Filling cracks....

[arcos]

So, I turned a large tea light holder from that 'horrible' spalted olive that kept breaking on me when turning. It's about 15cm diameter and and around 8cm depth. Taking a glass tea light holder similar to the large ones sold in Wilkinsons it looks pretty nice!

Through the piece was a near perfect straight line of spalting. My concern at the time of turning was this line cracking and spinning off across the room (or into my face!).

Well, it survived. However, it has now started to split and has cracked through the outside but appears to have stopped splitting.

I have often read about 'features' being made of splits, cracks, worm holes and alike with brass, silver solder, ground coffee and a host of other weird and wonderful things.

Has anyone ever tried creating a feature from an imperfection?

[woody]

I do that two different ways with supper glue or by mixing whatever you like with epoxy resin a good one for spalting lines is crushed Coal or charcoal because it is jet black 

[Bryan Milham]

Some people I know use Coffee grounds in epoxy (araldite) - they are not quite black so tend to blend better they say with spalitin. Charcol & coal dust all work, I have used Laser Printer/photocopier toner myself - it's a sort of plastic dust.

I've never used it on a crack but I have on texturing - Car body filler (Isopon stuff) mix it with just about any solid acrylic type colour (I've quite happily used ground up artists pastels). I imagine it would hold most powdered substances as well, again coffee, charcol, metal dust.

Lastly and I had a big crack appear once, so I drilled a row of holes either side and put a lacing through it - looked quite good. I'll see if I can find it at home later and pop-up a pic.

[bodrighywood]

I have used coffee grinds, brass and aluminium dust and also have bottles of sawdust from different woods saved for the purpose. I don;'t try and fill cracks until I am certain that the wood has stopped moving as it can split open again if done when still partly wet. Be careful as any woods with splits can explode under the forces on a lathe.

Pete

[julcle]

Humbrol Enamel Paint (the stuff that modelers use) works well mixed in with
Epoxy Resin. You have the advantage of being able to colour match with this.

[Bryan Milham]

I've taken a couple of pictures of the little Spalted Beech pot I mentioned earlier, I turned it a couple of years ago. It cracked along one of the spalt lines, so I made a feature of it with the ribbon.

I also made it a strange lid, it more sit's on than fit's but SWMBO likes it.

In size it's 125mm (5") high with the lid, 75mm (3") without and 55mm (2") wide at the base

[Doug Barratt]

If you use supper glue or the like make sure you give it plenty of time to set, not just a few seconds, better still spray it with an activator.
If the glue hasn`t set properly & you switch on the lathe it can spray out causing possible injuries.


Cheers.

[bodrighywood]

This walnut bowl had a hole which has been filled with coffee grinds and epoxy. Use masking tape on the reverse side then fill the hole and leave to cure, longer than the instructions say.

[arcos]

WOW, some fantastic ideas there! Thanks guys!

Looks like I better dash off and get some araldite and save some of my coffee grounds.

As the piece is 'only' a tea light with a fairly heavy /thick base for the larger tea lights it would be great to try and resolve the problem but NOT hide it!

I like the lacing idea (not sure about a pink ribbon though)... I guess I could not drill all the way through, some of it I simply couldnt drill all the way through and try and make a lace effect on the side.

Hmm food for thought!

[Bryan Milham]

Ah, eh... the pink ribbon actually works, the little pot sits on SWMBOs dressing table so being slightly feminine works.

[thebowlerhattedturner]

Try cutting in some butterfly dovetails in a contrasting timber.
regards
John BHT

[woodndesign]

Try cutting in some butterfly dovetails in a contrasting timber.
regards
John BHT

Arcos, Just to highlight John's post .. https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=butterfly+joint&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=l6P&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=PP4bUcj3CcjJ0QW8hoGwDw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1584&bih=748 ... should you have been unsure.

David

[woody]

I had a cherry bowl split once and I made some brass staples to put across the crack it looked quite effective and it sold straight away and now lives in Scotland

[Paul Disdle]

Do you have a picture Woody?

Paul

[woody]

No Sorry Paul it has long gone some 5 years ago