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Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?
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Author:  rlrhett [ Sun Dec 28, 2014 8:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Does anyone know of something I can mix with CA glue to make a bright white inlay filler? This is just for fine lines and gaps, not large areas. Something like the way you can add ebony dust for black. I have seen metal dust for gold, bronze, and silver, but nothing for white.

While I'm at it, is there a pearloid dust you can mix with epoxy?


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Author:  unkabob [ Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:13 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

I suspect that craft stores would carry something that would work. Getting a good colour-match with the right tone may require some testing.
Could you sand some of the material you are replacing and mix the sanding dust with CA?

Just a thought.

Bob :ugeek:

Author:  Jfurry [ Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:18 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Fake ivory binding flaked or sanded in a pile add a drop of acetone.

Author:  DennisK [ Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Perhaps titanium dioxide?

Author:  Jim Watts [ Sun Dec 28, 2014 9:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

you might check out baking soda.

Author:  Rod True [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

I wouldn't use CA glue for something you want white.....I'd use bone dust or baking soda and white school glue....

Author:  rlrhett [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 2:56 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

White plastic binding doesn't seem to sand into dust. It just turns gummy. I'll try baking soda and white school glue. Thanks!

Author:  Jfurry [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

I had no problem making dust ,wonder it there are different kinds? running a scraper down one edge and making curls. It turns into a white putty that sets up hard and sandable .

Author:  Clay S. [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 4:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Kampel seamfil comes in various shades of white as well as a multitude of colors. It is used to fill seams in laminate work and dries as a hard plastic.

Author:  Michael.N. [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:08 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Lithopone is a Zinc based very White pigment commonly used in paint and inks. I've mixed it with Fish glue, a little goes a long way. It should mix with epoxy but I've not tried that. It comes in a fine powder form, so it won't really act as a filler - just something to pigment the glue. Kremer Pigmente sell it.

Author:  bluescreek [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:53 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

there are a number of things you can use perhaps you can post a picture and then knowing what you are trying to accomplish we can give you the best answer to fit your needs.
CA and bone dust will not be dead white , Also what wood are you inlaying one?

Author:  RusRob [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

rlrhett wrote:
White plastic binding doesn't seem to sand into dust. It just turns gummy. I'll try baking soda and white school glue. Thanks!



I would suggest you take a scrap piece of your plastic binding and use a scraper to get shavings. Put them in a small jar with Acetone. It will melt the plastic giving you a perfect filler that matches your bindings exactly. Putting a different material in the cracks will show up like a sore thumb and will probably develop cracks later on from the different expansion rates of the 3 different materials (Wood/Filler/Plastic).

You may need to put your first coat of sealer on before filling to keep the filler from bleeding into the wood. Since Acetone will eat almost any finish when wet you will probably still have to be very careful and work quickly. The other way would be to get a hypodermic needle and syringe large enough to apply the filler directly into the crack.

But most important is to test everything before you do it. As in almost everything, #1 Make a Plan. #2 Trial Run. #3 Execute Plan.

You don't what to have to repair the repair...

Cheers,
Bob

Author:  brazil66 [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

All good answers.....for a wood opposite....Holly is the whitest wood you'll find.

Author:  Rodger Knox [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Not my best work, but this is bone dust and CA.
Attachment:
headstock.JPG

Author:  Don Williams [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Sodium in water will give you a lot of bang for your buck...


(don't actually try this!)

Author:  rlrhett [ Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Rodger: nice! I was filling a gap between white plastic binding and maple, but I like your idea for inlay art.

My Cnc machine can carve very delicate line drawings with a v-bit. I think I'll try filling some with bone dust and ca to make the fine lines stand out.

Bob: yours seems the most promising for what I was trying to achieve. Will the acetone/plastic evaporate and harden again? Or do I mix that with epoxy or CA?


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Author:  RusRob [ Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:14 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Just use Acetone and the plastic. The The Acetone will evaporate out and just leave the plastic. It is the same process you use when you laminate plastic bindings together. In that case you just brush the Acetone between the strips and press them together and they are pretty much fused together. I have also repaired a few plastic bindings by the same method. Just be sure that your lines in the gap are smooth and even or the new material will show the uneven gap as a different width of the white binding.

Pictures would help a lot in this case since we don't have any idea what you are actually trying to fill.

But even at that I would highly suggest you try to reproduce what you are doing on a scrap piece of wood before you attempt the actual repair. You have to be confident in what you are doing before you do the real thing or as I said before, "You will be repairing the repair".


Bob

Author:  TonyKarol [ Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

white gap ?? .. simple .. white shellac stick and the burn in method with a hot knife.

Author:  Corky Long [ Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

It seems to me that you have one primary challenge that hasn't been mentioned yet. The ebony dust/CA approach works very well because it creates a very dark, almost black filler. It seems to me that that human eye likely sees slight differences in black less acutely than we do for shades of white. There are many different, slight variations in "white". If your filler isn't very, very close to the shade of white that you are trying to match, it will stick out like a sore thumb. So, the suggestion above about , 1) make a plan, 2) TEST ON SCRAP, then make changes if it doesn't result in the shade you wanted, and 3) execute the plan, is critical.

CA always seems to darken the appearance of the medium that it's gluing, so I suspect CA won't work.

Good luck.

Author:  Rodger Knox [ Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

rlrhett wrote:
Rodger: nice! I was filling a gap between white plastic binding and maple, but I like your idea for inlay art.

My Cnc machine can carve very delicate line drawings with a v-bit. I think I'll try filling some with bone dust and ca to make the fine lines stand out.


A CNC would give really good results, but I'm not sure a v-bit would be the way to go. The bone dust/CA needs a minimum thickness to be really white (I'm guessing about 0.03"), and vertical walls in the channel will give you a sharper edge. The one in the photo I did freehand with a dremmel, no base or anything, so it's a little shaky. The dental burr I used was about the width of the line, and any little fault along the top edge of the channel shows up.

Author:  John Arnold [ Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:21 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Get some white chalkboard chalk and scrape it with an X-Acto knife. The powder mixes well with most anything. I use chalk pastels for color in fills all the time. I use them with super glue for deep fills, or with lacquer or shellac to do finish touch up.
One example of a pastel chalk assortment:
http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Pastel-Assorted-Colors-Square/dp/B008JRKKI8

Author:  TimAllen [ Wed Dec 31, 2014 2:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

Some excellent ideas here. I do have to say that Corky's point parallels my experience--pretty easy to fill black, much harder filling areas that are lighter. Whatever fill you use, in my experience, it's less noticeable when a filled area is slightly darker than slightly lighter than the surrounding area.

Author:  Michael.N. [ Wed Dec 31, 2014 7:49 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

I didn't realise it was a filler to match an existing White, which will be extremely difficult to obtain an invisible match.
You will probably need a very White substance and another as a tint so that it allows various shades of White. That and a lot of experimenting might get you very close. When mixed with glue the final colour is often not achieved until the mix has fully dried, which makes colour matching even more difficult. Personally I use Lithopone and Lycopodium to create anything from a brilliant White right through to a Tan colour. Lycopodium is often used by Violin makers as a 'filler' to match with Spruce.

Author:  Mike Collins [ Wed Dec 31, 2014 4:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Opposite of ebony dust/CA trick for white?

talcum powder.

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