On 10/31/2014 11:42 PM, Greg Guarino wrote:
On Friday, October 31, 2014 7:03:00 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Fri, 31 Oct 2014 11:14:44 -0400, Greg
wrote:

On 10/31/2014 10:02 AM, Sonny wrote:
On Thursday, October 30, 2014 4:41:53 PM UTC-5, Lew Hodgett
wrote:
From WoodSmith Tips

Lew --------------------------------------------------

Easy Fix for Flaws: Hide gaps and blemishes with this
shop-made coverup. http://woodsmithtips.com/l/10a60-189923

For some small flaws I've repaired, rather than mix the sawdust
with glue, I've mix it with shellac or with the finish I'll be
applying.

Sonny


Color me confused. If I mix sawdust with glue (what kind, BTW?)
to fill a hole, have I not created a spot that won't take stain
or even finish?

That's the idea behind the sawdust. It's supposed to take the
finish the same way as the surrounding wood. Well, that's the
theory, anyway.

I get that. But if I get a fingerprint of glue on my project, that
area will resist the finish, won't it? Can someone explain what's
different about mixing sawdust with glue? Why does the sawdust take
the finish in that case?

The idea is to use as little glue as possible... to make a dry wood
dough rather than a soup. A penetrating finish will indeed not penetrate
and thus will not color the glue in the mixture. But ideally, there is
so little glue that it's not a big issue, and the wood fibers will still
accept stains and topcoats (usually even more readily than the
surrounding, unmolested wood surface). To make any flaw repair takes
patience, practice, and testing, but it's still not an exact science.
Many people, however, find this to be a better method than 'stainable'
ready-made wood putty (i.e., 'plastic wood') products which are often
marketed as (but rarely are) a perfect one-size-fits-all solution.

And FWIW, I would never take advice from anybody with a shop as clean
and organized as the one in that video. When I'm working on a project,
there is never any need to 'make' sawdust to use for filler.

JP

--
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