sandable wood primer/filler

[porthos]

have a gerstner leatherette covered tool box. removed the leatherette . pretty rough underneath. before painting i want to (need to) fill in the imperfections. what kind of sandable filler can i use? is automotive sandable primer ok? i would think that is. also thinking about water putty mixed thin and painted on and sanded. any thoughts?

[Winger Ed.]

is automotive sandable primer ok?

No. It can't follow wood's expansion and contractions. It'll look good for awhile, then split and pop off.

Any big box or hardware store will have wood fillers that'll do a good job.
If Min-wax makes one--- it'll be the best.

That one that comes in a round can and is a powder sort of a yellow-ish color is good,
but it is like sanding concrete if you wait too long.

Look for 'sandable' and 'filler' on the label.

I like the ones that come pre-mixed in the plastic tub for filling deep places.
They're about as thick as peanut butter.

To just fill the grain, the liquid/brushable ones are fine.

[shortlegs]

Auto body filler is very sandable and great for painting over.
A friend used it on a mauser stock to form the cheek rest higher and better pistol grip on the stock . He also used it to form the fore end for a bipod attachment. The body filler has held up great.

[Bmi48219]

All the wood putty / wood filler mixes I’ve seen use either water or solvent to activate the product hardening. The red and white cardboard can mentioned in post #2 is Durhams wood putty. It requires water to activate the binder. I’ve used it for filling holes, gouges etc with good results, it does get hard, so don’t go crazy overfilling the patch area, just a little bit above the surrounding surface. Plastic Wood make both pre mixed, ready to use water based and solvent based putties. The solvent based stuff bonds well and gets real hard. The water based (package will say clean up with water) fills hole well but bonding as a thin coat isn’t what it does best.
If you go with water based putty before applying I’d slightly moisten the patch area with a slightly damp rag. You don’t want standing water, just moisten the wood fibers.
If you don’t, the moisture in the putty will get sucked out by the wood surface before it can develop a good bond. If it doesn’t develop a good bond it won’t adhere well when cured. Ideally you want the putty to cure from the top of repair, not dry out from the bottom. The directions will tell you to thoroughly clean all dust etc from the area first and use multiple coats for deep patches to reduce shrinkage. Follow the directions.
YMMV.

[Gtrubicon]

Bondo is great for what you’re needing. They even have bondo wood filler. They both are the best wood fillers I’ve used.

[Bazoo]

I've used durhams rock hard and it is okay. What I like is ace brand putty from....ace. It is acetone based and works really well. you can thing it with acetone and spread it pretty thin. Its what I use at work. I like it just as good as famowood, but its cheaper. famowood is also hard to find around here.

[jonp]

I used to used Minwax for these jobs but now keep a big jar of Durhams Water Putty on hand. Best thing about it is it's in powder form so never hardens or goes bad if kept dry and you can mix up what you need at the time.

https://www.amazon.com/Durham-Rock-Hard-Water-Putty/dp/B00U7VRT7Y/ref=asc_df_B00U7VRT7Y?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80470624769030&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584070153065579&psc=1

[georgerkahn]

have a gerstner leatherette covered tool box. removed the leatherette . pretty rough underneath. before painting i want to (need to) fill in the imperfections. what kind of sandable filler can i use? is automotive sandable primer ok? i would think that is. also thinking about water putty mixed thin and painted on and sanded. any thoughts?

The "operative" word you used in this post is PAINTING -- as opposed to staining. I would find a similar wood -- most any scraps of dimensional pine (e.g, "1 x 6") and use a belt sander (works quickest!) to produce a 1/2-cup or so of fine sawdust. Then, using a small quantity of sawdust at a time, mix it with some TiteBond (what I use) or similar white glue, and then use a putty knife to push sawdust-glue mix into your open-pored wood. Note I wrote "small quantity" as the mix dries incredibly quickly, and you wish to use a scraper to follow your filling to keep surface plane. If you take your -- my biggest cause of expletives is if I try and work in tooooo much at a time (quick drying) -- time, in short order you should have a good looking end result. Then, wrap some 200- sandpaper on a wood block, and you should end with an almost-like-glass surface, ready for paint!
Best wishes!
geo

[porthos]

good ideas. THANKS

[deces]

I have used this stuff many times for wood restoration, the system works very well.

https://youtu.be/naA3wkHJeWM

[jonp]

The "operative" word you used in this post is PAINTING -- as opposed to staining. I would find a similar wood -- most any scraps of dimensional pine (e.g, "1 x 6") and use a belt sander (works quickest!) to produce a 1/2-cup or so of fine sawdust. Then, using a small quantity of sawdust at a time, mix it with some TiteBond (what I use) or similar white glue, and then use a putty knife to push sawdust-glue mix into your open-pored wood. Note I wrote "small quantity" as the mix dries incredibly quickly, and you wish to use a scraper to follow your filling to keep surface plane. If you take your -- my biggest cause of expletives is if I try and work in tooooo much at a time (quick drying) -- time, in short order you should have a good looking end result. Then, wrap some 200- sandpaper on a wood block, and you should end with an almost-like-glass surface, ready for paint!
Best wishes!
geo

Great stuff. I havn't mixed Elmers and sawdust to fix a hole for years and forgot about it.

[jonp]

I have used this stuff many times for wood restoration, the system works very well.

https://youtu.be/naA3wkHJeWM

I just ordered some of this. My vacation hunting camp is in a very damp region and get rot around the edges. This will help me fix the small spots without tearing out the soffits, windows etc. I used a marine grade epoxy years ago to fix a hole in the bottom of a boat I bought for a few bucks because... it had a hole in the bottom! Never leaked. Thanks!

[warren5421]

If you have a Woodcraft go talk to them. Rockler can help also. The big box stores are almost no help.

[deces]

I just ordered some of this. My vacation hunting camp is in a very damp region and get rot around the edges. This will help me fix the small spots without tearing out the soffits, windows etc. I used a marine grade epoxy years ago to fix a hole in the bottom of a boat I bought for a few bucks because... it had a hole in the bottom! Never leaked. Thanks!

I'm not sure that the guy used this correctly. After he applies the liquid, he then dries it and then packs the dough in the pocket.
That might be the correct method, but every time I have used it I apply the liquid to the the dry wood and while it is still wet, I then apply the dough into the void. I believe the liquid epoxy would bond better to the dough while still wet and less chance of moisture permeation.

[jonp]

I'm not sure that the guy used this correctly. After he applies the liquid, he then dries it and then packs the dough in the pocket.
That might be the correct method, but every time I have used it I apply the liquid to the the dry wood and while it is still wet, I then apply the dough into the void. I believe the liquid epoxy would bond better to the dough while still wet and less chance of moisture permeation.

I agree. Wet for bonding seems better

[deces]

I would also recommend wearing a painters mask when sanding this stuff for obvious reasons.

I can also see this kit being very nice for glass bedding rifles, I've debated doing it over & over, but just haven't gotten around to it yet.

[Bmi48219]

I agree. Wet for bonding seems better

I think the idea is the liquid is used to fill in the fibers and small voids in the old wood. Properly applied the filled wood is no longer punky but hard like it was when first installed. In essence not a bonding agent but a surface prep.