littlejackhorner Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 I was curious if anyone had best practices to repair scratches in raw birch ply, without having to finish the raw or veneer. That is keeping the birch raw is ideal. I'd doubt everyone's with me on this, but I like the look of the raw birch. What is the minimum one can or should do to the raw birch to offer reasonable protection to the wood from finger oils and humidity? Will any type of sanding effectively change the raw birch look and thus necessitate some refinishing? I Can dampening the scratch help raise the wood improve the look of the scratch? Filling seems a last resort. as the result can't be acceptable as-is, I would imagine. Sorry for the newbie naiveté. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted November 8, 2014 Share Posted November 8, 2014 Is it a scratch that gets to the substrate (past the veneer) or is it an indentation of the veneer where the actual grain isn't broken? If an indent, you can probably use an iron and a cloth and raise the grain to remove the indent. If a scratch that breaks thru the veneer and into the substrate I would look at a couple options: 1. Do nothing-your veneer overall is in good condition and the scratch adds a bit of character. 2. Find a stain pen in the (approximate) shade and test in an inconspicuous spot for shade match and then attempt to mask the scratch. I'm happy to mess around with wood veneer but you may not want to. Good luck with your choice. Others nay add their experiences too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejackhorner Posted November 10, 2014 Author Share Posted November 10, 2014 thanks a lot, abe. i guess the grain is still intact so that means the veneer is still there. i will try the iron. my other question was about how to maintain raw birch in a way that keeps it as original as possible but while giving it adequate protection from the elements. is that a well known topic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mungkiman Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Don't you need a moist cloth and iron? My understanding is that the moisture turns to steam, helping to expand the wood grain, and that heat alone is not sufficient. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angusruler Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 thanks a lot, abe. i guess the grain is still intact so that means the veneer is still there. i will try the iron. my other question was about how to maintain raw birch in a way that keeps it as original as possible but while giving it adequate protection from the elements. is that a well known topic? I've found that adding a couple of coats of clear polyurethane on birch, and sanding between coats, leaves the birch about as original as it can be. it will darken the wood somewhat though. especially if the wood is extremely dry. but the clear will protect the finish. you can also go with a "matte" finish or a "gloss" finish." matte tends to tone the wood down,and leave the finish closer to natural. whereas the gloss will make it shiny and more noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schu Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Do nothing... raw birch is beautiful as it is. Keep it dusted and free from dirt if possible with a very litely moistened cloth. Does anyone know if you can color match wood filler so that missing pieces of veneer can be filled in and matched? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Do nothing... raw birch is beautiful as it is. Keep it dusted and free from dirt if possible with a very litely moistened cloth. I concur. Scratches are just character of a life well lived, especially if you already value the aesthetic of unfinished raw birch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Richard Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Furniture repairmen use something similar to a crayon to fill scratches, matching the color of the wood and even matching grain. I have seen them melt the repair into the wood, then smooth and buff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanm84 Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 I've seen that crayon thing too. I had a piece of furniture that got damaged by a move and the repairman used something similar to fix it. Can't tell where the damage was at all. I wouldn't wet the cloth on raw birch. Maybe just the spot over the scratch. Unfinished birch grain will raise. Might go back a bit but I'd be concerned with a rough spot where the cloth was. You do want some steam though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick J B Posted November 10, 2014 Share Posted November 10, 2014 Furniture repairmen use something similar to a crayon to fill scratches, matching the color of the wood and even matching grain. I have seen them melt the repair into the wood, then smooth and buff. Lacquer sticks. They work in some instances but not every instance. Better than filler tho. If the wood fibers are torn or broken it will always be visible to one extent or another. Raw birch has no protection, or are you talking about natural finished birch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevenarrow Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) I prefer oil to poly and laquers. Not as much protection but keeps everything looking and FEELING very natural. Ages well too. I like Watco Danish Oil, Natura. Three coats usually does thin veneer well. Rub it in with 200-400 grit sandpaper, wipe off access before it dries. Wait 24 hours in between coats. After the last coat, I knock down the shine with 000 steel wool. Re coat yearly, or never. Edited November 12, 2014 by Stevenarrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WMcD Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 (edited) I tried the steam trick on walnut and there was some improvement but not perfect results. They were used Forte II. If some fibers have been removed or damaged it seems to me the steam trick can not replace them. I'm thinking of Elmer's wood filler for your project. It doesn't quite match raw birch. Therefore you might be better off doing a little sanding overall and live with it. Everyone says that with sanding you stand a chance of going through the veneer. It is hard to dispute that. On the other hand, I've sanded birch ply and never had a problem, and I've never seen a picture from anyone who has sanded through the veneer to say, here is how I went wrong. Naturally all I can say is be careful. It is the wisdom of ages to try an inconspicuous spot. So let me say you might try sanding the bottom of the box (are these LaScala or Cornwalls or the like?). Than way you can see if you do sand through veneer with some aggressive sanding. It is tough to do harm with 320 paper on a block. From my reading and some experience, any shellac or varnish is going to add some color and increase contrast of raw birch. I take it you don't want that. The only exception is a lacquer like Krylon spray lacquer. The clear lacquers are said to be "water white" which means they don't have a color. If you look at a container of any other covering finish there is a bit of an amber color. The lacquer, for reasons I don't understand, also do not increase the contrast of the grain. So you will probably find that birch with lacquer looks a lot like birch without lacquer, except for a mild sheen and some protection. Note that you'll have to build up several coats if you want protection from liquids. Most commercial furniture gets one coat of lacquer at the factory and then it is out the door. It is quick to dry. There is little protection in one coat. If you do this, as always, practice on the bottom. WMcD Edited November 12, 2014 by William F. Gil McDermott 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevenarrow Posted November 12, 2014 Share Posted November 12, 2014 A little fine birch sawdust and crazy glue can work. But work fast...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlejackhorner Posted January 9, 2015 Author Share Posted January 9, 2015 thanks for all the great information. unfortunately while i was hemming and hawing, the pair of raw birch la scalas that i was aiming for got sold out from under me. it has been a pristine pair all its life then got stacked in a garage for a very brief moment...hence the top scratches due to the feet from the one placed on top of it. anyhow someone wiser than me now owns them (altho i have a pair of finished raw birch i still need to "unfinish" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moray james Posted January 9, 2015 Share Posted January 9, 2015 you can use steam to literally inflate the compressed birch fibers in the scratch. A simple method is to take a damp clothe and a hot iron and a bottle cap. Place the damp cloth over the scratch and then place the bottle cap on top of the cloth and over the scratch then press the cap with the iron until you get a good waft of steam. Move the cap up along the scratch line and repeat. This will swell the fibers of the scratch and make them plump up and stand up. You can repeat as many times as necessary but two or three such steam shots is about as many as usually works. Then let the surface dry for 3-4 days then you can lightly sand. This will fill up the scratch as much as possible you may need to resort to a wood fill but know that no matter how stealthily you make a patch job it will show from one direction of sight to another as the surface directions of the fibers of the wood will be different where the scratch is. In a sense it will never be invisible but you may be able to make the surface smooth again which will be a big improvement. Hope that this helps. Best regards Moray James. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.