Filling and finishing

[Adam Tracksler]

I have a couple "over-routes" in my binding. I was planning on finishing the mandolin dark.

What should I use to fill the gaps?

What kind of stain should I use that will:
a. be dark enough to blend the gaps and wood
b. be a good candidate for french polish

Thanks in advance, ad

[sunburst]

How deep are your "over-routes"? If they're not very deep you can smooth them out, put the binding in so that it is slightly below the wood surface, then scrape/sand the wood down to the binding. If you are "painting over" it with a dark stain anyway, nearly any filler will work, but it either needs to be something that will accept the dark stain, or it needs to be something dark.
Strange as it may seem, I've found that Elmers exterior carpenters wood filler works pretty well, but if you want it dark you might have to mix some dye or pigment into it because it doesn't stain very well.

Consider, if you will, what the situation would be if this was to be a blonde mandolin! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Adam Tracksler]

Thanks john, but I already have a killer blonde mando.

[buckhorn]

i've used elmers also and it works very well..if the fill is -large- ,try mixing fine sawdust with it ..the slurrie will pick up some of the stain....

[Eric Hanson]

I worked in a spiral stair and custom cabinet shop for a while. We made our own wood filler from clamping a block of the wood we were working with in a vise, used a belt sander to get enough wood dust, mixed this dust with a bit of Elmers and a bit of Denatured alcohol. The alcohol helped it to dry faster. We used this on high end wood working and it seemed to take the stain fairly well.
Eric