Filler

[daveq]

I've got one spot (so far) that will need a bit of filler. It's a maple top that I'm planning on staining. Even if the filler container says it's stainable, will it stand out and look horrible? In the past, I've been lucky enough to only have dents (steamed them back up) but this time it's not steamable.

[renablistic]

on my refinish of a maple archtop, i started to rip out the binding, but i didn't like it w/o the binding on that like inch or so, so i filled the slot with regular putty, and it's hard to notice... really hard. If it was a darker wood, it would never work, but most putties are made to match pine/maple... You wont get a perfect top, but it wont be very bad at all.

[Brian]

If that area turns out to light go back over it after it dries with a Q-tip dipped in your stain. May take several times but you can usually blend it in.

If it is an odd shaped spot use an artist's fine brush and you can alway's come in with a really thin colored pencil to help simulate the flow of the grain.

[daveq]

Thank you very much!

[Setch]

I'd avoid filling if you possibly can. No matter how careful you are, chances are that you'll create a fill which is invisible from maybe 3 different angles, but painfully obvious from about 30... it's the nature of wood, even when you are patching with material cut from the same board rather than a filler.

I would recommend you forget staining, seal the maple, fill the depression with CA or epoxy for a glass clear fill, then colour by spraying tinted laquer. I honestly don't believe you will ever match a fill on maple that you will be content with, especially not if it's figured.

Sorry this isn't what you want to hear

[daveq]

I would recommend you forget staining, seal the maple, fill the depression with CA or epoxy for a glass clear fill, then colour by spraying tinted laquer. I honestly don't believe you will ever match a fill on maple that you will be content with, especially not if it's figured.

I appreciate your info. I'm going to give it a try since there are many "irregularities" already in the maple top. They are not ugly or anything, but that's just the way nature built it. I think one more irregularity will probably get by without anyone but me noticing. Time will tell. My biggest concern was that the filler may not take the stain at all (kinda like painting over silicone).