The Woodturning Forum - Woodturner's Resource - Resin filling cracked blanks

Jim Henning

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Resin filling cracked blanks
Sep 28^th, 2016 at 10:31pm

Hey everyone!

I bought a huge bit of english cherry while was stationed in the uk. It was green as heck and i did not take good care of it. I milled down a lot of it and did not properly care for some of the bigger bits. I now have a bit that i am determined to turn but nature has decided that it would not like to be turned. It cracked, and cracked horribly. I got this piece specifically to make an urn for my poor deceased pooches' ashes. My question is if it is so cracked, can i fill the cracks with polyresin/alumilite type stuff and get it hardened enough to be safe to turn. otherwise i have to cut it down to pen and other blanks. I can upload pics tomorrow of the horrible crack, just wondering thoughts on filling with resin then turning for a hollow figure.

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Bert Delisle WR Addict Offline Posts: 1,424 Calgary Alberta Canada Gender: Vicmarc 300	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #1 - Sep 28^th, 2016 at 10:41pm One could consider using something like West System epoxy. I and others in our guild use epoxy, it flows like water into all the recesses. In fact it takes a good tape job to keep it from leaking out. Once cured it has good strength. It can be coloured easily with small amount of acrylic paint.
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Steve Kniffen

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Re: Resin filling cracked blanks
Reply #2 - Sep 29^th, 2016 at 7:08am

Some of the wisest advice i ever got about turning was "Life's too short to turn bad wood." Gave me a whole new perspective on what I would or would not try to salvage.

IF you decide to fill the cracks and turn it, please make sure you have the guard in place on your lathe. If it's a big chunk, you might consider wearing a riot helmet like Lynne Yamaguchi went to after her accident.

Good luck with it.

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Experience is what teaches us that we've made this mistake before ...

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Tom Coghill

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Re: Resin filling cracked blanks
Reply #3 - Sep 29^th, 2016 at 9:47am

Bert - Can you share the brand of epoxy that you have used? I wonder about mixing a water based (acrylic) paint with epoxy and having it not impact the curing of either item.

I have used a clear colored product in voids and found it works well, however the kits are not cheep ($25) and I have found the shelf life to be short on the unmixed materials. Photo below of product that I have used.

The voids must be filled with a HARD filler, something that one can finish to a high polish.

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Bert Delisle WR Addict Offline Posts: 1,424 Calgary Alberta Canada Gender: Vicmarc 300	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #4 - Sep 29^th, 2016 at 10:58pm Tom Coghill wrote on Sep 29^th, 2016 at 9:47am: Bert - Can you share the brand of epoxy that you have used? I use this product, i have never tried water based acrylics in the epoxy, only oil based paints. Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!! You need to or
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Tom Coghill WR Addict Offline Turning, when I am done with my chores. Posts: 1,128 The Villages Florida USA Gender: Oneway 2436, 3 HP 220V, now with Stainless Ways	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #5 - Oct 3^rd, 2016 at 4:19pm Thanks Bert - I have found a marine supplier close to home that stocks this product. I will give it a try.
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Steve nix Senior Member Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 323 Iota Louisiana USA Gender: 1642 Jet, RobustAB	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #6 - Oct 3^rd, 2016 at 7:18pm Burt, would you post a pic of something you've done with the epoxy. Thanks in advance.
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Don Stephan WR Addict Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 2,659 Cincinnati, Ohio Ohio USA Gender:	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #7 - Oct 3^rd, 2016 at 7:26pm Another product for tinting two part epoxy is fresco dry powders. Perhaps they are sold at art stores?
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Tom Coghill WR Addict Offline Turning, when I am done with my chores. Posts: 1,128 The Villages Florida USA Gender: Oneway 2436, 3 HP 220V, now with Stainless Ways	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #8 - Oct 4^th, 2016 at 9:57am I don't know how thin the resin is, but I would think that mixing in color (dry or liquid) would be best to do it BEFORE adding the hardener. This would extend your mixing time and may allow one the ability to get more of the bubbles out before putting the epoxy on the wood.... just a thought.
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Glenn Jacobs WR Addict Offline JC L&S Posts: 2,077 North DFW, Texas Texas USA Gender: Powermatic 3520C	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #9 - Oct 4^th, 2016 at 12:32pm The West System has a long (20 minute) working time. Alumilite casting resin is about 15 minutes, but be sure EVERYTHING (air, wood, etc.) is dry. West System is like water, Alumilite is like maple syrup. To really fill the cracks, you want to use a pressure pot. Glenn J.
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Jeff Vanden Boogart

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Re: Resin filling cracked blanks
Reply #10 - Oct 4^th, 2016 at 10:11pm

I normally use the 209 extra slow hardener. You got an hour to fool with it in cool temps, probably 2 hours in my shop in the winter...lol. Plenty of time to soak into all the small cracks...so you'll need to keep adding more. It'll run right through at times, so a lot of masking tape is needed on the back side. I use modeling clay to build walls around the top side of larger cracks to keep the epoxy from running where I don't want it, and also act as a reservoir.

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william trench Senior Member Offline WR Rocks! Posts: 269 South Salem USA	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #11 - Oct 10^th, 2016 at 12:14pm ""Some of the wisest advice I ever got about turning was "Life's too short to turn bad wood."" Right on. IMHO... Unless it is for practice, why bother ? Would something 'special' you turned really look that good in the end with a filled crack ? Seems to me it would detract more than decorate.
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Bert Delisle

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Re: Resin filling cracked blanks
Reply #12 - Oct 11^th, 2016 at 6:50pm

Steve nix wrote on Oct 3^rd, 2016 at 7:18pm:

Burt, would you post a pic of something you've done with the epoxy. Thanks in advance.

Here is a buffalo bowl that uses west system epoxy. There is at least 3/32 gap around the Buffalo, and between the blanks. Then the assembly is turned into a bowl. The blank was about 2" thick.

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Bert Delisle WR Addict Offline Posts: 1,424 Calgary Alberta Canada Gender: Vicmarc 300	Re: Resin filling cracked blanks Reply #13 - Oct 13^th, 2016 at 1:21am Here is what the epoxy'd blank looked like before turning. Epoxy was coloured with a few drops of acrylic paint.
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