Wood putty is also known as plastic wood, wood filler, or wood patch. It is a compound helpful to fill wood defects prior to finishing, like nail holes, small nicks, or cracks. Most often, it consists of wood dust combined with a binder.
Wood putty is available in two types; water-based and solvent-based. For ages, solvent-based putty has been the market anchor, a trustworthy product for both the professional woodworker and the do-it-yourselfer.
On the other hand, improvements in water -based wood putty technology have led to a product that works as well as solvent-based filler. Additionally, water-based wood putty has got minimum effect on the environment, is free from solvent gases and relatively easy to work with.
The principal difficulty in applying wood putty is matching the color of the putty to that of the wood. Usually, putties need to be sanded right after they dry prior to applying the finish. Many woodworkers produce their very own putty making use of fine sanding dust (not sawdust which is actually too rough) mixed with wood epoxy or a wood finish like shellac.