Thread: Is there a trick to matching filler to an oil finish?

I really have no idea what I'm talking about when it come to this stuff so I'm just going throw this out there...

If I take the dust left over from sanding the wood. Mix with the oil so it changes colour.. let it dry a bit, or not.. (coz I'm making this up as I go along..) add some glue... fill the hole? maybe pre oil the hole as well so it all blends.. am I just talking rubbish?

Originally Posted by tea.drinker

If I take the dust left over from sanding the wood. Mix with the oil so it changes colour.. let it dry a bit, or not.. (coz I'm making this up as I go along..) add some glue... fill the hole? maybe pre oil the hole as well so it all blends.. am I just talking rubbish?

Nope, you're not talking rubbish, it's a perfectly good idea and something I do all the time. When your sanding try and collect the dust in a small container and mix with wood glue. Instant filler.

Does it give a more luminous effect?

The filler is very flat in colour making it very obvious in the surrounding wood that becomes more vibrant from applying the oil.

I suppose that's the issue, the glue dries hard and the oil may not penetrate the glue. Not sure what can be done about it.

Originally Posted by Scott

I suppose that's the issue, the glue dries hard and the oil may not penetrate the glue. Not sure what can be done about it.

That was the other issue I was thinking about with using glue... that's why I thought maybe someone had a special way of doing it...

Originally Posted by tea.drinker

That was the other issue I was thinking about with using glue... that's why I thought maybe someone had a special way of doing it...

It's okay if you're going to finish with lacquer however not good with oil. I think you'll probably be better off trying to get a filler and match the grain. Or, use a light filler and stain the filler to match the grain.

You should also keep in mind that regardless of what colour you tint the filler now, it will most likely 'age' differently to the surrounding wood. Usually, a blond timber will darken while the filler stays closer to the original tint.

I guess that this is one of the reasons why restorer's will often cut out and replace small areas of damaged timbers/veneers rather than "simply" using a dab of colour-matched filler.

There's no other way for you to 'tighten up' the joint/crack/whatever in question?

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

There's no other way for you to 'tighten up' the joint/crack/whatever in question?

Its a chunk missing out of a table top

I use a product called Timber Mate available at Bunnings and most hardware shops.

Great thing about it is that you can mix different colours together as well as lighten and darken colours with Neutral and Ebony (Black)

It's water soluble and can when watered down make a good grain filler but that's another story for another day.

The real benefit for me is that the colour has very little, if any, change in colour when a finish is applied.

Get a scrap piece of timber and oil it to the desired finish then mix some colours together to create a match and you're in business.

In my experience it doesn't sink either, once sanded, but make sure it's properly dried before sanding.

Another solution I use are Wax melt sticks, also available from the green shed, bit trickier to use but very effective.


Cheers

Steve