Filling voids in cabochons?

Hi!

I have been working on some Queensland matrix opal cabs, I need to fill some voids and wonder what product to use? I have tried Opticon and did not like the results.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
JT

Is this before or after doing the sugar treatment to darken it?

Hi Ray,

This ironstone/opal it is not the type that is treated with sugar. The rough has areas of pure opal surrounded by hematite/ironstone but with voids, some are as large as a match head. Opticon does not seem to bond well when mixed with dried grinder mud, and a fine line around the repair can be seem when polished, also the filled areas did not polish as well as the ironstone. Looking for a more invisible repair.

Thanks!
JT

If the dried grinder mud gets in the way,why not give a really ultrasonic cleaning and subsequent drying out, before trying to seal it.

There are a few really dense two part plastic resins out there you might want to investigate, since opticon ,as far as I know, isnt the best for filling in those larger gaps...
They usually will say on them "can be used for filling in gaps " rather than "for bonding of materials"
and it might be a good idea to hold off until nearly finished doing the sanding and are at prepolish, or even after polishing,before sealing..then when the resin is almost set,wipe off quickly with an acetone dampened cloth to smooth over the surface, and remove any excess