End grain wood sealer

[joe zarnitz]

Thoughts on latex paint for that use—-anchor seal original doesn’t seem to be available any more

[Richard Coers]

Latex paint is not a direct replacement. Maybe 4 coats of latex will get closer, but you need the flexibility for any sealer to work.

[Chris A Lawrence]

This stuff from craft supply is pretty much a match to original anchor seal. https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/45/4032/artisan-Woodsealer

[Brian Tymchak]

Rockler has a green wood sealer that seems to have worked pretty well for me on some birch turning blanks. I've not used anchor seal so I can't provide a comparison.

[Dennis Droege]

I just bought 5 gallons not so long ago from the manufacturer--but for me, not so long ago can be a while.

[Keith Buxton]

our wood turning club just bought a 55 gallon drum of it from uc coatings they sell it on line here is a link to them
https://uccoatings.com/shop/product/anchorseal/

[John K Jordan]

Woodcraft offers it, quarts or gallons: https://www.woodcraft.com/products/anchorseal-2-green-wood-sealer-gallon
Also, some turning clubs buy in bulk and sell to members for less.

JKJ

[Pat Scott]

This stuff from craft supply is pretty much a match to original anchor seal. https://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/45/4032/artisan-Woodsealer

No way is the Craft Supplies green wood sealer anywhere close to Anchorseal! Anchorseal is wax based and CS green wood sealer is PVA based, as in poly vinyl acetate or glue based.

My first use of CS sealer resulted in 10 out of 11 bowls cracking, and severely splitting at that. I've never seen bowls split like that before, it was almost as if they mini-exploded. I asked Kirk DeHeer about it since he product tested it before CS brought it to market. He said try stirring it first. Since I had a 5 gallon bucket I bought a paint stirrer for my drill and gave it another try. That seemed to do the trick and I've had good success since.

BUT another major difference between CS sealer and Anchorseal is that CS sealer is glue based. That stuff is sticky like all get out. I use a drop cloth underneath anything I've sealed while the sealer dries. I have to throw away the drop cloth, rubber gloves, brush, etc after each use. Yes it washes off with water but Anchorseal I can just wipe off and wrap up my brush till next time.

Also my bucket of CS sealer gets a thick layer of mold on top if I haven't used it for a while. Not so with Anchorseal. In short the CS sealer is just a hassle/pain/sticky mess to use that I only use it to dunk the ends of spindle blanks. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of original Anchorseal and use it for bowls. I will not buy CS sealer again. If anybody wants a half bucket of CS sealer for free come and get it!

[Chris A Lawrence]

No way is the Craft Supplies green wood sealer anywhere close to Anchorseal! Anchorseal is wax based and CS green wood sealer is PVA based, as in poly vinyl acetate or glue based.

My first use of CS sealer resulted in 10 out of 11 bowls cracking, and severely splitting at that. I've never seen bowls split like that before, it was almost as if they mini-exploded. I asked Kirk DeHeer about it since he product tested it before CS brought it to market. He said try stirring it first. Since I had a 5 gallon bucket I bought a paint stirrer for my drill and gave it another try. That seemed to do the trick and I've had good success since.

BUT another major difference between CS sealer and Anchorseal is that CS sealer is glue based. That stuff is sticky like all get out. I use a drop cloth underneath anything I've sealed while the sealer dries. I have to throw away the drop cloth, rubber gloves, brush, etc after each use. Yes it washes off with water but Anchorseal I can just wipe off and wrap up my brush till next time.

Also my bucket of CS sealer gets a thick layer of mold on top if I haven't used it for a while. Not so with Anchorseal. In short the CS sealer is just a hassle/pain/sticky mess to use that I only use it to dunk the ends of spindle blanks. I bought a 5 gallon bucket of original Anchorseal and use it for bowls. I will not buy CS sealer again. If anybody wants a half bucket of CS sealer for free come and get it!

Um did you follow the link i provided? Because the one i linked to artisan wood sealer is a water based wax emulsion not the green wood sealer you are referring to. I bought a gallon to replace the anchor seal i had last year. I can not tell the difference from the ones i sealed in the anchor seal to the ones i sealed in the craft supply stuff. I should of marked the transition pieces i sealed.

[John K Jordan]

Um did you follow the link i provided? Because the one i linked to artisan wood sealer is a water based wax emulsion not the green wood sealer you are referring to. I bought a gallon to replace the anchor seal i had last year. I can not tell the difference from the ones i sealed in the anchor seal to the ones i sealed in the craft supply stuff. I should of marked the transition pieces i sealed.

Note that even Anchorseal comes in two varieties, the original wax emulsion and Anchorseal 2, described by UC Coatings as "a hybrid of plant-based polymers and wax" whatever that means. I've always used the original. Some people that have tried both said they didn't like the Anchorseal 2 as much but a google search of anchorseal vs anchorseal 2 will give you lots to read.

