# Grain filler used with Ammonia fuming quartersawn white oak?



## madebyhand (Oct 9, 2016)

I've done quite a bit of ammonia fuming of my quartersawn white oak, and love it. But I want to try filling the porous oak grain before fuming this time. Has anyone tried this? I can't find anything on this method online or in magazines. I'm currently experimenting, but thought I'd get some advice. I know you shouldn't stain after using grain filler, but since ammonia actually chemically changes the wood instead of coloring it, I'm thinking it may be alright.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

I cant see this working , the filer isnt going to color and its going to seal the wood and prevent the underlying to color.

If it were me i would fume it , then fill it with a clear grain filler … like http://www.goodfilla.com/clear-grain-filler.html


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

Charles is correct, the filler will not color the same as the wood.

Fuming penetrates rather deeply compared to standard finishes. You can make a pore filler that will work if you combine the oaks sanding dust with a binder. I sometimes apply danish oil and sand aggressively (150 grit) to create a slurry that can be spread around to fill the pores. This is left to dry (a few days) then repeated. You could also add the dust to a clear filler like Charles mentions and use it to make a slurry for pore filling.


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## CharlesA (Jun 24, 2013)

> I cant see this working , the filer isnt going to color and its going to seal the wood and prevent the underlying to color.
> 
> If it were me i would fume it , then fill it with a clear grain filler … like http://www.goodfilla.com/clear-grain-filler.html
> 
> - CharlesNeil


That Goodfilla stuff is seriously expensive. You must like it a lot to use it.


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## madebyhand (Oct 9, 2016)

Thanks guys. For my test board I used a grain filler method from an old FWW magazine, which called for boiled linseed oil and 4f fine ground pumice stone. I'm not sure if that will prevent the ammonia from fuming, but I'll do another test board that is fumed first and then try the BLO and pumice. I'll also try the danish oil and slurry. But I'm afraid I'd feel sick to my stomach to pay $55 for a quart of the Goodfilla!

Splintergroup, do you scrape/wipe the danish oil slurry off before letting it dry as with other grain filling techniques? And do you sand between applications?


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

> Splintergroup, do you scrape/wipe the danish oil slurry off before letting it dry as with other grain filling techniques? And do you sand between applications?
> 
> - madebyhand


No and yes 8^)

The sanding slurry is left to dry a few days followed by a regular sanding. Additional slurry-sands are done if needed, but typically I'll just do the initial coarse-grit, let it dry, then finish sand with finer grits. Sometimes I'll apply more oil, but not do any additional sanding..

Fuming goes deep. One reason I like it is often with a clear top coat, if I sand too aggressively near a sharp corner, a surface stained with a typical oil based stain will be removed. Mistakes like this on a fumed surface rarely reveal unexposed wood since the fuming penetrates much deeper.

A simple test would be to take a test board and divide it in two. Fume the first half and apply an oil to the second half, slurry-sanding and repeating until you have the desired degree of pore filling. 
Fume this piece after it has maybe a week of drying and repeat the technique on the pre-fumed piece.

Which do you like better? the fume-fill piece or the fill-fume piece.


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