# Does making filler from sawdust and glue affect finish?



## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

I have had glue cause issues with finishing many times over the years. And I have heard of people mixing sawdust with glue to use as filler. But how does this not affect finish? Or is it certain finishes only? FWIW i am making a small walnut box with splines made of african bloodwood. So I can't find any commercial filler. Will probably finish with either odies or BLO/wax . Would either of these finishes be affected by glue/sawdust putty?


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## Axis39 (Jul 3, 2019)

Depending on how messy you are, yes it can. But, my experience has been that it's usually a discoloration, not really a finish not sticking or causing problems down the line. With dark woods like bloodwood and walnut, it's not as much of an issue.

I've used both wood glue and CA glue. Both will leave a yellower spots on lighter woods, or keep stain from penetrating. But, like I said, darker woods I'm not staining? No issues so far. Medium colored woods like mahagony 
can be a crap shoot.


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

I've not had any good luck trying the sawdust/glue stuff, unless it was on a painted piece. Best to give it a trial shot and see what you think.


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## Wildwood (Jul 22, 2012)

I have used saw dust, coffee grounds, and herbal teas with CA glue filling small cracks with better success than carpenters glue. Only used these fillers & CA under film finishes.


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## MrWolfe (Jan 23, 2018)

I've used woodfiller or the glue and sawdust but both have had the stain/finish issue.
I've thought about using this but I haven't tried it yet.

Starbond KBL-500 Black Medium Thick, Premium Rubber Toughened CA - Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Super Glue

I think it comes in different colors and viscosities so you can check it out.

Last time I used C.A. glue and a bit of walnut dust from a sander just for that purpose.
I'm alright with some of my stuff looking a little hand touched and imperfect but I try to make tighter joints these days.
Jon










https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BUVAVC0/?coliid=I2JY4WHGGKOC0K&colid=RURRF9Z0PSNW&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I might have to try that black C.A. glue next time


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

I've never had any luck making my own putty from PVA or epoxy and sanding dust, but I have an experiment in progress today on some scraps using both liquid hide glue and fish glue with some doug fir wood flour to see how that works out. Hide glue is good because it doesn't permanently seal the grain like PVA can. You can easily clean up the glue with water and a scrotch brite pad. The LHG is a little on the dark side so the putty formed is definitely on the dark side which is why I decided to try the fish glue-definitely lighter when wet anyway.

I'll post some pictures when it dries. I will put some Tried and True Varnish oil (which is a BLO based varnish) afterwards to see how it looks once it has a finish on it.

EDIT: I just went out and took a picture of it wet. I was intentionally sloppy and actually slathered the remaining putty like Bondo on the board to left after filling a hole in the knot.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Interesting, never heard of rubber hardened CA.

I do have liquid hide glue. Maybe I can experiment with that on some scraps.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

I harp on this all the time, usually with no results, but I'll give it a go here anyway. Makeshift fillers using glue and wood dust are not what you want to use for your fine woodworking, so take the time to learn to do proper fills and repairs. Mohawk has a full line of products and an extensive library of videos online to show you how to use them.

I'm referring to areas of the project that will be front and center. With practice, you can learn to repair defects, dings and slips of a tool so well that even you won't be able to find them a few days later.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

> I harp on this all the time, usually with no results, but I'll give it a go here anyway. Makeshift fillers using glue and wood dust are not what you want to use for your fine woodworking, so take the time to learn to do proper fills and repairs. Mohawk has a full line of products and an extensive library of videos online to show you how to use them.
> 
> I'm referring to areas of the project that will be front and center. With practice, you can learn to repair defects, dings and slips of a tool so well that even you won't be able to find them a few days later.
> 
> - Rich


Interesting, my local wood store has 2 full aisles of all types of mohawk products. I've always been intimidated since there is so much and all the cans look alike. And there seems to be soft fill sticks and others you melt etc and various kits. Maybe its time I take my repairs to the next level as this is an anniversary gift.


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## Bonka (Apr 13, 2012)

I've used hide glue and sawdust with good results.


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

I use *Timbermate* filler for cracks and grain filler but there are some limitations as Timbermate is water based a water based finish will soften it. I have not been disappointed with Timbermate as yet!

Hide glue works in most cases because it will hide your gaps … that's a pun guys!


