The road to filled wood

[Richardwoodhead]

This input is late in the discussion, but I've had great success in creating "gum veins" by just making a mix of 2 pack epoxy resin glue (West System or Con Glue, but probably any 2 pack epoxy would do), then adding black brickies oxide. And working the mix into the crack or hole. It's hard, sands perfectly and finishes well. If it's a BIG gum vein / "hole", I've used clear resin fill - the wood hole effect is somehow effective.

I use the same technique for all kinds of defects (splits etc) in various colour woods by using different coloured oxides, or mixes of oxides. There are quite a few colours available - and by experimenting with mixtures you can create just about any particular wood colour.

[stevephillips]

Ive had some success using 'epo clear' (two pack resin) and crushed charcoal to fill some of the HUGE cracks and valleys in the Marri outdoors table Im making.
Ive had some problems with a suitable finish if anyone can help. The marri just soaks up gallons of oil finish and refuses to polish. :mad:

[Richardwoodhead]

Steve, I've been down the same road trying to oil finish Marri (Organoils, Danish Oils, etc). Forget it. They all end up dull and flat and you lose the feature of the timber. Even if you work at it for weeks. Then I tried a Tung Oil / urethane mixture (just bought some tung oil and monocell 50/50 and mixed it. Two coats with a 320 grit sand in-between worked well.) Then I discovered Feast Watson Floorseal (a tung oil and urethane mixture) which if you spray on to the Marri (again 2 coats, with a 320 grit sand in-beteeen coats) comes up really nicely. Satin finish but very hard, durable etc. Then I discovered spray on lacquers (30% or 40% gloss Becker Acroma from 22 Services in Perth) - and that did the Marri more justice than anything else. But you need a spray gun set-up.