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  #1  
Old 09-07-2017, 08:09 PM
Quickstep192 Quickstep192 is offline
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Default Filling cracks in ebony

I'm working with a piece of ebony that I intend to incorporate into a lathe turning.

Is has some small cracks in it which I think I plan to fill with CA. I'm inclined to use black CA, but I've only found that in medium viscosity. Do you think medium CA will wick into small cracks? I can get a fingernail into one of the cracks. The others are smaller.

Any guidance is greatly appreciated. I'm open to other methods as well.
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  #2  
Old 09-07-2017, 08:23 PM
Frank Ford Frank Ford is offline
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Don't waste any time/money on "black CA." Get some lampblack pigment, and mix it with CA of your desired consistency.
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Old 09-07-2017, 08:30 PM
mirwa mirwa is offline
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I use hide glue and dust when blending or gluing ebony, because it is transparent when it drys, fish glue will work fine as well.

Not a guitar but here is an example, of blending ebony.

This customer wanted a key moved on his Bass Clarinet, the instrument is worth about $16000. Its solid ebony.

Pic 1: The original hole layout
Pic 2: New hole drilled
Pic 3: Old hole plugged with a graft of ebony and perimeter sanded / glued in place using hide glue.
Pic 4: New register pip (brass bit) manufactured and fitted and close up of the new grafted area above it, its pretty invisible to the eye

Steve

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Last edited by mirwa; 09-07-2017 at 11:28 PM.
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  #4  
Old 09-07-2017, 09:08 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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I've done a lot of turning Of ebony and similar words. I use thin CA glue first to penetrate cracks, then I use either medium or thick viscosity to level the crack. I don't use coloured CA glue and find the result is invisible. Used with an accelerator, the repair is very quick.
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  #5  
Old 09-07-2017, 11:26 PM
Howard Klepper Howard Klepper is offline
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My filler of choice for ebony is ebony dust. Then thin CA. Then medium CA.

Unless it's a big void, in which case I use epoxy with about as much ebony dust as it will hold while staying liquid enough to flow.

I was twice tempted to buy black CA. Both times it hardened in the bottle before I used it. Hardened, it was rubbery.
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Old 09-08-2017, 07:47 AM
redir redir is offline
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I've had the same bottle of black CA for well over a year now and just used it the other day. It's convenient but certainly not necessary. What I have found is that as it gets older it takes much longer to dry, which is fine since you can really let it soak in and self level. The black CA I have is the Stew Mac stuff. In any case it's only for very small fills, epoxy is better imo for big gaps.
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