Sealing end grain
- Thread starter weelis
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I think Anchorseal is your best bet, but I have used 3 coats of latex paint on endgrain of short logs I have split in quarters. i believe you can also use white glue, but I have no experience with that.
Hot melted wax is one alternative.
Yep. latex on thick works for me.
Like others said, latex paint will work to seal end grain. A little bit better way is to take "old yellow glue or white glue" you have that is older than 12 months and use this. You cut the old thick glue 50/50 with water, mix it up and paint it on. Seals up the end grain better than paint. A note of interest: when I was in England I found several brick masons using old yellow glue as a sizing solution. They would cut the old glue fairly thin in a bucket and paint it on brick to retard the water absorption in the brick. I have tried it here in Durham and it works like magic. The water beads on the brick like a freshly waxed car does after you buff it out. There's no risk/cost in trying the old glue path. Surely you have some old glue you wonder about. Then again... we all have old latex paint too. Just a thought.
I seal the ends of my basswood carving blanks by rubbing well with a regular crayon. Diff colors for diff grades of wood.....
Anchorseal is the best choice. However, it must be applied within an hour or so of bucking the log to length.
Anchorseal works by almost totally preventing water vapor from passing out of the end grain of the log thereby minimizing end splitting and/or checking. The water vapor is forced to escape by exiting through the circumference of the log.
Latex paint is not a good choice. Latex paint is formulated to allow water vapor to pass directly through it. This prevents moisture buildup inside the walls and on the inside of exterior walls. Melting paraffin is a good alternative. Multiple coats of dewaxed shellac is also a good water vapor inhibitor. Multiple heavy coats of oil based paint will partially inhibit water vapor passage.
So, your best choice is to use Anchorseal but you must apply it almost immediately after cutting the log.
Anchorseal works by almost totally preventing water vapor from passing out of the end grain of the log thereby minimizing end splitting and/or checking. The water vapor is forced to escape by exiting through the circumference of the log.
Latex paint is not a good choice. Latex paint is formulated to allow water vapor to pass directly through it. This prevents moisture buildup inside the walls and on the inside of exterior walls. Melting paraffin is a good alternative. Multiple coats of dewaxed shellac is also a good water vapor inhibitor. Multiple heavy coats of oil based paint will partially inhibit water vapor passage.
So, your best choice is to use Anchorseal but you must apply it almost immediately after cutting the log.
Anchorseal is based on a wax derived from crude oil produced in north central PA and South central NY. DAMHIK
You can make something very similar by combining equal parts parrafin and vasoline (petroleum jelly) and heating over a flameless heat source. The 2 will combine and homoginize at about 150 Deg. F. and the wax will stay in solution. After it cools below 120 F, you can dilute to paint consistency with 25-35% by volume naptha or laquer thinner - caution - no flame, sparks and no static electricity.
You can make something very similar by combining equal parts parrafin and vasoline (petroleum jelly) and heating over a flameless heat source. The 2 will combine and homoginize at about 150 Deg. F. and the wax will stay in solution. After it cools below 120 F, you can dilute to paint consistency with 25-35% by volume naptha or laquer thinner - caution - no flame, sparks and no static electricity.
It would be interesting to do a cost analysis on mixing up a large batch of this (55 gallons) and see what the cost savings are versus Anchorseal.
<<<< Shellac worked poorly even after several thick coats.
Did you use a dewaxed shellac? Shellac containing it's natural wax has fairly little moisture resistance. Dewaxed shellac will generally work better.
That said, if you elect to not use AnchorSeal, the first alternate should be oil based exterior enamel. Avoid using any waterborne finish.
Did you use a dewaxed shellac? Shellac containing it's natural wax has fairly little moisture resistance. Dewaxed shellac will generally work better.
That said, if you elect to not use AnchorSeal, the first alternate should be oil based exterior enamel. Avoid using any waterborne finish.
Mike - do you know what it is?
I've seen the demos but have no personal experience with the product because I use diluted Zinsser SealCoat shellac for the same purpose.
So let's sleuth around and see what we can find about the product and how to use it. Lightly scuff sand between the 2 recommended coats before applying any type of dye or stain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC14TvbzWDU
So what is this product? It's basically white PVA glue diluted in water to make a sizing mixture (think something like Elmer's Glue All in water).
| Elmer's | C Neil | |
| pH (acidity) | 4.7 | 5 |
| Odor | vinegar like | vinegar like |
| Appearance | milky white | milky white |
The data is from the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
http://charlesneilwoodworking.com/references/MSDS.pdf
http://www.americanamb.com/ops/1101MSDS/ElmerGlueAll.pdf
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