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Hot hide glue and fine dust "mastic" is a standard go to filler in French marquetry. Animal glues dry hard and sandable unlike PVA glues and they don't block finishes. They can be made almost any colour too. I've even made white by using Profil microspheres.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Interesting, my local wood store has 2 full aisles of all types of mohawk products. I've always been intimidated since there is so much and all the cans look alike. And there seems to be soft fill sticks and others you melt etc and various kits. Maybe its time I take my repairs to the next level as this is an anniversary gift.
> 
> - SMP


Check out the videos. They are excellent sources. For someone just starting out, Mohawk Quick Fill and Hard Fill are the easiest to work with. They do require a heat source to melt them, but they are leveled without the need of a burn-in knife and are quite durable. Their Plane Stick and E Z Flow give the most durable result, but it takes practice. The putty sticks are fine for areas that won't get any wear, but I rarely use them.

If you have questions, feel free to message me. I think you'll find it to be a rewarding venture that'll save your butt many times down the road.


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## bilyo (May 20, 2015)

I do it fairly frequently but, I like to use epoxy and the finest sanding dust I can create. I do this because the epoxy is nearly clear and by varying the amount of dust I can adjust the color from only a light tint to a very dark color. It works best if you know ahead of time the finished color of your projject. Then experiment with the amount (and species) of dust in the epoxy to match the finished color. I have never had any adhesion problems with any finish over the epoxy.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

I have never done it, but I bet you could use water based famowood and mix in some transtint to get your color. Maybe start with ceder and add some red?

Might get expensive and you would need to make sure it dries, but I bet you could get a good match.

Edit-they also make walnut filler. Depending on how dark your walnut is, IMO it's a little dark.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> I harp on this all the time, usually with no results, but I'll give it a go here anyway. Makeshift fillers using glue and wood dust are not what you want to use for your fine woodworking, so take the time to learn to do proper fills and repairs. Mohawk has a full line of products and an extensive library of videos online to show you how to use them.
> 
> I'm referring to areas of the project that will be front and center. With practice, you can learn to repair defects, dings and slips of a tool so well that even you won't be able to find them a few days later.
> 
> - Rich


totally agree wood dust mixed with glue is gonna stand out like a sore thumb.gotta learn the proper technique like rich talks about or live with second class finish.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> I have never done it, but I bet you could use water based famowood and mix in some transtint to get your color.
> 
> - CWWoodworking


I have done it… and Timbermate… and Goodfilla… All are excellent products. However, more refined solutions offer a greater choice of colors and a superior finish for surfaces that are front-and-center, which could never be achieved with any of the paste fillers. There is a difference between dealing with a face frame joint that didn't come together perfectly, or a minor flaw in the wood, and repairing a gouge on the surface of a project that's the first thing anyone sees.

Trying to start with a base color and tint it by eye is a losing proposition, especially for males, who are physiologically challenged when it comes to color. If you're going to try that, at least get a female to help out. Women have a far more acute perception of color than men. There are exceptions of course, and if you are an artist with a keen eye for color, you have an advantage.

I have compiled a database of the L*a*b values for each product that I use. By sampling the color of the area around the repair I want to achieve digitally, I can calculate a DeltaE value indicating the difference between it and all of the products I have available to determine which is going to be the closest match. I can blend and resample as needed to get a result that I would challenge anyone to locate when I've completed my repair. I discuss it in this blog post.

Finally, when working with fillers like Timbermate and matching colors, it's actually easier to simply use a color that's of a similar hue, but lighter, then adjust the color and match the grain afterwards. There is an example if this in my blog here. It's based on using epoxy putty, but as I mention at the end of the post, you can do the same thing with Timbermate (or Goodfilla, or Famowood). Admittedly, this is a contrived example to show some techniques. I'd still never use a paste filler for a critical repair on something like a table top.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

> I harp on this all the time, usually with no results, but I'll give it a go here anyway. Makeshift fillers using glue and wood dust are not what you want to use for your fine woodworking, so take the time to learn to do proper fills and repairs. Mohawk has a full line of products and an extensive library of videos online to show you how to use them.
> 
> I'm referring to areas of the project that will be front and center. With practice, you can learn to repair defects, dings and slips of a tool so well that even you won't be able to find them a few days later.
> 
> ...


You guys are making me feel bad about my second class finish. :-(


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> You guys are making me feel bad about my second class finish. :-(
> 
> - shipwright


I will never second guess the founder of the Canadian School of French Marquetry. I'm sure you could run rings around me at this. What I'm doing is sharing what I've learned through the years and have used to get good results. I can assure you that if I can make these techniques work, anyone can.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Just yanking your chain Rich, I agree …. mostly….


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Just yanking your chain Rich, I agree …. mostly….
> 
> - shipwright


Gotcha, Paul. On LJ anything that's agreed with….. mostly….. is about as much as one can ask for.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

As expected, the hide and fish glue and sawdust filler did not block the finish after sanding and wiping some varnish oil on it but on this light colored wood anyway, both are pretty ugly. Might be better on darker woods but on this Doug fir it's not really an option.


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