Sanding wood fillers

[jflures]

I added some weight in the bottom of a few lures. I filled the top of the holes with wood filler. I am having a problem getting the filled holes to sand flat. They always seem to leave an indention in the bait. Any suggestions?

[Lure--Prof]

First of all jf, I'd advise adding a bit of epoxy to the hole before using the wood filler--or you can do the whole thing in epoxy and forget the wood filler, it's just a bit harder to sand. As far as sanding the wood filler, use a small straight piece of fine grade sandpaper for this, and don't press so hard that the softer material in the center is receiving more pressure than the circumferance of the hole. Do not use a foam-backed sanding device for this, as it will sand unevenly across different densities.

Dean

[mark poulson]

One of the things that makes spackle so good also makes it a pain. It's easy to sand. So, unless you have a contoured block, you probably hollow out the spackle when you sand it.

Like Dean said, try using epoxy, which is harder. I use scotch tape over the epoxy, to keep it smoother. In the past, I've used Zap glue under the epoxy, and that seems to be a problem, so, depending on what you use to fill the majority of the hole when you plug it, I'd try putting epoxy over the filler, and then tape over the epoxy. If you're going to sand and repaint anyway, this method will give you much less to sand. Just don't go hog wild with the epoxy or it will squeeze way out under the tape. Take your time to just fill the hole first.

[jflures]

Thanks gentilman. I will go with epoxy from now on.

[Palmetto Balsa]

Try Plumbers Epoxy. You will like it for filling holes.

* Hardens in 20 minutes

* Seals, plugs, mends, patches, and non-toxic

* Can be used on leaky pipes or underwater

* Adhesive for metals, wood, glass, masonry, ceramics, and many plastics

* Can be drilled, tapped, filed, sanded, and painted like metal

[jflures]

Try Plumbers Epoxy. You will like it for filling holes.

* Hardens in 20 minutes

* Seals, plugs, mends, patches, and non-toxic

* Can be used on leaky pipes or underwater

* Adhesive for metals, wood, glass, masonry, ceramics, and many plastics

* Can be drilled, tapped, filed, sanded, and painted like metal

I will give this a try for sure.

[BobP]

It's easier for me to sand a patch done with a filler that's similar in density to the wood around it. An epoxy patch in a balsa bait is REAL hard for me to sand. I use interior wood filler in balsa and exterior wood filler in hardwoods for that reason.

[diemai]

To close such holes for weights or rattles in wooden lureblanks , I'd mix some 2-component glue(5 min. processing time) and add some wood chips from my lathe to the mixture , stir up a bit and then smear it into the hole , after a minute or two I'd sprinkle some wood-dust(waste from sanding) over it and press it snugly into the hole , this way it won't stick to your finger . After 24 hrs. of curing I use a "Dremel" with a router bit to remove excess , the last touch-up I do with fine files and sandpaper . Files have to be cleaned up with a steel-bristle-brush occasionally , the glue tends to smear into the teeth of the files , and they become blunt .

[Lure--Prof]

Hey Bob,

If you should need to sand you epoxy, a dremel sanding drum takes the work out of it. I like having the epoxy in place for a couple of reasons: The first is that I don't want the lead to fly out of the bait when someone smacks it on the water to relieve the hooks from a bit of vegetation. It is true that it is stupid behavior to do this with a custom lure, but it still happens, although it never should. The second reason is that I've had certain wood fillers and woods combine to soften and blister the paint when I heat-set Createx--The seal in the wood is breached at this point, and heat, moisture and pressure combine to soften the wood filler. I've had this happen with cedar and poplar, even after extra dying of the wood. I've never experienced this with balsa, but I'd rather prevent than fix problems, so I just use epoxy.

Dean

[Mr.J.]

Absolutly the best product on the market IMHO

I have nothing but full praise for this product

Quikwood

[BobP]

Dean, you know how it is - just what works after trying different stuff. I ALWAYS epoxy ballast after slapping the ballast out of a prize lure on a Canadian fishing trip I epoxy in the ballast but leave some room and use Elmer's water based interior or exterior wood filler to finish off the plug. The interior Elmer's looks like white spackling (probably is in fact) but it comes in a handy squeeze tube. The exterior version is a little harder (and waterproof) when dry. Neither contains solvent so they don't soften epoxy or paint. I've also used the epoxy putty on hardwood and it works well but the Elmer's is cheaper. The Elmer's is easy to sand with 400 grit paper. My only worry was that it isn't a structurally strong material, but covered with a seal coat and a clearcoat, I haven't had a failure yet.