what to fill knot holes with?

[lift mechanic 2]

I am working with knotty alder making kitchen cabinets. I have used  black P-Tex  ( for repairing snow skies ) for filling knot holes. This works well but takes too much time. What could be used that could be tinted black, maybe epoxy or ? but what to tint epoxy with? Thanks to everyone, I read many posts here and have learned a lot. Mark

[jteneyck]

You can tint epoxy with Japan black or Transtint dyes, and probably other things, but I would consider TimberMate if the knots are fairly small.  It's available in many colors, including ebony, and you can intermix them and also tint them with Transtint dye.  It's exceptionally easy to use and never goes bad.  

I think P-Tex could be problematic for finishing.  

John

[BobW]

Knotty alder has become my wood of choice for the last couple of years (along with mesquite).  Unless knots are large open-through knots, I prefer to leave them alone.  The character that the knots add is the reason I'm using that wood in the first place.  To answer your question, I use black Transtint dye in West Systems epoxy.

[Mike77]

Epoxy and printer ink from a used printer cartridge.

[brianwelch]

Epoxy and printer ink from a used printer cartridge.

Epoxy and charcoal dust (briquette and sandpaper, or mortar and pestle) also seems to work

[lift mechanic 2]

I tried the TimberMate ebony product. Very easy to use and matches the knot color nice. Thanks for all the ideas. Now just have to heal from the rotator cuff surgery a few days ago. Can't do much wood working with 1 arm. I'll just have to finish the kitchen cabinets in a couple of months.

[Willyou]

Reading this thread, it occurred to me that I have used a product from Home Depot for tinting mortar. I comes in a pint bottle (or larger), is not expensive, and seems to be very concentrated. I wonder how that would work for tinting epoxy or other fillers. Anyone ever try it?

[Mike77]

Yeah, it would work, india ink, toner powder, any thing that would turn the epoxy the desired color without effecting it properly curing.

[Willyou]

Yeah, it would work, india ink, toner powder, any thing that would turn the epoxy the desired color without effecting it properly curing.

I assume that for concrete/mortar work, the liquid colorant would be water based. Wasn't sure if that would be compatible with epoxy. I know there are powders made for the same purpose that would probably be compatible.

[loosetoe]

Or you could use actual black epoxy resin pigment. It is specifically for this purpose. https://www.woodcraft.com/products/syste...black-2-oz