Poure / grain filler help

[Jeffrey Cole]

Good morning, I am ready to put Waterlox finish on my new Black Walnut table. I need to fill the pours / grain first. I know there must be many ways to do this but here are two that I know of. 1 use timber Mate filler. 2 put several coats of Waterlox on, sand down, repeat this until you have the pours /grain filled in and then put final coats of Waterlox on.
Which of these do you recommend and why.
If you have another idea please tell me about it.
I am a newbie at finishing and need all the help I can find.
Thanks for your time and knowledge!!
Jeffrey

[Kent A Bathurst]

Dunno about timbermate. That doesn't look right to me............but I have never heard of it before, so what do I know? EDIT: Ok, read a bit on the timbermate. sounds generally comparable to the crystalac. If so - should work, but I haven't ever used it.

Crystalac is commonly used - waterborne. Pore-O-Pack is another - oil based. Not as easy to use, works great, will add a bit of color to the wood surface.

Or - put down a few coats of shellac, sand it back. Repeat until the pores are filled - you will know because the unfilled pores appear shiny while the high spots show as having been sanded. Same as you propose with Wlox, but shellac is easier, IMO. Since it is walnut, I would absolutely positively use garnet shellac - that adds a beautiful tint/hue to walnut.

If you are going to get into this area, you would do well to pick up a book on finishing. I can recommend Jeff Jewitt's or Bob Flexner's books..............

One basic question, Jeffery: Why do you want to fill it? Do you intend to rub out the final surface? Or, maybe it is just something you think you are supposed to do? No argument either way - just curious. I rarely fill is why I ask.

[Jeffrey Cole]

Kent, Thank you for your incite, I want to fill because I like a smooth finish, just me. I like your shellac idea. I have Bulls Eye Seal Coat Shellac. What is garnet shellac?
Jeffrey

[Kent A Bathurst]

Oh, man..........

That is a rabbit hole too deep for me to explain in detail. I can go this far:

The sealcoat you have is "clear" - basically a pale or extra pale [color names] - 2# dewaxed shellac, premixed.

There are other colors and grades of shellac, waxy and dewaxed.

Personally, I only use dewaxed, because that avoids any potential problems with compatibility with other finish materials.

Garnet is a color. On the orange end of the scale - maybe slightly reddish-orange. As far as I know, you need to buy flakes and mix your own - which is what I always do. For basic sealer, the Seal Coat is a solid product. But - I make mine from flakes at essentially the same cost. I only make what I need, and keep the flakes in the freezer/fridge, with a shelf life of [apparently] forever.

I have a bag of garnet flakes in the freezer - down to 2/3 # I guess - I mix some up every so often as needed.
I have a couple other colors as well, - same deal with them.

Many sources for shellac flakes. I have no criticism of other places - the only place I have ever bought is from Jeff Jewitt at Homestead FInishing.

Google shellac - really interesting what you will learn - about how it is produced, the different grades and colors, waxed and dewaxed.............

Making shellac from flakes is very simple. There Are a number of people here - including accomplished finish guys - that can't be othered, and use the Seal Coat. Which is cool. Except for the garnet deal. And - they use Transtint to color the seal coat.

As I said - a deep rabbit hole............

Simple answer:

Buy garnet flakes; make a 2# cut for brush on; apply a few coats and sand back gently [I use 320 or 400 3M 216U or Norton 3X] until you see the shiny spots from the shallow pores. Rinse. Repeat. UNtil the shiny spots are gone.

Or - just use your sealcoat. The difference is what garnet shellac does on walnut - gorgeous result when those colors blend.

[Jeffrey Cole]

This is a deep rabbit hole. I am just trying to keep this simple. Buy garnet flakes sand gently with 320 or 400 wet or dry? Hand sand or ROS. you say rinse, is that for wet sanding and what do I rinse with?
Jeffrey

[John TenEyck]

If you want to keep it simple use the TimberMate as a pore filler. It doesn't get much easier, and avoids a lot of sanding.

John

[Kent A Bathurst]

J-10 has more experience than I. I've used a few products. Mainly shellac. You won't go wrong following his advice.

On your question: Sand with the grain using a cork block by hand - dry - the game is to sand lightly - no more pressure than the minimum needed - easy to sand back the shellac. vac the dust. I do a quick wipe with a rag dampened with denatured alcohol. start all again. Definitely takes longer than a filler product..............

[Jeffrey Cole]

Thank you for all your help Kent and all others. I like the shellac method. I will try this and top coat it with Waterlox.
Thanks again for everyone's help and knowledge!!
Jeffrey

[Kent A Bathurst]

Test it out on the underside of the table............

[Jeffrey Cole]

always do
Jeffrey