe it on for such an application. I usually prefer to topcoat with another finish (I use Breakthrough... but varnish or whatever will work fine). The Kwik-Poly will also have a hardening effect on the healthy wood and will make it very moisture resistant (for that reason I like it to prime my wooden towel bars... no problems at all with the moisture from damp towels).
BTW the Kwik-Poly is a two part formulation and sets quickly (about twenty minutes). It can fill deep cracks and even voids and will be sandable/carveable within an hour (full cure in 24 hours). The thin wetness of the product will likely require two coats minimum for filling areas with voids (because the first coat will soak into the wood).
I have found this product to be an absolute wonder when working with wood that is spalted or has punky spots!!
I decided to try Kwik-poly. Cheaper than SystemThree which I assume to be similar stuff. Hoping for the best.
Thanks for you all for your input.
I had a log brought to me by a family from the old family farm and they wanted boxes made out of it. It was VERY spalted and looked great but so punky that it was almost unworkable. I drowned it in thin CA and made the boxes (one for each child as a Christmas gift). Finished in lacquer and they look great two years later.
Scottt
I recently used some Minwax Wood Hardener on some softish wood. This was English Brown Oak. Then I finished with wiped on varnish. The two complemented each other so well that I couldn't tell where the hardener was applied when done.
Prior to all that, I used the minwax product on a rotty door threshold. That worked great too.
I was going to post what you recommended..
Minwax Wood Hardener. It works very well.
I have to admit I have never used it for a table top. It holds holds up well outdoors and in the rain, sun and winter snow. But then again my use for it is under paint and mostly for soft spots in cedar or redwood with a outdoor wood stain and linseed oil over it.
Again, Looks and works OK for a fence, house siding, or a deck but who knows for a expensive walnut slab. I would think it would be fine.
But what do I know?
Maybe a fancy Inlay to cover the surface?
And something about Epoxy use. A link of a product I have used in the past.
I repaired some very old wood that would have been almost impossible to replace even with a major tear-out. I would never be able to find boards that wide much less do the carvings necessary to match the other sections. Outdoors, on a house front.. A very old HUGE Victorian. WAY up there in the sky. I will never climb a ladder that long AGAIN! I used a old wooden ladder that I would suppose came with the house. I needed a block and tackle to get it extended! As I recall it had five sections each about 14 foot long. No, it was not extended to all full length sections. I may be the village Idiot but not stupid!
http://www.jgreer.com/epoxy%20faq's.htm
+1 for the Minwax Wood Hardener. Extremely easy to use, doesn't impart much in the way of color, and can be top-coated with something else (in my case, polyurethane and shellac, but I'm not sure about laquer...)
It's called consolidation epoxy...thin watery epoxy for punky wood.
I have tried to contact Kwik-Poly by phone and their internet address with no response. Does any one know if they are still in business??
Mike
Edited 7/18/2009 2:25 pm ET by 71Atlas
Don't know about them, but the product sounds just like EZ-Poly, which replaced Raycrete. Lee Valley used to carry it, but gave it up because of difficulty with supplies. Haven't been able to find it anywhere else.
Jim
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