Filling in cabinet gouges

Share your phonograph repair & restoration techniques here
Post Reply
User avatar
FloridaClay
Victor VI
Posts: 3708
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: Merritt Island, FL

Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by FloridaClay »

As part of some restoration I need to fill in a gouge on the top of a fairly dark mahogany cabinet. Any words of wisdom about what to use for an unobtrusive result?

Clay
Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume's Laws of Collecting
1. Space will expand to accommodate an infinite number of possessions, regardless of their size.
2. Shortage of finance, however dire, will never prevent the acquisition of a desired object, however improbable its cost.

Phonofreak
Victor VI
Posts: 3720
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 7:00 pm
Location: Western, WA State

Re: Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by Phonofreak »

If it is a deep gouge, I use plastic wood. Allow it to dry thoroughly and carefully sand using 150 grit sandpaper. Work you way to 200 grit. I can never get stains with wood filler, so I paint it Testers hull red. I mix a little black until I get the desired color.Then I touch it up with Bullseye orange shellac, and feather it with my finger.
Good luck,
Harvey Kravitz

need4art
Victor II
Posts: 456
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:46 pm
Personal Text: A man is not a man who does not make the world a better place
Location: Arizona

Re: Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by need4art »

Hi,
I use a method close to Harvey's but I mix plastic wood of different colors to get as close as possible to the base color. I sand with 150 and than use a black grain filler to fill the sanding pattern to act as wood grain. I use oil based art paints the same that an artist uses mixed with a dryer. Once it has set up a bit I use a light spray of Deft semi gloss to seal. Once it has dried for a couple of days I use Mohawk toned lacquers to finial coat and I use 400 wet with oil to blend and level. A single coat of padded shellac is applied over that and we are done. Yah I know. But I just finished a top of a victor XVI that had a corner knocked off the upper right side and my worst critic (my Wife) could not figure out where the repair started and ended.

Abe

User avatar
Henry
Victor V
Posts: 2624
Joined: Thu Jan 08, 2009 11:01 am
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania

Re: Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by Henry »

need4art wrote:Hi,
...my worst critic (my Wife).... Abe
Worst, or best? :P

User avatar
FloridaClay
Victor VI
Posts: 3708
Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 7:14 pm
Location: Merritt Island, FL

Re: Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by FloridaClay »

Thanks guys!

Clay
Arthur W. J. G. Ord-Hume's Laws of Collecting
1. Space will expand to accommodate an infinite number of possessions, regardless of their size.
2. Shortage of finance, however dire, will never prevent the acquisition of a desired object, however improbable its cost.

need4art
Victor II
Posts: 456
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 6:46 pm
Personal Text: A man is not a man who does not make the world a better place
Location: Arizona

Re: Filling in cabinet gouges

Post by need4art »

Well if it passes my wife's inspection than I am good to go-so she is my critic-and she must give a good review before it goes out of the studio-so depending... she is both the best and worst.
Abe

Post Reply