Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Wood repair on fine furniture

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,887

    Default Wood repair on fine furniture

    One of the best products for wood repair I have come across in 35 years of being in the furniture business is Epoxy Putty by JB Weld. This stuff is magic, and it's tenacious, this repair never lets go and you can fully restore wood damage with it. Don't buy those one-step wood repair products, they cannot hold an edge and will crumble out if put on a corner. This stuff never fails, at least in my experience.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002NJDAJY...lig_dp_it&th=1

    I repaired this knuckle on this handmade tiger maple armchair I have in my own home 21 years ago when we moved into our current house. My friend Dave was helping me move and caught the tip of the arm on a door and sheared off, we could not find the chip. It was one of only two damages we had in the move. So I recreated the feature using the epoxy putty. It was harder to get the color right than to create the arm detail lines, the red area shows the missing piece. That putty is amazing stuff, and if you ever work with it, keep a small bowl of water nearby and keep your fingers moist, it allows you to smooth and create the detail lines, you have about 10 minutes open time from when mixed. Once it hardens, it's all sandpaper from there on out.

    These photos were taken today, 21 years after the work was completed. Still holding, and if I didn't outline the area you would never pick up on it.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Armtip.jpg 
Views:	159 
Size:	193.1 KB 
ID:	14806

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Chair.jpg 
Views:	132 
Size:	102.3 KB 
ID:	14807

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Armtip.jpg 
Views:	131 
Size:	61.5 KB 
ID:	14808
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2018
    Posts
    595

    Default Re: Wood repair on fine furniture

    Wow, you did a great job! What did you use to mix the color? It doesn't look like it comes with different dyes or anything to mix inio it.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    563

    Default Re: Wood repair on fine furniture

    That is a pretty nice repair Duane!

    Sue, from my experience, there are a few different ways to add color, because the putty stuff is usually paintable but sometimes doesn't take stain very well. When you are kneading it together you can knead in fine sawdust to help get it closer to the color you want and blend in the repair (you can use the same trick with 50/50 wood glue to fill in scratches and nicks), or powdered pigments (can find at craft stores). Another option would be using the wood colored markers to color it after it sets up a bit. Alcohol based markers would probably work best.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Alexandria VA
    Posts
    15,887

    Default Re: Wood repair on fine furniture

    Thanks. Color is never a single step, it is about fifteen steps that require toners, sealers, tints, clears in a test-and-try experiment. A lot of times I will use oil based artist paints as well. It’s not as easy and grabbing a spray can and shooting the area in most cases.

    Its alway the color and sheen that are the difficult parts of a wood finish repair, and horizontal flat surfaces are the worst (like table tops) due to the reflectivity over a large area.
    Last edited by drcollie; 07-26-2022 at 07:30 AM.
    Duane Collie
    Straight answers from thirty-six years in the business.
    My Private Messages are Disabled - Please ask questions here in the forum.

Similar Threads

  1. Wood Surface Repair
    By Jconardo_1 in forum Repairs / Upkeep / Reupholster / Slipcover
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 03-23-2020, 06:56 PM
  2. Fine Furniture Design (FFDM)
    By sstarrx2 in forum Wood Case Goods, and Chairs
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 02-17-2016, 12:47 AM
  3. Elijah Slocum and other fine furniture
    By Texanatheart in forum The Lobby
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 03-04-2014, 12:10 AM
  4. How could they do this to a fine piece of furniture?
    By juliatevis in forum Craigslist Furniture, Found in the Attic, etc.
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 12-24-2011, 10:42 AM
  5. Quality of Cresent FIne Furniture?
    By Laxplaya7974 in forum The Lobby
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 05-15-2009, 03:53 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •