Finishing Projects with GluBoost Fill n’ Finish

GluBoost Fill n’ Finish makes a great finish on many projects.

(Body) For some woodworkers, applying a finish is that tedious task that you need to do after you’ve enjoyed woodworking. There are multiple coats to apply with all the waiting between them. There is always a chance you might get finishing flaws that will make your beautiful project look bad. And you have to choose between so many finishing options.

I’ve found Fill n’ Finish to be a great option for many projects. One of the advantages of using Fill n’ Finish is that once you spray it with GluBoost GluDry, your finish is cured. No waiting hours for a smelly coat of polyurethane to dry. Another advantage, because it cures so quickly, is if you need a second coat, you can buff the first one out right away and apply the next coat in just minutes.

But what will it look like when you are done? If you look at the walnut bowl in the photo above, you can see what a two-coat treatment looks like. It highlights the figure of the wood well and in this case, I let the high gloss shine. Fill n’ Finish dries hard and provides exceptionally durable protection to wood. This bowl is meant to hold ornaments or other sorts of decorative things as Fill n’ Finish is not currently recommended for food use.

How to Apply Fill n’ Finish as a Final Finish

Before you put a coat of Fill n’ Finish onto the wood, you’ll need to prepare the surface. I recommend sanding the raw wood to at least 300-grit. If you want to add color using stain or dye, do that after you’ve completed your sanding. Allow the stain or dye to dry completely and then buff out any grain that might have been raised by using a synthetic abrasive pad.

Next, wearing gloves, use a soft, clean cloth or my preferred method, a blue shop towel, to rub the Fill n’ Finish on. Squeeze out a small amount of the product onto the wood and spread it evenly across the surface. Don’t put too much Fill n’ Finish on at one time as that may allow it to drip or sag. When you have the surface of the wood covered, spray a light coat of GluDry on the whole finished area.

Allow just a few minutes for the GluDry to completely cure the finish and then, if needed, buff the finish with a fine synthetic abrasive pad, or 600-grit sandpaper. Most raw wood situations will require two coats, but some species like ebony and hard maple will shine beautifully with one coat.

On Top of Other Finishes

Linseed oil applied to an end grain walnut serving tray

One of my favorite finishing techniques with species like walnut, cherry, curly and birds-eye maple, is to use linseed oil as a first coat to pop the figure of grain. It not only enhances the figure of the grain but adds an amber hue to the wood. In my opinion, I think it is beautiful. In the photo here, I have the walnut bowl finished with Fill n’ Finish sitting on a live edge walnut serving tray I am making. The tray has a coat of linseed oil and you can see the color difference (the surface of the tray is end grain). Linseed oil takes forever to cure (at least 7 days). But once it is, applying Fill n’ Finish to the surface will provide a very durable finish that will only enhance the oil surface.

Fill n’ Finish is another super useful arrow to add to your finishing quiver. It’s easy to use, looks beautiful and truly protects the wood.

— Rob Johnstone – Master Woodworker

Manufacturers Note

GluBoost Loves Wood!  GluBoost products are highly specialized cyanoacrylate adhesives, accelerators, tints and accessories and are particularly optimized for Lutherie, Woodturning and Woodworking.  While GluBoost products bear some resemblance to other products, GluBoost formulas elevate performance high above other CA products, common super glues, accelerators, and color tints for Lutherie, Woodturning and Woodworking.

We thank you for your many years of patronage and we look forward to bringing you many more years of innovative, game changing products.

– The GluBoost Team