Filling splits etc.

[bodrighywood]

Using a lot of split and distressed wood as I do I am always trying different (well different to me LOL) ways of filling and enhancing. Just tried this yesterday and it works well. It is cascamite, a powder wood glue that mixes with water and sets rock hard. I have used an acrylic paint which is water based and a little water to make a thick paste and filled the cracks and small indents in this scrap laburnum vase and it works well. Being soft and liquidy it fills even the smallest of holes cracks etc. Next step to see what it is like on perhaps a heavily textured surface or maybe other larger  marks. Cascamite is a standard good wood adhesive so it holds well but is easy to sand back afterwards. Image is just to show resuilt, not worth C&C LOL.

Pete

[Les Symonds]

A grand idea, Pete. I wonder if it would work as a binder for metal powders like copper and brass.
Les

[bodrighywood]

Don't know Les, worth a try but not today LOL. Been making toggles for a couple of ladies who do the most exquisite leather work on a narrow boat plus a few other things for commission so calling it a day. LOL.

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

I never realised that cascamite was a gap filler. Yes a great wood glue but would never have thought of using it this way.

Great experiment.

[otterbank]

I had bother with shrinkage when I tried to fill large voids, may have gotten over ambitious. Believe it was used in boat building at one time and was well thought of. Extramite seems to be all I can find now and seems very similar.
Michael

[GBF]

It is the same stuff different name

Regards George

[hughie]

Interesting I use fibre glass resin and spirit stain, looks a bit easier than my method

[Derek]

Never thought of using cascamite myself. will have to give it a try I also have some artist powder pigment and will have to experiment with that as the colouring medium. I will try it as is and also grind it finer using the pestle and glass sheet used for these pigments.

[seventhdevil]

cascamite can be very brittle so be careful if you go thin guys.

[edbanger]

Again I'm another who would have never thought of using Cascamite and it looks like it works a treat.

Ed

[bodrighywood]

The idea came from a designer friend who used car body filler. That worked but came out white so I thought of the cascamite and acrylic as both are water based. There has been just a little shrinkage so I need to slightly overfill to allow for the contraction. What it will be like in larger gaps etc I have yet to find out.

Pete

[julcle]

I know the formulae has changed in recent years for Cascamite and I haven't used the new version yet but it never used to stick to itself. If you were renewing joints you had to make sure all of the old glue was removed before re-gluing or it wouldn't hold for long.

[bodrighywood]

I know the formulae has changed in recent years for Cascamite and I haven't used the new version yet but it never used to stick to itself. If you were renewing joints you had to make sure all of the old glue was removed before re-gluing or it wouldn't hold for long.

Something to think about if it needs topping up. At the moment I am overfilling to allow for shrinkage so hopefully won't have a problem.

Pete

[otterbank]

I found it tended to dry leaving gaps along the edges and I ended up filling with super glue. In the end I stopped using it to fill voids, still a good glue tho. I use casting resin now lots of colours available.
Michael

[The Bowler Hatted Turner]

Cascamite or any other similar trade name has always been marketed as a gap filler, not sure they meant gaps quite as wide though
From a H&S perspective you have to take more care handling it than other glues, it is a Urea Formaldehyde glue and can cause a skin reaction. Also as it comes in powder form you need to be careful not to get the particles airborne and breath them in. As Steve said it is brittle when dry so be careful turning it as some of the waste comes off like shards of glass.
    In use let it sit before using it or you may find airbubbles forming (although that could be interesting in itself?) The mixing ratios are fairly important so not sure how mixing with pigments, either powdered or liquid qill affect the strength but then using it as filler it won't matter will it?