Filling gaps in maple binding

[Herman]

Now and then I use figured maple for binding.
Sometimes little gaps show that need to be filled.
With darker woods it is quite easy to fill gaps invisable. The darker the easier.
But with maple every miscoloring shows.
I tried :
-putty with CA glue, epoxy or wood glue
-inlay with wood chips
-colored shellac stick

Some attempts were ok, but some stayed plain visable as a little flaw.

Do you approach it different or maybe have a golden solution?
I would prefer the latter.
Herman

[Dave Bagwill]

Yep that can be troublesome.
I put a tiny bit of Titebond into the gap, then sand over it. Works for me. Most of the time.

[Herman]

Sand over the wet glue, or let it gel a little?

[Dave Bagwill]

I do it while it's still wet.

[Herman]

Thanks, I will try tomorrow.

[John Parchem]

I also sand over wet glue. On the top it still makes a darker spot where the gap shows. Not horrible. I often use a thin black purfling to introduce the black border I know I am going to get in places when using maple.

[Dave Bagwill]

If I'm very careful to mask off the binding strip, and to not get any glue on the the top before sanding - glue in the gap and nowhere else, then I've been able to get a visually insignificant fix. The only thing the sandpaper contacts is dry wood.