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I've got a void to fill

Tom Hansen

Tom Hansen

Joined
Apr 25, 2020
Messages
151
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Location
Elkton, VA
Not an existential crisis, an actual void. First time thing for me. I've got some alumalite "amazing clear cast" or I can go buy some 5 min epoxy from the depot. I have a few mica powders I want to try. For a void of this size I was planning on damming the area with hot glue then just pour and sand flush. Does that sound about right? The wood is only about 10-15% moisture content so not super dry and i hear embedding wet wood will cause problems but I'm wondering if it will be an issue for me with this? Any suggestions and ideas welcome.
 

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For fills like that, I use bar top epoxy as it's a lot cheaper than the casting epoxies. Many of the 5 minute epoxies don't dry clear, and can be hard to get rid of bubbles with the short open time. The clear cast is fine to use, there are just cheaper alternatives. Don't think moisture is a problem, equilibrium moisture content (EMC) for your area is right in that range you are at.

If possible, it is much easier to turn off excess epoxy then sand. Just sanding can take a while if you have more than just a little extra. Also be aware that sometimes pulling off hot glue can pull and tear wood fibers, another reason I like to turn off excess hot glue and epoxy.
 
Done it quite a bit. I use west system epoxy with the clear hardener. I have also used casting resins. System 3 clear coat is a bar top.epoxy a d penetrates really well. In fact it will.run all the way through the tiniest crack so your dam has to be really good. I had it actually run through the pores of red oak.
 
I've done a lot of it with 5 min epoxy and mica powder. The better epoxies probably are better for bubbles and better for wood that wet. I typically only do it with a 2 turn bowl after it's dry and I have turned it just about back to round. I want the epoxy proud of the surface, and I'll turn off 1/16-1/8" to the final surface. It will turn down much better than trying to sand it. Sometimes I'll use a card scraper to shave a large bump.
 
Fill the void with epoxy putty, turn it to the same contour as the adjoining wood then undercut no more then 1/16" and refill with powered mineral such as turquoise and thin CA. The putty takes the most time time to set but it can be molded to rebuild a contour and does not require dams to keep it in place while it sets. The piece must be positioned such that the powdered mineral won't fall off but the CA will set much quicker then epoxy and the fill can be in several quick steps.
B5185_88.JPG The bowls in the picture are mesquite burl and some of the voids as you can see were on the edges.
 
With no way to put it back on the machine to turn the patch and me being resigned to sanding it flush I decided to dig around a bit with a burr and see what happened. I didn't think it would work well but I now believe i was wrong.
 

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