Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Spalted spots
Ryan
I'm putting WOP on a piece of spalted maple but the softer spots remain dull and soak up as much WOP as I can pour on them. Has anyone used Minwax wood hardener to seal them before putting on a finish? Does it work? Or are there other solutions so I can get a nice uniform finish on the wood?
Re: Spalted spots
John K Jordan
I usually use shellac-based sanding sealer, dry, reapply as needed, sand then finish. But I'm pretty far from being an expert in this.
JKJ
Re: Spalted spots
George Van Beynen
Ryan, I use very thin CP5 CA glue on these soft spots after coating the surrounding areas with thinned lacquer to avoid blotching. Works very well for me.
I frequently use lacquer thinned .....
JamieDonaldson
....about 10% with acetone as a sealer, and think that MinWax Wood Hardener is a very thin lacquer. It doesn't work as well as my potion, but the metal can works well as a container for my lacquer with acetone that would dissolve a plastic container.
Re: Spalted spots
Charles R. Smith
I agree with the above suggestions -- they work for me. The fact that there is more than one option probably means that none works perfectly in all situations.
Once, when I had a soft areas in a burl I was turning to form a bowl, I poured copious amounts of Lee Valley's tung oil sealer into the bowl and let it soak in for a few days. It hardened the wood which subsequently cut nicely, and resulted in a beautiful finish. But like CA glue, it wasn't inexpensive.
Charles
Re: I frequently use lacquer thinned .....
Dick Coers
The MSDS says the wood hardener is 75% solvent, but no mention of resins. I thought it was similar to what plexiglas is made of. Pen turning guys played with melting plexi in acetone before stabilizing resins became readily available. I prefer shellac to soak into the entire piece for any even finish.
