Series editors' preface - Wood Tools

Figure 13.7 Proprietary shellac sticks
softened shaving can then be pressed into
position. Excess shellac is removed with a
sharp chisel or a scalpel after it has hardened.
Buttons of shellac can be used in the same
way and may be particularly useful for midto
dark brown timbers such as unbleached
European walnut.
Beaumontage was prepared by the
craftsperson by mixing equal parts of
beeswax, crushed rosin (colophony), a little
shellac and pigment as required (Hayward,
1988). The ingredients were heated together
and when cooled were similar in consistency
to sealing wax. It was applied and levelled in
the same way as stick shellac. Bennett (1990)
recommends a similar stopping made with
shellac, a small amount of beeswax and
powdered pigment. The shellac or rosin
content will make both these fill materials
brittle.
Pigmented wax can be purchased from a
supplier of traditional wood finishing materials
or made up as required. As with most traditional
finishing materials, recipes vary. Filler
sticks can be made from either 100% beeswax
or a little carnauba (10–15%) can be added to
raise the melting point slightly, though this will
also increase brittleness. They can be made in
any colour by adding powdered pigments
(Figure 13.8a). The ingredients are heated
gently, mixed and allowed to cool. No solvent
is included as this would only lead to shrinkage
of the wax fill after it had been applied.
A shaving of the filler stick can be heated on
a palette knife and pressed into place. Small
pieces of pigmented beeswax can be softened
in the hand and worked into small defects on
the surface of the wood. The wax can be
(a)
(b)
Conserving transparent coatings on wood 623
Figure 13.8 Wax fills: (a) a range of proprietary and
home made wax filler sticks; (b) Perspex and wood
tools for levelling wax fills
levelled using a piece of Perspex or a wood
block with a bevelled edge (Figure 13.8b).
Shellac will adhere to small areas of wax but
adhesion may prove problematic for other
surface coatings.
Animal/hide glue, mixed with sawdust or
other bulking agents, has been used as a grain
filling material in the past. Animal/hide glue
remains reversible in water, but animal gluebound
fillers are prone to shrinkage as they
dry and are unstable if exposed to fluctuations
in RH. Proprietary PVAC wood glues, such as
Resin W (UK), are not suitable for use as fill
binders unless an isolating layer is used.
Conservation grade materials such as
Paraloids, PVAC and PVAL combined with
inert filler, such as microballoons, and
coloured with pigments, may also be used as
stoppings and fillers. They can be levelled
with a scalpel or chisel and can be inpainted
with water colours or dry pigments in a PVAC
binder. These materials, discussed in section