sealing end grain on logs....

[Mark Pruitt]

....can be done very effectively with Anchor Seal I know. I was wondering though, would a coat (or two) of latex ceiling paint work as well? It's quite a bit cheaper and can be obtained with a quick trip to the borg. Would I be wasting time trying to use it? Do I need to bite the bullet and buy the Anchor Seal, or is there another alternative?
Mark

[Henry C. Gernhardt, III]

I've heard that latex paint will work. I haven't gone that route, however, and can make no real commentary on how efficacious latex paint is.

[Mike Vickery]

Latex paint is okay but not as good as anchorseal. I have also had luck sealing the wood ends with regular yellow wood glue as well. Not a huge amount of experience but Anchor seal seems to work best, yellow glue is next and latex paint comes in third. Just a humble opinion based on a small amount of experience.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Mark I use latex paint all the time. I think I get as good if not better results with latex paint than with anchorseal. Anchorseal is better for rough turned stuff. On logs and bowl blanks I haven't had one crack yet with latex paint. I buy the cheap stuff from wal-mart. Works for me.

[Frank Kobilsek]

Mark
Paint and glue both work OK but I find Anchorseal or one of the woodworking store brand products to be easier to deal with. A gallon of Woodcraft green wood sealer is only about $18, even cheap paint would be $10 or 11. To conserve your investment, fill a sport drink bottle with the sealer and just squirt it on the piece and brush it around. This way you won't waste any of the product except what is left in the brush.

Another advantage to a sealer is that it is freeze safe. My shop is in my unheated garage, the space heater will warm me on all but the worst days of our Illinois winter but paint and glue will seperate when frozen.
Frank

[Mark Pruitt]

I have some Titebond II that is nearing the end of its shelf life, and this would be a perfect way to put it to good use rather than simply tossing it!

Thanks guys. I appreciate the suggestions and comments.

Mark

[David Foshee]

The main difference in paint and green wood sealer is that the sealer contains wax. It takes longer for the water to get past the wax so it dries a little slower. I have used latex paint and have not had good luck. So I swiched to the green wood sealer and have had fewer problems and it is almost as cheap as paint. A few of my fetllow turners all get together and order a five gallon bucket and split it up into old paint cans and share the cost. I get mine from www.Baileys-online.com (http://www.Baileys-online.com) they are a logging supplier.

[Don Baer]

Both Woodcraft and Rockler sell green wood sealer (it's probubly Anchorseal under a private label cause it looks the same when you aplly it and after it dries. It's $20/gal a little more then Anchorseal but a gallon goes a loooooong way.

[Andy Hoyt]

I tried some of the end grain sealer (think from Packards) and have also used Anchorseal.

Net result - I now only buy Anchorseal - usually in 5 gal buckets for about $10 a gallon. Works better and lasts forever in the bucket. I decant it into a pint sized jar and have been using the same brush for ages. I keep it wrapped up in a sandwich baggie thing and while it looks horrible, it's just as flexible and usable today as it was the first time I used it.

[Charlie Plesums]

I have used a lot of leftover laytex paint (and heard of people buying the "oops" paint that is in ugly colors), but once I tried anchor seal, there is no going back for me. Much easier to use, requires less material to seal, and works well. The larger quantities from the factory (UC Coatings) are relatively cheap.

[Dick Strauss]

Mark,
If you belong to a local turning club, try to get an order going for a 55 gal drum of AnchorSeal like we did. I think it was under $7/gal including shipping.

I tried latex paint early on but didn't have good luck. The logs were sealed as I cut them and cracked in less than 1 month. Since I've switched to Anchorseal, I've sealed hundreds of pieces and gone through a total of two gallons of AS with almost no cracking. I think AS covers much more wood per gallon than latex paint so the cost differential isn't as bad as it appears.

Good luck,
Dick