I don't know what Craft Supplies sells. A few years ago in a pinch I bought a gallon of "Green Wood Sealer" from a different seller and it appeared to be Anchorseal with a different name. When the last of my 55 gal drum of Anchorseal is gone I'll probably get another or maybe a 5-gal bucket. It's cheaper that way.

JKJ

[Pat Scott]

Um did you follow the link i provided? Because the one i linked to artisan wood sealer is a water based wax emulsion not the green wood sealer you are referring to. I bought a gallon to replace the anchor seal i had last year. I can not tell the difference from the ones i sealed in the anchor seal to the ones i sealed in the craft supply stuff. I should of marked the transition pieces i sealed.

My bad, I didn't click on your link. I thought CS only sold the sticky stuff.

[Brian Tymchak]

Note that even Anchorseal comes in two varieties, the original wax emulsion and Anchorseal 2, described by UC Coatings as "a hybrid of plant-based polymers and wax" whatever that means. I've always used the original. Some people that have tried both said they didn't like the Anchorseal 2 as much but a google search of anchorseal vs anchorseal 2 will give you lots to read.

I don't know what Craft Supplies sells. A few years ago in a pinch I bought a gallon of "Green Wood Sealer" from a different seller and it appeared to be Anchorseal with a different name. When the last of my 55 gal drum of Anchorseal is gone I'll probably get another or maybe a 5-gal bucket. It's cheaper that way.

JKJ

John's note compelled me to check into Rockler's green wood sealer. The SDS that is provided shows that it is actually Anchorseal 2 and calls it a wax emulsion.

http://go.rockler.com/msds/30182-30169-glycol-formula.PDF

PRODUCT NAME: ANCHORSEAL 2 - Glycol Formula DATE PREPARED: October 1, 2016
1. IDENTIFICATION
Identity (as used on label and listings): ANCHORSEAL2 - Glycol Formula
Chemical Family/Specific Type: Water-based emulsions / aqueous emulsion of wax

[Dueane Hicks]

After trying anchor seal, titebond wood glue, and acrylic paint, on blanks I cut from the same cherry tree. I found the only one that did not crack at all, was the titebond glue! I just use a stiff brush and put two healthy coats on.

[John K Jordan]

After trying anchor seal, titebond wood glue, and acrylic paint, on blanks I cut from the same cherry tree. I found the only one that did not crack at all, was the titebond glue! I just use a stiff brush and put two healthy coats on.

That sounds like an interesting test. Could you please describe your test a little more? For example, what was your sample size? 5, 10, 25 pieces? Were these log sections in the round or square/rectangular/round bowl-sized blanks?

Keep in mind that different blanks cut from the same tree can have widely different properties. I've seen this many times - some blanks from the same tree crack like crazy and some didn't have a single crack.

I thought a good test for log sections in the round might be: start with a log section and cut it in half. Coat one side of the cut with one type of sealer and the other side with a different sealer. Do at least ten of these. Store in identical conditions. When I did this with squared-up blanks and coated both sides of the with anchorseal both sides usually behaved the same, either both got cracks or neither did. Other non-contiguous surfaces sometimes did not.

One thing I found helps with Anchorseal. I think as it comes it is too thin and it is difficult to put a second coat over a dried first coat. I pour some into a plastic coffee can and leave the lid off for several days until the emulsion thickens some. This goes on thicker and seems more effective. However, I have not done a careful experiment following scientific methods.

JKJ

[John Landis]

Mike Mahoney recently demonstrated for our club. I asked him what he uses on his platters and bowls, and he said "polyvinyl acetate" aka PVA or white glue as in Elmer's . Mike said he dilutes it slightly to allow it to brush on easer and coats the entire piece. I bought a gallon at Lowe's for $15, and will find out how it works. But I don't plan to coat the entire piece

[Dueane Hicks]

That sounds like an interesting test. Could you please describe your test a little more? For example, what was your sample size? 5, 10, 25 pieces? Were these log sections in the round or square/rectangular/round bowl-sized blanks?

Keep in mind that different blanks cut from the same tree can have widely different properties. I've seen this many times - some blanks from the same tree crack like crazy and some didn't have a single crack.

I thought a good test for log sections in the round might be: start with a log section and cut it in half. Coat one side of the cut with one type of sealer and the other side with a different sealer. Do at least ten of these. Store in identical conditions. When I did this with squared-up blanks and coated both sides of the with anchorseal both sides usually behaved the same, either both got cracks or neither did. Other non-contiguous surfaces sometimes did not.

