Filling worm holes after finishing?

[Grey Darrah]

I just finished (turned/sanded/walnut oiled) a salad bowl size ambrosia maple bowl. It has 7 or 8 small worm holes about the size of pencil lead in the bottom, going all the way through the 1/4 inch thick bowl. I thought they were no big deal, because I saw the bowl being used as a fruit bowl, out on the counter, filled with apples/oranges/etc... My wife disagrees and thinks it could also be an actual salad bowl with a salad and dressing placed inside, the small holes presenting a leaking problem.

Is there a filler and technique that I could use to fill these holes after having sanded and finished the bowl that wont require re-sanding and re-finishing this bowl?

Thanks,
Grey

 

[Richard Shelby]

Cover the holes with masking tape on the inside, then flip it over and dribble epoxy in from the back side.

 

[Don Wattenhofer]

You could enlarge the holes from the inside with a small tapered twist drill of the kind that are used for drilling screw holes. The plugs can be made of maple or a contrasting wood then turn them to a close match to the drill bit (drill a hole in a 1/4" thick piece of wood to test the fit). The taper will assure that you have a good fit with out scraping all of the glue off. The excess wood inside and out can be cut off close then carefully trimmed off using carving knives.
The next time consult with the boss before you put the finish on.

 

[Gary Beasley]

Another think Ive found was the black epoxy putty. I put it in after the first coats of finish, rub it in good and let it set up. Then the remaining finish is put over it to seal it and polished.

 

[john lucas]

I agree with Gary although I sometimes use brown instead of black. Calligraphy pen ink mixes well.with epoxy and you can get it in many colors. I use 5 minute epoxy for filling worm holes.

 

[Grey Darrah]

Another think Ive found was the black epoxy putty. I put it in after the first coats of finish, rub it in good and let it set up. Then the remaining finish is put over it to seal it and polished.

What is this "black epoxy putty" you speak of?

 

[Gary Beasley]

I found this at Home Depot

 

[Tim Connell]

An epoxy putty I've used is Milliput. Comes in a handful of different colors. Here is a link to the black putty on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Milliput-Med...YGTC7AWXFHM&psc=1&refRID=BERX69A5YYGTC7AWXFHM

 

[Mike Johnson]

You can use several colors of Milliput to try and match the color of the wood you are plugging. Mix the two colors separately and then add one color to the other until the color matches and then plug the hole.