How can I fix this wooden chest? My husband recently brought home a large wooden chest/trunk from Afghanistan, and...
My husband recently brought home a large wooden chest/trunk from Afghanistan, and it get damaged along the way. The wood is cracked surrounded by several places on the corners of the trunk. I want to use something to mend the cracks, without having a watery gluey look to it. Any advice on what I can use to fix these cracks?
Don't do anything to this trunk until it had gone through the climate change where you are currently living; it will just crack and split again along the epoxy resin line.
I would suggest taking it to a proper furniture re-finisher, they will be able to assistance you choose the best solution for this problem.
Lovely chest. I'd ignore the cracks ... unless they breed the chest unstable when I open it or move it.
How are the wooden pieces held on? If they are nailed, you can recurrently gently tap them backbone in place.
To do a proper repair you have to guardedly remove the molding, scrape off the aged glue, apply new paste and then clamp it into place, and use a couple of brads. Anything else looks crappy.
Use very small amount of "Gorilla Glue", be carefull as it expands-get for a moment way in nearby and clamp it somehow using rubber booted camps. Carefully remove excess as it, if it,emerges. This stuff is messy so pay attention but the repair will last.
unfortantly I wouldn;t recomend repairing. there is no real track to bond the wood as far as I can see from the pictures of the location of the damage. and if you fill it near putty you will need to refinish the trunk. I would bet that the places that cracked were probely puttyed until that time. i don't think the cracks look that bad, they category of add an old effect to it!
unless it begin to fall apart, i wouldn't worry roughly speaking the cracks
but if you still want it fixed there are some wood glues that you would apply into the cracks to prevent more diluted or a hazy look.
Answers: Agree w/ advice on climate change.
Looks like some filler material have chipped of the joints & taken a little finish beside it.
On a piece like that , would do as little as possible.
The apparent fix is cheap , unproblematic & will not cause further damage.
If it is only just chips, try Minwax tinted wax pencils used to conceal
scratches on furniture.
Match the color & rub it into the cracks to fil them in & buff.
If here are separations in the joints & they move, work some coat glue into the cracks & clamp the joints closed until it dries.
Any oozing will wipe stale w/ water before it sets,
It does not swarm gaps well & if any that still show can be bursting in w/ the wax pencils.
Either or both of these fixes will not cause second damage
& since the piece appears to have an grease finish should blend in & not be noticeable.
After you agree to the trunk "settle in " a pastewaxing from time to time should be all explicitly needed.
Avoid the damn Gorilla glue.
The stuff is strong but not for this type of thing.
Same go for wood putty.
Nice piece.
Best regards