Recently my dear mother was kind enough to watch my insane German Shorthair while I was out of town. He returned the favor by scrathcing the #*@& out of a large sliding door and adjacent jamb and casing. Claw marks are upwards of 3/16″ deep in some areas.
The wood is oak, circa 1880-1890 farmhouse. I sanded out some of the lighter scratches and was able to match the color and finish of the existing surprisingly well wtih stain and amber shellac. However, I don’t want to sand down 3/16″ in the areas with scratches that deep as I can only picture what the resulting “divots” in the wood are going to look like.
There is too much damage in too random of an area to try doing dutchmen. Any ideas on anything I can fill these deeper scratches with that won’t stand out like (*#(???
Shawn
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Checker Contracting – SE Michigan
Replies
Is there an unused room, or maybe a closet that has the same casing? If so, rob one room to repair the other.
If not...........
There are furniture "repair" experts who are amazing when it comes to matching grain and color patterns. The most important part of their toollkit is a tray with a dozen or so kinds and colors of glazes and paints and stains.
Fill the gouges with whatever, sand smooth, and call one of those guys.
Thats the ticket, fake graining over similar wood filler, like Famo-wood or bondo. Colored markers, fine "eye-lash" brushes, shellac between layers and plenty of patience.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Yea, that's kind of what I was afraid of. I suppose it can't hurt for me to give it a shot and see what I can do. Worst case scenario I can sand off my results and call in a pro.Thanks!Shawn
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Checker Contracting - SE Michigan
Call the pro before you do anything on your own. It might cost more if they have to clean out your well meaning but mis-guided efforts to "help". - lol
Any ideas on anything I can fill these deeper scratches with that won't stand out like (*#(???
http://woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FULLPRES.exe?PARTNUM=954-643&search=Burnin%20Sticks&smode=
Edited 3/12/2009 8:09 pm ET by Shawn_Prentice
Shawn,
That link shows up as a download with an .exe file. Ain't gonna download it or let it run.
Can you post some simple pics instead?
It's a link to Woodworker's Supply. Furniture burn-in sticks will fill the scratches. Mohawk Finishing has them too.
the link DLs just fine here.
Can you post some pics?
Often enough..... the simplest and most effective "fix" is to fill the deep scratches with clear epoxy and proceed from there. If these are casings... the filling would require that you remove them so they can be laid out horizontally for the fill procedure.
Whether the clear epoxy fill comes first or second depends upon whether or not coloring of the exposed wood down in the gouges is needed to match the surrounding wood.
Not saying that this procedure would definitely be the route for your particular problem, but might be/often is. It depends.
HootOwl -
That's not a bad idea, but getting the material horizontal would be more work that it is worth. Part of it is casing, but there is also damage to the jamb and the biggest issue is a 8'x8' solid wood pocket door. Getting to the track and hanging hardware would require opening up the walls. I'm not too keen on doing that.
I might play with some burn-in sticks as someone else suggested too.
Thanks everyone for the ideas!!!!Shawn
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Checker Contracting - SE Michigan
Well, I guess if horizontal is out of the question then epoxy likely is too.......for your needs/purposes.
It works splendidly in alot of situations........provided you're not attempting to rebuild a corner (or similar) with it.. cause then the light shines right thru it......betraying its prescence. Used correctly it's just like putting some clear glass in there which allows the underlying wood to show thru, of course.
You can, for example, replace fairly large pieces of wood that have been chipped out in a planer or however. If there are any sharp edges comprising the perimeter of the chipped out area or inside the chipped out area......it's best to round those over with some sandpaper first (and/or a nice sharp gouge). Left sharp and irregular, they would cause shadows in the filled area when the light strikes the surface at the wrong angle. IOW, turn the chipped out area into kind of a bowl shape.
Done correctly...such a repair is totally invisible to the eye (if done in solid wood/not veneered stock)......even if 3/8" deep or so. ..once your finish is applied over the top. (Also gotta poke any air bubbles outta your epoxy fill or those will also betray the prescence of the epoxy.) Sand the epoxy to 220 or better before finishing. Test for need of coloring in fill area by wetting the wood in the chipped area and surrounding....with some lacquer thinner, mineral spirits or similar. If coloring in damaged area is needed, do it before you apply the epoxy.
Edited 3/14/2009 8:47 pm ET by HootOwl