Filling voids in Ironwood

[silver_pilate]

I've been working on a series of knives (see my WIP thread) and as I'm finishing the ironwood scales for one of the knives, I've run across a few very small voids and one very small crack. I understand this is pretty typical with ironwood.

My question is what should I use to fill these voids? Preferably something I could buy locally without ordering through a specialty company. I've got some ironwood dust saved up to mix with the filler, but the only thread I found in my admitedly quick search was about 5 years old.

What do you guys use?

This is my first to use ironwood, and I'm really liking what I see (besides the smell and black hands).

Thanks!

--nathan

 

[Fiddleback]

Superglue works fine. If the crack is fine and deep I use a few apps of the thin stuff rather than the thick stuff so it gets down in there. IMO the sawdust will just make the repair more evident.

 

[ddavelarsen]

Superglue works fine. If the crack is fine and deep I use a few apps of the thin stuff rather than the thick stuff so it gets down in there. IMO the sawdust will just make the repair more evident.

I'll second that. Superglue is the duct tape/baling wire of wood filler!

 

[TekSec]

I also make a putty from epoxy and dust. Use super thin CA (hobby shops have it sometimes) on the crack first to get down in. Then mix the putty and squish it in. Wipe off excess with a bit of acetone and a light touch. Sand and finish...

 

[Patrickknives]

One trick is to use super glue ( I will make the void a little deeper to get some in) let it set just a little and then sand with fine paper. The superglue will pick up the sanding dust and blend in almost perfect. I do this at the final sanding with 600 grit.

 

[CrowValleyForge]

Sometime, if the cracks or checks are not structural, giving the DI a good coat of Tung Oil, while the wood and oil are hot.

Tung oil seals and fills, and cures to a hard varnish or shallic like filler. It dose not take much oil to fill the pores of the wood, and it seems to help it from getting darker when exposed to sunlight.

Only a moot point, and maybe just me, but in heavy-messy work, the tung oil seems to work more naturally with the wood, super-glue and 2-part resins seem to streak when wiped down. IOW: the super-glue dries and cleans up at a different rate then the tung oils. (just me i'm sure, but super glue seems to me like I tried to cover something up, tung oil, i seem to forget were the inclusions were)