I don't care for pore filling. Still, sometimes it's necessary or at least desirable with certain woods. I haven't done any woodworking projects for quite a while, but I still check in at the WoodNet.net forums every couple of weeks. I recently saw a thread where someone asked for pore filler recommendations, and one guy who responded said he uses thinned-down drywall compound. When another poster asked him for more info, here's what he said:
Perfectly safe to use under ANY clear finish .. .. tint the filler before application if you want to accentuate the grain - then apply it to the stained project .. or apply it white & stain it along with the rest of the surface if you want it to blend in, and just be very flat.
A little practice with water-based dyes & tints will have you making striking custom finishes in no time.
Think about it .. when you buy "pore-filler" for $15-25/qt, you are actually getting very finely ground silica (sand) in a binder. The binder is something like linseed oil & mineral spirits, OR it can be water-based. Either can be tinted before or after application, depending on the desired results, just be sure to use the appropriate tints. An old timer at a woodworking show revealed this to a bunch of us many years ago, and I've used it many times since. Drywall mud/plaster-of-Paris, etc. is very much the same materials you buy in so-called "pore-fillers". You can even buy dry "setting" compound that you mix with water just before use .. it "cures" rather than dried via evaporation, and sets more quickly and resists shrinking better, not that it's much of an issue with filling pores in wood
Sounded interesting, so I saved the thread.
Now look what I've found, a new video from an acoustic guitar maker and luthiery teacher:
In the immortal words of Arte Johnson, very interesting!
