Filling pores/grain + oil finish

Hi,

I would like to fill the the open grain of an ash shaft using cocobolo sawdust. Then apply an oil finish.

Can you recommend any (color neutral) grain filler product that I can mix with the sawdust to rub into the grain? CA glue maybe?

Does it have to be an oil based filler if I want the finishing oil to penetrate into the (non-open grain part) of the shaft? Or will a water based filler work just as well if I sand back down to the wood after filling?

Should I use the finest dust only, or should it be a mixture of several grits to better fill the voids?

Any other hints on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance!

JoeyInCali said:

Like most odd requests, I would ask WHY ?

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I quite like snooker cues. The highlighted grain leading to the arrows/chevrons look. The (I think here they are called) butterfly splices at the butt end. The silky feel of an oil finish, at the bridge and especially in my grip hand. I play pool with a hybrid Chinese 8-Ball cue, which is basically a snooker cue with a 11.5 mm tip and a carbon fiber ferrule. Love the hit, love the feel in my hands.

But more importantly, I've never been taught any hand crafting skills when I was a kid :-/ . I work as a computer scientist during the day, and changing batteries is as hand crafty as it gets for me. I long to be able to build something with my own hands. But it needs to be something I have a use for. No intentions of making pens or bowls or boxes as Christmas presents

So, making cues as a hobby is something I've been wanting to try for a long time, keeping an eye on this forum almost daily. But I cannot justify the expenses necessary to make "normal" pool cues, certainly not to my wife.

My goal is to build a one-piece cue. Wood lathe, router, hand plane, sandpaper. It can be done (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7iFVzWYFjo), but it will be a huge challenge for my two left hands.

I managed to turn 60" ash squares to over sized tapered dowels. Now I'm trying to build a jig to route off the splices. Then figure out how make tenons for ferrules. And lots of yet unknown stuff stuff that will come up on the way.

And, to finally answer your question: Instead of ebony splices and grain highlighted in black, I want to use cocobolo and highlight the ash grain with that instead.

Thanks.

cueman said:

I would mix the cocobolo dust in a thin slow drying epoxy like West system and rub it into the pores.

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WilleeCue said:

Use a clear water based polyurethane sanding sealer with the cocobolo sawdust mixed in with it.

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Thanks for these hints. Would you think I should use only dust from very fine sandpaper, or will a mixture of several grits work better? Will these two products allow the oil finish to penetrate into the wood afterwards or will they seal it?

Thank you!

HQueen said:

Just an FYI, some people are highly allergic to Cocobolo. I am. I don’t know if you have ever worked with it before, just wanted to point it out.

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Kim Bye said:

Why go through all that trouble with cocobolo dust (wich is nasty to inhale btw...)

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I have respiration protection for that purpose. But health risks like these can probably not be mentioned too often. Thanks!

HQueen said:

Good luck on your cuemaking.

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Thanks !

Kim Bye said:

Get a grain filler for the intended purpose, you can get it in black, brown and even white. Rub it in, whipe down, let it dry, then polish and seal with linseed oil. That's how snooker shafts are done.

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This is probably the most common way to finish snooker shafts, I agree. But just as I learned on here with pool cue finishes, there is more than one way to finish snooker shafts.

I've seen (cheap) snooker cues, that were just spray painted black, lightly sanded leaving the paint only in the pores, and then lacquered.

And I know of at least two cue makers who use the ebony sand dust:
https://handmadecues.com/finer-details/ (scroll down just before the section "Eyesight"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ0Zrz-f_tA (you may get sick from the bad camera operation)

I would like the grain color to match that of the butt splices, and I fear that a brownish tone available as a grain filler will not do that. Hence, my intentions of using the cocobolo sand dust.

cueman said:

It will almost seal it. But once sanded the oil will still penetrate the surface. If you expect to have rhe cocobolo color in the pores then the finer the dust the better.

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Thanks !