Coating with Anchorseal

[Rob Cunningham]

I picked up a short walnut log the other day. I am going to cut it into bowl blanks but don't know when I'll get to turn them. Never used Anchorseal before. Do I coat the whole blank or just the end grain area? Thanks for the help.

[Steve Schlumpf]

Rob - congrats on the wood! When it comes to coating with anchorseal - everyone has a version that works for them. If I knew that I would not get to roughing out the wood for a long time - over a month - then I would coat all bare wood. If the bark is going to be left on - great - as all you are trying to do is slow down the rate of moisture loss.

Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of your walnut!

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

Rob - congrats on the wood! When it comes to coating with anchorseal - everyone has a version that works for them. If I knew that I would not get to roughing out the wood for a long time - over a month - then I would coat all bare wood. If the bark is going to be left on - great - as all you are trying to do is slow down the rate of moisture loss.

Looking forward to seeing what you turn out of your walnut!
I agree with Steve. I'd coat everything

[alex carey]

I too coat it all. I have heard not to do that though. The reason being you want the water to leave all sides of the wood at the same rate. It comes out the end grain much faster so coating the end grain will equalize the rate. Just what some other turner told me.

I still coat everything and have good results.

[Ryan Baker]

I normally only cover the ends, but coating it all generally won't hurt, especially if you are planning to store it for a long time. Leaving the sides exposed will allow it to dry more, if that is what you want. Your mileage can vary significantly based on the environmental conditions where you are.