Basic of Working With Wood Putty

If you are novice and you want to work with different types of wood. Chances are that you are going to have use wood putty (filler) at some time. Most people who have worked with wood for long time have found out that wood putty can be a big help in certain situations.

But often novice woodworkers try to use it and the project turns out less than appealing. As with anything you need to learn the basics of using wood putty as with anything to get the best results.
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They either used the product wrong or used the wrong product for the application. Or even both could have been done. There are two different types of wood putty or filler. There is a solvent based and water based wood putty. On some jobs they can be used interchangably but on some projects the woodworker will have to choose which one to use.

The water based wood putty is probably the easier of the two to use. This is because the drying times are usually longer than with solvent based wood putties. But mainly you will choose one over the other usually the one that works best for you.

There is a nitrocellulose-base putty and it dries fast, and you will need acetone or thinner to clean it up. People usually don't like to use it much because of fumes. You will need to work with putty in a well ventilated  area. Absolutely no flames near the work. If this dries before your done working with it then you will have to sand it down and start again.

The other is a gypsum-based putty and it can come in two forms. One is a powder and you mix to the consitancy of pancake batter. It is usually easy to clean with just plain water. If you let it dry then you will need to sand it down and be sure to wear a mask and eye protection because of the dust.

The second form of water-based wood putty comes in small batches in plastic containers. This has to be closed at all times. If air gets in it will dry then you will have to follow the directions on the container to remix if possible.

Before you start using the putty you must clean the wood where it is to be applied. Make sure that all dust and foreign matter is removed. This will unsure that a good bond between the putty and wood will take place.

Also once you have finished puttying the wood, do not bend it or put it under stress. Wood putty is very brittle when dry. It will break out very easily and then you will have to start over again.

Also when you have a large area or deep damage to putty. Lay the putty in layers. This will ensure the putty dries thoroughly an even. Lots of people putty the whole area at once then let it dry the appropriate time. But when they go to work with it. They find that the putty is still wet underneath.

When you sand the wood and filler or putty you will sand it just like wood. Now the putty will sand easier than wood and will fill up the sandpaper faster. I will not sand the whole area of putty at one time. I have found when you go back to the wood it will clean the sandpaper.

You can get putty in different colors, or if you want to you can get stains and stain the wood filler before you use it to blend into the wood. Normally wood filler is a yellow color and will dry to this color. It's great for yellow and white pine. Because it doesn't show up as bad. But if you are planning to stain this type of wood you will need to mix the stain into the putty first. After it dries it will not stain.

To mix stain into the putty you will want to use a piece of scrap wood to get the putty the color that you want before you use it on your project. Most of the time when wood putty is used the project is going to be painted. This eliminates the need to mix the stain into the putty.

A good practice to get in is to ask your local retailer where you buy your wood from to find out what putties are the best selling and what kinds people prefer. Then as you use it then you can make up your own mind as to which one you like the best.