Home-made Putty

[HomerLee]

I have tried many brands of stainable wood putty and they never seem to match the type wood they claim to be made for either before or after being stained. So I read with interest that you can make your own putty by mixing 2 parts wood glue, 1 part water, and sanding dust (not sawdust) from the wood species you are trying to match. I have tried this twice with yellow glue as recommended (Titebond) and both times the putty was much too dark. So today I tried white glue (also recommended) and it looked like it would be a closer match but the putty dried with many small dark specs in it. I know you can not allow metal such as a putty knife to contact the putty or the mix will turn dark due to a reaction between the metal and glue so I was careful to ensure that did not happen. I'm thinking particles from the sanding disc wore off and were in the sawdust resulting in a reaction with the glue which made the dark specs. But I did not think there was metal in sandpaper.

Has anyone tried this and how did it turn out? Any other ways to make your own putty successfully?

Thanks

[davidmichealco]

I have used that technique with much success. I generally used the sanding dust from a well, cleared out bag on the sander. My 4 year old pounded a nail in a cabinet door that I had built out of maple and I filled the hole with the putty, sanded it, touched up the finish and it came out very good. David

[packerguy®]

Ive tried the mix your using. Ive tried superglue and dust. I really like the timbermate products. Sometimes if there is a small ding or crack, just squirting some glue in and sanding right away is the solution.

Guess each has an application. For larger "repairs" I don't know if there is a perfect solution short of doing an inlay of real wood.

[mound]

when I've done this I try to keep it very simple and don't generally even bother "mixing it first" - a bit of white glue in the gap, then I drop a little pile of sanding dust over it, and the use my finger tip in a circular motion pressing down.. always seems to do the trick.. err, uh, I mean, IF I were ever to need to use wood putty, never actually happens.

[GeorgeV]

I have done this successfully for years using sanding dust or scraper dust and either white or yellow glue.

I particularly like the fact that I can match it to the wood I am using and the materials to make it are readily available.

[rschissler]

You have to mix it on the dry side, and the idea above to put clean sawdust on top is good. Lightly tap the sawdust in with your finger. Also, I prefer superglue gel, as it is easier sand than wood glue.

[sonofbluegrass]

I find hide glue has less of an effect on the finish/stain than a PVA glue.

[Steve N]

A LOT of years ago I worked as a trim carpenter for several years. For nail holes, and varied filler on anything with stain I started with this as a base.



Then I just kept adding the stain color and rolling it, and rolling it, until I had an exact match. Takes some time adding stain, and working it in, but it can be done. Done this way it will allow about any kind of protecting finish I ever tried on it, which back then was usually shellac, or a poly base. Probably would work with anything though, and it makes a very durable filler. So many of the commercial fillers have a high degree of alcohol and that is a terrible drier, and it would eventually just fall out. There are several newer products out now, could be some of them actually work

That said, the glue, and sawdust, then just sanding it in together with a ROS works pretty well for doing just a few fixes. Probably the biggest problem with any filler is depth, you actually need some for it to sink in, and work, a really shallow depression and about everything will just rub out. If that happens, sometimes you need to increase your divot

[rschissler]

Of course the best putty I forgot to mention is real wood!

Minor amounts of putty are inevitable, but you should always try to fill most defects with pieces of the wood you are using to build the piece. Cut some tiny slivers from scrap and use super glue to glue them in. This is where you might add a little sawdust to it, to fill any microscopic voids. When dry, cut away the excess with a chisel and sand.

Like I mentioned above, I like super glue here because it dries so much faster, and is easier to sand than wood glue.

[handi]

In my experience, none of the aliphatic glues (white or yellow) take stain well.

Try the mixture using liquid hide glue and sawdust. Hide glue takes stain better than yellow.

I have found that Elmers Putty in the tubes sold at the box stores is quite good. The colors run off, so cherry is better for red oak, and mahogany works well for cherry. The tubes dry out fairly quickly, but are cheap enough.

Ralph