Wood repair made easy - What's New? - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Sept, 2003

* If you have pride in your home, few things are as frustrating as scratches, chips, and assorted dings that mar the finish of wooden furniture. Wood filler can take care of minor damage, but using it requires sanding down the excess and then desperately trying to match the finish so the repair doesn't stick out like a sore thumb. As for chipped corners, it is well-nigh impossible to disguise them.

Instead of filling and all its attendant problems, a better approach is the LK-1 Lacquer Burn-In Knife from Hot Tools of Marblehead (Mass.). The basic device is simplicity itself--an electrically heated spatula tip at the end of a six-inch-long metal shaft embedded in a wooden handle. The second part of the equation is a wax-like lacquer stick. The heated tip melts the lacquer and lets it drip into the hole or scratch, and the spatula shape allows you to smooth the lacquer filling before it cools off. With a wide variety of wood tones to choose from, it is possible to match virtually any common finish. Moreover, by systematically applying the lacquer, letting it harden, and adding more to the repaired end, it is possible to build corners back to their original contours, assuming a major chunk has not been lopped off.

The Burn-In Knife retails for $35.95, including an 11/16" tip. Additional tips in 3/16" and 7/16" widths are $9.75 each, while lacquer sticks run $11.95 apiece in walnut, mahogany, light and dark oak, cherry, black, and white. For ordering information, go online at www.-mmnewman.com.

This symbol * indicates USA Today has tested a product for operating in full compliance with the manufacturer's specifications and to determine its performance as applicable to our readers' needs. Disadvantages, if any, also are reported. Although we cannot guarantee a product, we offer the starred designation as a guide to readers.