Selecting and Color Matching Putties and Fillers

Rick Yochim

Well-known member
At the moment I am replacing my ugly builder-installed fierplace surround and shelf with an Early Federal period surround and shelf. I am using Euro chestnut (Castanea sativa) with carved rosettes in butternut topping the pilasters.

So, what have any of you found to be the putty or filler of choice that can be color matched, applied, and then not surprise and disappoint you later?

And, again assuming the wood is to be colored, have you found that coloring the putty and/or filler and applying it after the piece is colored is a good idea or do you apply it "raw" and let it take the dye or stain with the rest of the piece?  Is there a 3rd option?

Finally, are epoxy sticks a good way to fix small errors in carvings? (Not talking major surgery here, just small slips of the gouge. You know what I mean.)

In attempting to answer these questions for myself I have done some experimenting and not been very happy with any solution I've come up with so far, so I'm seeking some help.

I generally use pigmented stains on softwoods and open grained hardwoords and dye stains on everything else.  I'm not dogmatic about that, though, as I always do test pieces and settle with what looks best each time.

The finish on the surround will probably be water based poly, or a 2 or 3 lb cut shellac. I haven't decided yet.

Thanks for whatever help/wisdom you can offer.

Rick Yochim   



   
 
I take spackle (used to fill holes in drywall) and color it with tinting powders.

Dennis Bork
Antiquity Period Designs,Ltd.
 
Patching in and color matching are always tricky subjects. I make a habit of reserving a film container full of the parent sawdust (no, I am not going to mix it with glue) in case I need to repair something. Shellac sticks are excellent for repairing chips and small carving errors provided you allow yourself a wide latitude in mixing in other materials. I have found for example that melting a pale shellac stick over a few button shellac flakes imitates grain variations in lighter woods such as butternut and chestnut. Back to the sawdust. If you have a fairly large area to work in I would advise mixing a batch of epoxy with sawdust obtained from the wood you are dealing with. Epoxy effects the original coloration, but only mildly and in the end, excusably. Depending on the area you are working with you can blend in whatever you feel will do the trick to match the grain. Crumpled leaves, a dash of pepper, eggshells, whatever does the job.
I would venture to suggest that using shellac as a finish for a fireplace hearth may be somewhat injudicious. While shellac is a fine finish for most applications, one must always keep in mind it's sensitivity to heat. Even the unwaxed solutions will not withstand high temperatures.
Fran
 
Dennis and Fran,

Thanks for the help.  A bit of follow up if I may.

Dennis - with the spackle treatment, do you mix the dye powder with the spackle dry or do you mix it with water first, then work it into the spackle? And, do you find that filling holes and cracks with the stuff works better before or after the dye stain is applied to the piece?

Fran- I've used the sawdust/epoxy treatment you mentioned on darker colored woods in the past to great effect.  As for the shellac sticks, I've never used them, so that is definately an option to try. Is a shellac stick filler thick enough to be formed or slightly shaped or does it level as soon as you apply it?

Also, I hadn't thought about the heat sensitivity of shellac. That pretty much trumps any aesthetic consideration when you think about the heat that will be transfered to the surround (and underlying brick). Looks like I'll go with the water-based poly.  It's a tougher finish too.

Thanks again.

Rick     

 


 
Rick,

First I stain the wood and apply several coats of finish.  I mix the various colors of powders directly with the spackle and then fill the holes.  When dry sand carefully so you do not sand thru the finish.  If you apply the colored spackle to the unstained wood I find that it will stain the surrounding area (around the hole/void) a slightly different color than when you stain the entire piece and this spot will stick out.  Try it on a scrap piece of wood first.

Dennis Bork
Antiquity Period Designs, Ltd.
 
Rick
Shellac stick is very stiff and can be shaped. It is applied by heating it either with a direct flame if you want a biggish blob or by heating it against a knife. I prefer a fairly rigid blade of the sort used by oil painters. I'm sure they have a name, I just can't remember what it is. When you apply it the knife needs to be pretty warm as it hardens fairly quickly when it contacts a cool surface. In any event, For repairing flat or curved surfaces it is ideal. Wad some on with the knife or melt it directly on to the surface and use a heated knife to shape into something near sandability. Keep in mind it is not anything like wood so you need to do a final sanding with fairly fine paper. It is also very brittle and hard to carve without chipping.
Fran
 
Fran,

Looks like I will need to practice and experimnent working with the shellac sticks so l understand their working properties before I use this approach on any of my pieces. Employing this method and coloring the spackle as Dennis suggests will be good tools to add to the arsenal and have to be better than the sub-optimal (both commercial and home brew) solutions I've come up with so far.

Thanks again.

Rick 
 
Back
Top