One thing I found helps with Anchorseal. I think as it comes it is too thin and it is difficult to put a second coat over a dried first coat. I pour some into a plastic coffee can and leave the lid off for several days until the emulsion thickens some. This goes on thicker and seems more effective. However, I have not done a careful experiment following scientific methods.

JKJ


You cannot be "scientific" with wood. Maybe lignum. Most were large blanks from a large cherry tree that was 30% moisture content when I cut it into various size blanks. I cut several 3" thick by 11 inch wide by 14 inches long. All from the same log. They are not the only species that I have used titebond for sealing. I have used it on a ash log and it did not crack; the piece of that ash log that was sealed with anchor seal, cracked like crazy. This was stored in a garage with a de humidifier that was set on 55%, for one year. Keep in mind I live in the Olympics and there is alot of rain.

[terry mccammon]

Under the heading of what it is worth. A few years ago at the AAW seminar, I was Glenn Lucas's video guy for several sessions. We got to chatting about one thing and another and I asked him what he uses, given he was doing a few thousand bowls a year. He said that he used the cheapest PVA glue he could buy, diluted 50%. He liked the anchorseal product well enough, but in the quantities he used, there was always a bit spilling on the floor and it was as slick as it could be. So he used the glue as it did not dry on the floor as a slick spot. Our club made a bulk buy and I bought five gallons of original anchorseal, so set for a long time. If you do dribble a bit on your floor it is very, dangerously slick when it dries.

[John K Jordan]

... Our club made a bulk buy and I bought five gallons of original anchorseal, so set for a long time. If you do dribble a bit on your floor it is very, dangerously slick when it dries.

True, dat. I have learned over the years how to not dribble and if I do, wipe it up immediately. I have bare concrete floors. Not a problem at the sawmill!

One question I had about using glue - how does one manage keeping the brushes clean? With Anchorseal I have never cleaned a brush and use the same one for a bunch of years - in the shop I just leave the brush in the plastic coffee can with about an inch of Anchorseal in the bottom. Does using PVA glue require cleaning the brush?

[terry mccammon]

If I were going to do the cheap wood glue cut with water idea, I think I would make some up in a squeeze bottle, squirt it on and smear it around with a piece of scrap, or my finger if I know me. When I put anchorseal on something it is I am sorry to say, sort of slopped on with the really cheap harbor freight sponge brushes. These are washed out in the shop sink. I have a rough bench where I slop paint, anchorseal, whatever and don't worry about it, so long as I keep it off the floor. If I am sealing the cut ends of chunks from the band sawing of green wood, I just dip the ends in my bucket of anchorseal. In the case of roughed green bowls, they are pretty heavily anchorsealed, then wrapped in industrial plastic film.

[Pat Scott]

True, dat. I have learned over the years how to not dribble and if I do, wipe it up immediately. I have bare concrete floors. Not a problem at the sawmill!

One question I had about using glue - how does one manage keeping the brushes clean? With Anchorseal I have never cleaned a brush and use the same one for a bunch of years - in the shop I just leave the brush in the plastic coffee can with about an inch of Anchorseal in the bottom. Does using PVA glue require cleaning the brush?

I have a drop cloth on my bench that is easy to wipe up Anchorseal that dribbles, and rubber mats on the floor that I wipe off any spots that drip on them. I have concrete floors but have never had a problem with slick spots as I try and be careful not to make that big of mess! I never clean my Anchorseal brush either, I wrap it in plastic wrap after each use. I use cheap brushes and use them until the bristles fall out. The brush gets stiff even when wrapped up but when used the next time it softens up within seconds.

As for PVA glue, that's what I was saying in my other comment about the Craft Supplies Tree Saver Green Wood Sealer that is PVA based. PVA sealers are sticky, hard to apply because they are sticky and don't paint very well, plus clean up is a royal pain. Tree Saver recommends clean up with warm water. I use water from the garden hose and it works, but just the fact that I have to wash everything vs Anchorseal where I don't is enough of a hassle to me. If you don't wash your brush THOROUGHLY it will dry stiff as a board and you have to throw it away (which is another reason to use cheap dollar store brushes).

[John K Jordan]

If I were going to do the cheap wood glue cut with water idea, I think I would make some up in a squeeze bottle, squirt it on and smear it around with a piece of scrap, or my finger if I know me. ....

Hmm..., just yesterday I painted Anchorseal on the ends of 4 logs 18" or so in diameter, rough from the chainsawing. A sprayer would have been better for that size but the brush worked. I suspect it would be difficult to spread glue with a piece of scrap on chain-sawn end grain. But that might be OK for the ends of turning blanks or sides of roughed out bowls.

One problem with anchorseal is applying a second coat after the 1st is dry (applying water over wax). I'm guessing glue would probably work for for multiple coats.

JKJ