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irose_57
18th November 2015, 07:51 AM
Hi.

I've got a small crack (about 1mm wide) in a G-Plan coffee table I've recently purchased. The crack follows a join and then veers off to one side (see photo).

What's the best way of filling this? I was considering a shellac burn in but I'm not confident of doing this.

Also, for restoration I was going to give it a clean with wax and polish remover and then give it a coat of Liberon Black Bison Fine Paste Wax.

Does that sound appropriate?

Thanks!

Ian

cava
18th November 2015, 01:36 PM
Since you have recently purchased the coffee table, I would be inclined to leave it for a few months to let it settle down before considering what to do.

It could very well be humidity/temperature related and fix itself to an acceptable level.

mark david
18th November 2015, 04:48 PM
Hi Ian I would not be too concerned about the small crack,there has been a small amount of movement since the table was made and don't think in anyway that the struture of the table is compromised.

Personally I would not try hard shellac sticks as you may damage the surrounding finish and being very brittle may ultimately fall out over time.
I would suggest using a soft wax filling stick,combined with other colours to get a close colour match and just rub into the crack and then buff off.

Oddjob1
18th November 2015, 05:06 PM
G'day mate,

in your pic I think what I see is a glass circle enclosed by a Meranti perimeter. I believe the intersection between the two is too tight, the glass will not move much but the timber certainly will and there is nothing you can do about the latter. However if you where to take out the glass circle, repair the crack with some wood glue then using a router increase the inner circle size to allow for a little room for the timber to contract and expand throughout the seasons, you should not see the fault reappear. It's simply that glass does not expand and contract at the same rate as wood does and so allowances should always be made for this in manufacture. In your case it hasn't.

Cheers Oddjob1

irose_57
18th November 2015, 05:35 PM
Thanks for the responses everyone.

cava - I've had it about two months now so I don't think it's humidity

mark david - Thanks - I'll give that a go.

Oddjob1 - The picture doesn't show it but there is a lot of space between the glass and the timber edge

Ian