# To fill or not to fill



## mhenry (Dec 29, 2011)

So I have been grinding on this piece of ironwood for awhile, and I am almost done. What started as a pretty non-descript chunk of wood has blossomed into a really beautiful piece. It is however kinda rustic with several small cracks and voids. I kinda dig the natural look, but I would like to hear what ya'all have to think. CA glue or natural?
Thanks Mike


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 29, 2011)

Fill. It wont take away from the look. Some of this voids might be deep and lead to small cracks and checks. Filling reinforces the block and prevents water from getting deep into wood.


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## mhenry (Dec 29, 2011)

Hi Marko, How do you deal with the little shiney spots from the CA glue?
Thanks


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## SpikeC (Dec 29, 2011)

I struggle a little bit with this situation myself. While I like the high level finish, I also like the natural textures of the wood. I don't know which way to go most times, and go both ways sometimes. No help from me!


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 29, 2011)

mhenry said:


> Hi Marko, How do you deal with the little shiney spots from the CA glue?
> Thanks



Once you polish the handle, they are barely visible. People really have to look for them to see them, while they will notice voids right away and probably will ask you about them. I use very low viscosity CA glue so it gets all the way to the bottom of the void and sometimes seeps through, if the void is close to the end. 

M


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## Eamon Burke (Dec 29, 2011)

fill.


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## PierreRodrigue (Dec 29, 2011)

I agree with Marko


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## kalaeb (Dec 29, 2011)

I was going to create a thread for something related...I hope Mike does not mind a piggy back question. 

What type of CA glue have you found to work the best for filling? Different for voids and cracks?


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## Marko Tsourkan (Dec 29, 2011)

I use super thin CA glue, similar to this one
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BEN96/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I got it with intention to use it on snakewood (read some horror stories about snakewood cracking or checking if freshly machined end-grain is left unsealed with CA glue immediately), and ended up using it on everything. Medium CA glue would be good to fill shallow voids, while thin CA glue would be good to get it into checks and deep voids. I think one can find use for both. A pleasant surprise was to find out that a thin CA glue won't dry up even if you leave it uncapped for some time. 

M


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## HHH Knives (Dec 29, 2011)

Beautiful handle!! I would fill them. Like Mark, start with ultra thin and then the deep or large voids, I use a medium/gap fill CA on top of the thin.

Kaleb, CA glue is CA glue and almost all of it is the same with a slightly different label. I have purchased from at least 3 suppliers and they all were from the same supply house with a sticker on the label to identify the supplier I purchased from. Hope that makes sense. The thin stuff works best for cracks and the medium or thick for larger fixes.


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## TB_London (Dec 30, 2011)

Agree with above, once filled and polished barely noticeable, I've seen turned pieces where brass dust has been mixed with the CA to fill cracks and that can make some cool patterns- though this is a case of if you can't hide it make a feature of it.


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## PierreRodrigue (Dec 30, 2011)

I found Zap-a-Gap or Hotstuff to be great stuff. I have Zap-a-Gap in three different viscositys, I also bought the kicker to aid in bonding difficult materials, and speed set times to damn near instant, if needed.


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## mhenry (Dec 30, 2011)

Thanks Guys, I am going to try to fill them. I can see another handle headed to the junk bin.


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## Andrew H (Dec 30, 2011)

:no:


mhenry said:


> Thanks Guys, I am going to try to fill them. I can see another handle headed to the junk bin.


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## Dave Martell (Dec 30, 2011)

I filled and sanded a handle 3 times today just to have a piece come off while buffing.  

Some woods are just not so good and need some more stabilization from the CA glue.


PS - Just say hell no to spalted anything.


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## Eamon Burke (Dec 30, 2011)

I feel that spalting is a quality for decorative artwork that says "Yeah, I was willing to risk ruining the whole thing to make this look this insane". Sort of a "top that" material.




mhenry said:


> Thanks Guys, I am going to try to fill them. I can see another handle headed to the junk bin.



If by "junk bin" you mean "Eamon's House" then sure. I only live a few hours away...shipping would be minimal!


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## RRLOVER (Dec 31, 2011)

If you are selling it I would fill the voids.If I was making it for myself I would leave it natural,I like the look.


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## apicius9 (Jan 1, 2012)

Dave Martell said:


> I filled and sanded a handle 3 times today just to have a piece come off while buffing.
> 
> Some woods are just not so good and need some more stabilization from the CA glue.
> 
> ...



Hey, I love the spalted stuff. May be a bit more work, but it's worth it. When it's almost rotten, it's the most beautiful  

Stefan


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## mhenry (Jan 1, 2012)

Got it done. Thanks for the info guys


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## 99Limited (Jan 1, 2012)

Beautiful handle. Looks like everything turned out okay.


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## Dave Martell (Jan 1, 2012)

apicius9 said:


> Hey, I love the spalted stuff. May be a bit more work, but it's worth it. When it's almost rotten, it's the most beautiful
> 
> Stefan




I always forget about wa handles when I'm going off about spalted woods. I can see how spalted stuff would work a lot better with a wa handle than westerns. It's all those curves and metal bits making it a pain in the ass to deal with on western handles versus the flats of a wa handle. Then again some spalted woods (like the awesome HI Signature & Norfolk Pine) that you supply never cause me problems.

Most importantly though is the stabilizer source used to treat the wood - that's key to the wood being great or crap.


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