I've got a hole I need filling!!!!

[Adam9453]

Ooh err missus!
Seriously though I need some advice and I've searched through but found many conflicting pieces of advice.
Here's the issue, I have just finished making some wardrobe doors out of oak veneered mdf with solid oak applied mouldings. As I don't have a finish nailer, I used my Brad nailer which left larger than desirable Brad heads visible. I punch them below the surface using hammer and nail punch but the holes are a bit unsightly. I therefore want to fill the holes to disguise them and cover up the steel Brad tips. I have been using a Danish oil finish so need a filler that will work with that. I've ordered some liberon wax sticks to try out but I wondered if anyone had better ideas?

 

[RobinBHM]

Brummer?

Always try a sample so you can put finish on filler, it can alter in colour a lot.

Wax sticks work, apply after finish. They can leave a shiny spot though.

 

[Beau]

Second for Brummer and shellac sticks are my go to fillers.

 

[Adam9453]

Thanks for the tip on Brummer, they're very close by to me as well. I'll give them a ring and see which shade of filler they recommend.
Have you used the Brummer stuff personally then?
I think I'll run some tests on the various options to see which is least obvious.

 

[Beau]

Thanks for the tip on Brummer, they're very close by to me as well. I'll give them a ring and see which shade of filler they recommend.
Have you used the Brummer stuff personally then?
I think I'll run some tests on the various options to see which is least obvious.

Yes I have some Brummer pine exterior. Used it on oak as the oak filler was too dark. Can't remember why I preferred the exterior one but it's more versatile anyway.

 

[Adam9453]

thanks beau, hopefully I manage to get the shade right first time as I don't want to end up with dozens of small pots of different coloured fillers lol

 

[AndyT]

The one sold as 'oak' is quite light and might well be what you need. Available in all good hardware shops.

However, there's always the problem that fillers don't change colour like wood does so what starts out as a match doesn't always stay that way.

My other favourite filler is sawdust from the job in hand mixed with a little liquid hide glue. Easy to use easy to sand and there's no need to buy another pot of anything.

 

[Adam9453]

Thanks Andy I do have a lot of sawdust leftover lol so I could definitely try that. I've been meaning to try that titebond hide glue anyway. Or does it need to be 'proper' hide glue?

 

[AndyT]

I don't know about the 'proper' hot stuff as I've never used it, but the liquid from Titebond seems to be just the right hardness, so it sands well, unlike some PVA which dries a bit rubbery.

 

[Adam9453]

That's good it's far easier to use titebond.
Yeah PVA never really hardens, it remains slightly flexible. Cascamite is good if you want something that properly hardens off.

 

[MattRoberts]

Bondo

http://bondo.com/featured/bondo-wood-fi ... Z3023uW.97

 

[Adam9453]

Lol thanks Matt, I'm not sure I want to go for the bodged car bodywork look

 

[beganasatree]

Hi Adam,

I would go with sawdust and glue.


Peter.

 

[ED65]

Or does it need to be 'proper' hide glue?

The liquid hide glue is your man. According to something I read recently it's actually slightly better for this than the 'proper' stuff, although I can't recall what the reason given was (it wasn't just that it didn't need to be kept warm).

The dust + glue tip is given a lot but using hide glue to bond the sanding dust is the only way to get a decent colour match. It can be so good that you'll have difficulty in finding the brad holes later, in stark contrast to if you'd used white or yellow glue where they can be clearly visible from across the room.

 

[mind_the_goat]

Is there any issue using steel brads in Oak, or will they be buried deep enough for any darkening not to show? Got a similar situation myself with some over large holes in a face frame, so all these replies have been useful.

 

[ColeyS1]

Teak external brummers was the best match I found for pin holes in oak.

Coley

 

[Adam9453]

Thanks Guys for all the input, its very much appreciated.
The liberon wax sticks arrived this morning so I will give them a test first and see how they look.
If i'm not happy with those, I'll try the hide glue and sawdust route.
If that fails then i'll try the brummer filler route.

Coley, what finish did you have on the oak you were matching?

 

[ColeyS1]

All sorts to be honest. Polyurethane varnish, osmo, sikkens, sadolins. I think I posted about it somewhere.
I bought every colour of external brummers and tried it with several different types of finish.
I've now got oak and iroko labeled on the teak tin so I know which one to use.

Coley
Edit:

I could do a few different colours in an oak offcut if it's any help, perhaps give it a lick of something

 

[Adam9453]

Thanks Coley, thats really useful to know. I will make that the first colour to try if I go the brummer route