Best way to patch up large holes in wood (not arcade related)

[mimic]

So I've been asked to fix the wooden elephant, what would be the best way to go about it? It has large cracks, it's made entirely out of wood and on the side water damaged the side and it rotted.
On the image 996, it might not be obvious, but that is a large hole, that I need to fill it up with something, and then make it look same as the rest.

I know it's not arcade related, but I know there is a lot knowledge on these boards to all sorts of wooden items, any input appreciated. TIA!

[mimic]

Maybe this is a wrong place to ask? Could this be moved to "Everything Else" forum? Thx

[ron310]

JB weld makes a putty that works well:
http://www.jbweld.com/product/j-b-kwikwood-1oz/
You can model it like clay and sand it when it hardens.

[mimic]

Hey, thx for the reply! I'm assuming that's perfect for smaller cracks, but how would I tackle large hole like in the first picture? That hole is about 10" long and probably 4-5" big at it's biggest point and depth I can't even describe, because there is a big rectangular empty space. The amount of wood from surface to the rectangular empty space is about 2"?

[PL1]

Since you're looking to fill a large 10" x 5" x 2" space, see if you can find some well-cured (NOT green/full of sap) wood with a similar grain pattern that you can stain/age the finish similar to the rest of the piece.

Carefully remove the rot until you get down to solid wood. (blue)

To keep the patch piece (green) from falling into the hollow space you described, carefully shape a (~1/2" wide?) step into at least two opposite sides of the hole.

Rest the patch piece on the step and trace around the perimeter. (red curve)

Remove and carefully shape the patch piece curves using a belt sander being careful to not go below the red line.

Once the patch piece is properly shaped, finish it to match the rest.


Scott

[knave]

I have made similar repairs with a few techniques.

1.  Use bondo, found in automotive section of almost any hardware store. it is sandable and paintable.

2.  use a mixture of wood glue and sawdust, more work but cheaper, also sandable and paintable.

3.  use putty of your choice for the small cracks. for the larger hole use great-stuff. an expanding foam that dries hard. Sand/shape it "just below" the surface of your project. then fill with putty and sand/ finish to taste. (I'm a huge fan of JB Weld)

Hope that helps.

Knave

[mimic]

Thx everyone for the replies, I will continue on a forum geared more towards that kind of things, that someone kindly PM'ed me.

[knave]

Well ok then.

[kahlid74]

Thx everyone for the replies, I will continue on a forum geared more towards that kind of things, that someone kindly PM'ed me.

The suggestions above are tried and true and will be the same ones you get from another forum, such as a wood working forum.  So you have all that you need to fix the elephant in the room!