Borer holes

[george mavridis]

In the process of turning a bowl and I think the timber is Red Ash. All it had on it was R/A so I assume it's that. It had a bit of bug activity in the past and there's a few borer holes that have soft wood and with sanding have filled with dust. What are the opinions as to what to do with them Do I leave them or clean them out and fill them and then with what. Epoxy, CA etc. The picture shows a couple but there's a few scattered around.

[Old Croc]

George, my preference is to punch a hole into it and fill with Ebony dust and superglue, to make a feature spot.
Rgds,
Crocy.

[powderpost]

There is always the danger that there are more insects yet to emerge, plus the possibility of there may be eggs still not hatched, in the pores of the timber. My recommendation is to microwave the bowl to kill any insects and cook the eggs. Then polish or re polish the bowl.

Jim

[dai sensei]

I'm with Jim, zap the little b_ggers in the microwave if you can. And yes it is red ash from the club - wonder where they got that :rolleyes:

I never particularly liked filling holes with the bowls on sawdust, much prefer either coloured or dark. Coffee grinds work well as it looks just like spalting when done with thin CA, but I also like any bright colour as a contrast, red works well with red ash.

[george mavridis]

How long would you put them in the microwave for?

Neil yes I did get that from the club. I've had it or sometime and only just got round to using it. I don't know how it got to the club though.

[dai sensei]

How long would you put them in the microwave for?

1 minute should do, check how hot the bowl is, if not too hot, zap it for another minute



Neil yes I did get that from the club. I've had it or sometime and only just got round to using it. I don't know how it got to the club though.

It comes from my friends with the Macadamia farms at Rosebank. The club got about 6 trailer loads from them, but promises of items made from it for the owners weren't kept by the club, so they will not be invited back.

[Christos]

With borer holes I sometimes prefer to leave them but for some reason when the non-wood working world do not like the holes. I am guessing they may think it is faulty because of the holes. :;

I have filled them with coloured epoxy that gives a bit of a contrast to the wood so as to make a feature. It can also take a long time when I take this option.

[justonething]

Would you put a glass of water in the microwave together with the bowl to soak up some of the excess energy or would you microwave the bowl on its own?

[dai sensei]

Would you put a glass of water in the microwave together with the bowl to soak up some of the excess energy or would you microwave the bowl on its own?

as is

[hughie]

How long would you put them in the microwave for?

Neil yes I did get that from the club. I've had it or sometime and only just got round to using it. I don't know how it got to the club though.

If you cant zap it try freezing it a for a few days, you can put it in a freezer bag and leave it in the deep freeze for as long as you like. Just make sure its frozen right through. The best part of freezing is that it should hold up very well with little or no change.

[Dalboy]

Besides the zapping it in the nuke machine. I would do as already suggested and use coffee grinds, I have even used granuls of coffe and ground it to a fine powder and superglued it into the holes makes a great contrast

[QC Inspector]

I would imagine the the wee beasties in your climate aren't cold tolerant so a week in the deep freeze set at the coldest setting will do in any live ones and possibly the eggs if in the wood too. The nuker will get the eggs.

While you're getting coffee grounds don't forget about the spices in the cupboard. Turmeric, mustard, chile powder, cocoa etc., along with the others give you a range of colours to match or contrast the holes you're filling.