A materials quandry

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

A while ago I purchased a few stabilized blanks from a collector friend. Amongst the blanks was a stunning chunk of Ollipod Burl That had lost a chunk right up near one end. I was playing with it the other night and cut a great shape that went well with the wood. I'm now stuck with a great looking call with a chunk the size of a .38 slug missing right up at the mouthpiece end.n I thought about using another wood to endcap it on the mouthpiece, but the wood where the chunk is missing could easily be broken off trying to shape the area to take the cap. I've never built up a void of this size, let alone on the end of a call.

 What do you think you would do, take the chance on trying to cut it back to cap it, or fill it and hope for the best?

 Bob

[Aaron at Wingerts Woodworks]

I wouldn't try to hide it.  Make it something cool looking that follows the natural lines of the missing chunk.  My recommendation would be to use inlace resin with some sort of filler....Coffee grounds, pepper, brass shavings, glitter, whatever.  Build a masking tape mold that'll leave the material a little big so you can drill/turn it back to flush.  I've found that CA doesn't work all that great as a filler for very large gaps or missing chunks.  Even if you get it to not be brittle, it won't be perfectly clear in most cases.  You might get away with using epoxy but I'd recommend inlace. 

[dogcatcher]

Go with the Inlace, I think it is easier to work with than epoxy and will look better than a CA mixture.

Marvin

[Aaron at Wingerts Woodworks]

If you go with the inlace resin, be sure that you get some thickening powder with it to mix in it.  That'll make it easier to work with and less prone to running out of where you put it.  Just follow the directions on how much hardener to use.  The best source I've found is an online site called "Turtle Feathers".  Call the guy, he's very helpful.  Also, don't buy a big jar of it, as it has a very limited shelf life.  My can is about 6 months old and is already starting to dry out...Glad I got the little can on his advice.

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll look into the inlace resin and see what it's about.

 Bob

[Bob from Eames Custom Calls]

Here's a few pics of the void in question....







Bob

[Braz]

Yep, I'd definately give some inlace a try on that. You will really have an interesting piece when done. Keep us posted.

[Aaron at Wingerts Woodworks]

The inlace will be crystal clear unless you use some sort of filler in it.  Or, you can get super-concentrated dyes that will turn it any color in the rainbow.  My only suggestion would be to maybe dremel a couple little holes in the existing wood to really give it something to grab onto.

[Braz]

You can also add some metal filings to the inlace for the color, which would look cool. I agree with the holes. A place to grip would really help hold it in place. Don't need to be big, just real small would work great.