Holes in Burrs??

[Paul.J]

The last few Burr pens i turned i left all the little holes that you get with Burrs,i didn't fill them in,leaving them natural as it was.But i have had few comments saying that the would is split,there are holes in that wood.
So i was just wondering what do others do with their Burr timbers,on small items like pens,do you fill or leave as is.??
I can see their points as the holes etc don't look so bad on a larger item such as a bowl,but does stand out more on the smaller items.I like to leave the wood as natural as possible,but would fill if i could see the tube for instance on a pen!!

 

[loz]

I can see a holey burr pen being uncomfortable to use, depending on where the holes where, and being ugly if the holes intersect a pen part join area.

Perhaps you can fill them individually with resin/tuquoise/brass etc, or do a george type resin/burr combo...........

For a personal standpoint, any holes etc in pens i just fill with dust / CA

 

[Paul Hannaby]

I would leave the holes where they are and change the customer! :wink:

If the holes are so big they are detracting from the appearance of the pen, ask yourself if it was the right piece to use in the first place.

 

[bodge]

Horses for courses innit! Some like it, some don't.
Personally I think a pen should be as smooth as possible to enhance user comfort, so I just fill the holes with resin before final sanding on the lathe. Araldite or similar does it for me. You still get some of the appearance of the holes, but they are smooth to the touch and the pen is comfortable to use and if you use the rapid stuff it only takes a few minutes to dry.

 

[woodyturner]

I always fill mine using sanding dust and thin supper glue when the turning is finished most buyers wont like the holes in a pen and at the end of the day you want them to or they wont buy and with the holes filled the pens look more professional

 

[EnErY]

I agree with woody i get holes and I Also fill with Superglue and the sanding dust Then have A coffee While it Dries then just carry On Sanding Until The desired Finish Is Achieved This way My Opnion Is The Finished Pen Looks more Natrual Than Having a Lump Of resin Or Araldite Placed In The pen i found resin is messy but its personal choice
Regards
Bill

 

[ColeyS1]

I've tried the super glue and dust with no success does the glue have to be really runny ? Last time I attempted jt all I could really see was the glue and not any dust I had mixed with it :???: is there any tips you could share please. Do I need to mix it half dust half glue or slightly weaker /stronger ?

Thanks in advance :wink:

 

[woodyturner]

I've tried the super glue and dust with no success does the glue have to be really runny ? Last time I attempted jt all I could really see was the glue and not any dust I had mixed with it :???: is there any tips you could share please. Do I need to mix it half dust half glue or slightly weaker /stronger ?

Thanks in advance :wink:

All I do is fill the hole with dust and put a drop of THIN supper glue sometimes called fast on to the dust and it soaks in then just rub some more dust over it to dry it then sand I never bother mixing a slurry as some say they do unless I'm using a epoxy resin with brass powder which is another very nice way to fill the voids

 

[Bodrighy]

I do the same as woody, a tip though. Give the wood a quick coat of sanding sealer before hand as the CA glue can colour the wood and this prevents that. If th hole, split is deep do it in layers as the glue won't always penetrate a deep layer of your filler.

Pete

 

[CHJ]

As per Woody, I pack the hole with fine dust and drip Thin CA on to it, if the hole is large I do it in several layers.

If you save and dry the coffee grounds from fine filter coffee or use instant, you can use those to fill larger holes.
As most knots and blemishes in wood are darker than the main body, the darker filling looks quite natural in most instances.

Dependant upon the moisture content or the wood type sometimes CA will not react and needs the kick from an Activator.

If you want to totally disguise a hole or get as near a match as possible then you will in most cases need to use a lighter wood dust than the main piece. I keep a selection of small containers with differing sanding dust examples and do a trial run for some repairs.

 

[ColeyS1]

Wow, thanks for all the advice. Ive heard the glue and dust method before but after my first effort was very unimpressed. Im looking forward to trying the other way now

 

[loz]

Like Chas i save some dust ( usually not actual dust - but tiny butterfly wing shaving etc from finishing cut, scrapes...)

If working with any blackwood or other exotics that have a good colour etc, put a sheet of A4 paper on the lathe bed, do your finishing cuts etc, then just tip paper into envelope, and store..........

Comes in very handy..

 

[Paul.J]

Thanks for the replies all.
The holes aren't big and just thought it would be good to leave as natural to show what Burr wood is really like.
But i think i will fill em from now on so no one is the wiser :wink:
I also use the filling techniques as described when i do fill holes and as said they usually look natural anyway.

 

[stevenw1963]

Acrylic spray lacquer as a finish is also good to fill small holes & leaves a very smooth finish along the pen. You don't feel the bumps.
As in the wych burr Pristina below.