looking for bright colored wood grain fillers. Can you tell me a brand / place to buy

[dustin wassner]

I think I am using the wrong terms when searching because I am pretty such a product exists but can't source it anywhere. The species I plan on using it with on this project is walnut.

I am looking for a bold red wine colored wood pore filler. I was expecting to find a supplier that sold a large variety of colors but all I am finding is wood color fillers. Does such a thing exist? Is there a way to make my own colors?

DW

[Jim Morgan]

Read up on "pore-o-pac". The 'natural' can be tinted with any of a variety of oil-based pigments to make whatever color you desire. Be sure to seal the wood with a couple of wash coats of shellac before applying the filler if you want to end up with a contrast.

[Ken Krawford]

Might any of these products serve your needs ? http://homesteadfinishingproducts.co...-wood-fillers/

[Wayne Lomman]

As James said, any neutral/light colour wood filler is tintable to whatever colour you want. Cheers

[dustin wassner]

thanks, guys. If I do a few wash coats, would this not slightly fill in the pours and leave smaller voids for the pigment to lodge in? Seems like the opposite of what I am after so I am curious as to what the reason is to use the wash coats.

I did discover the large variety of analyne dyes. My first thought was to take a piece to, say 400, the cover the entire piece with dye, then re-sand the entire piece with 400 again. I am picturing the dye then only being left in the pours. Do you think this would work?

This is for woodturning projects, fwiw.

[dustin wassner]

James or Wayne, with the Pore-O-Pac, do they also make the pigments/tints I would mix in or is there a certain type I should be looking for? I would like to have a color that is as brilliant as what I see analyne dyes are capable of.

thanks.
DW

[Jim Morgan]

I second the suggestion to look at Homestead Finishing. They sell reputable products, Jeff Jewitt, the proprietor, is very knowledgeable, and there is lots of information about finishing on the web site.

Dustin, if you want the pores to contrast with the rest of the wood, the easiest way is to keep the stain/dye from penetrating the wood in the first place. That is the function of the wash coat(s) of shellac. By "wash coat", I mean applying a thin coat of shellac - a 1/2# cut, no more than a 1# cut. Premixed shellac in the can (Zinnser's Sealcoat is superior to other varieties) is usually a 3# cut (that is, 3 pounds of shellac per gallon of solvent). To thin this to a 1# cut, mix one part of the premixed shellac with 2 parts of denatured alcohol. Or you can make your own - 1 ounce of shellac flakes dissolved in 1 cup of alcohol makes a 1# cut (if you go this way, keep in mind that shellac flakes degrade over time - I keep mine in the freezer, which seems to significantly extend their life). One or two coats of thinned shellac will not appreciably fill in the grain. I would not suggest applying dye to the whole piece and then trying to sand it off - dyes and stains penetrate beyond the surface, so you would be left with a great deal of sanding to do.

Behlen (Pore-o-Pac) and others do make tinting colors, but since most of their market is in standard wood finishing, the colors they offer are almost exclusively "woody". But any oil-based pigment will do. Go to an art store and look at oil paints - you will find a palette far beyond what Behlen offers. Any top coat you apply will cause some ambering, so you might go a bit extra-brilliant in your color choice.

I have minimal experience with aniline dyes. I know that some are alcohol-soluble, so these would probably be compatible with oil-based wood fillers. However, since the solvent for shellac is alcohol, these might tend to meld with your wash coat to some degree. But, again, I have worked very little with aniline dyes, so you should seek out information from a more reliable source.