Post #789626 by AceExplorer on Sun, Sep 2, 2018 5:42 AM

You really do need to save that Mai Tiki carving. I have experience with serious, hard-core, and permanent repair and restoration of rotted and otherwise damaged wood.

My suggestion is to look up, online, a product called Abatron. It is an epoxy which soaks into the wood very effectively, and it does not care if it finds rotten wood or other organic matter. It incorporates any existing debris within the hole and completely penetrates whatever porous material it encounters to re-solidify and preserve soft and rotten wood. It mixes perfectly with sawdust, newspaper, other bits of wood, etc. to fill large voids. It's not cheap - I recall paying about $30 a pint - but it works incredibly well and comes in larger less expensive sizes depending on what you need to do. Their web site will show you who sells it in your area. I live in a big city and only two paint shops sell it.

Abatron is a clear material with a light amber color. It is sandable, drillable, paintable, weather resistant, and just plain hardy. It is used by a number of historical restoration specialists to repair and preserve damaged wood. Homeowners use it to repair and fill in termite damage along with many other types of wood-destroying organism damage.

For your tiki, which you have already cleaned out, you would mix Part A and Part B of the Abatron, then generously brush the interior of the hole with pure Abatron to preserve the initial exposed layer of natural wood. Be generous, and let the first layer really soak in and harden - about a full day. Then mix more Abatron, add your filler material (wood chips, sawdust, newspaper, etc.) and start filling the hole and packing your mixture in tightly. Abatron sticks to Abatron, so you can build up layers of the material over a number of days at whatever pace you choose. Call their support number if you have questions, especially if it's your first time using their product. You could ask, for example, if its best to use 1" layers of the preparation, or 3" at a time, or 6" at a time. I'm never shy with it - I fill 100% of whatever I'm repairing and then let it cure. It's always good to gain some knowledge (and with it also confidence) before starting to repair any one-of-a-kind item with an unfamiliar product. Before you touch your tiki, you could make a practice test by taking an old 2 x 4 and creating a deep divot by drilling a bunch of holes in the center. Then dig out a bunch of wood and use Abatron to fill and patch the hole. This allows you to practice, see how it works, and even test it's ability to be sanded and drilled once it's fully cured.

Good luck, and please post photos before, during, and after the repair.

(Edited to improve wording and clarify the 2 x 4 test suggestion.)

"Abatron is not a cure for ED."

[ Edited by: AceExplorer 2018-09-02 08:59 ]