European Burl

[DannyHeatley]

So I finished this pen last December and the heat of trying to crank out as many pens as I could for Christmas gifts I forgot what type of wood I used here, and I also cheaped out on finishing it.

With the burl I had troubles filling in the deep crevices with CA, is there any way to do such a thing without applying 20+ coats of CA? I really like this burl but finishing it was a pain in my A#$.

Also if anyone can tell what type of burl this is I would much appreciate it!

Constructive critcism wlecome! :biggrin: (oh and excuse my messy desk and shotty photography)

 

[Pens By Scott]

i'm no expert, but it looks like Maple, maybe with some curl to it as well.

 

[GoatRider]

Looks like box elder to me.

 

[Monty]

Looks like maple to me.
You can fill the voids with sawdust, coffee grounds or a colored sand or inlace in a contrasting color and saturate with thin CA. Then turn down, sand and finish.

 

[DannyHeatley]

Thanks for the tip on the coffee grounds or colored sand Monty! I thought of sawdust but it wouldn't have matched the color scheme.

And now that you say it curly maple sounds familiar. Thanks guys!

 

[mdm0829]

I use embossing powder from Michaels. Lots of colors and not expensive.

 

[seamus7227]

Sometimes, if you really want that great look, you just gotta saturate it with lots of thin CA, and then build many coats with some medium CA. It really all depends on whether you want a superb finish or just that "eh, well, that'll do" kinda finish. Not really all that bad being so new at it. Keep trying and you will get it. Also, IMHO, if you use color fill for the voids, remember your color spectrum and go with the colors that compliment the material you are using, that way it has an even bigger WOW factor when people look at it!

 

[Gary Beasley]

I fill my voids with medium CA and let it sit a while till it cures all the way to the bottom. Might take 20 minutes sometimes. Then I use a skew to level the CA down to the body and see if it fills all the way. It usually stays clear and the color is "drawn" to the top by the lensing effect of the curved surface.