candle wax

[ryan kelley]

I'm in a real pinch here, I came across some silver maple (30" x 30" and a couple of pieces 18" x 30") and I need to seal them ASAP. Will melted candle wax work? Do I need to add something to it when I melt the wax. I bought Mineral Oil think that would keep in liquid form long enough to apply it to the ends. Am I taking the right path? Help needed here this the first time I have had to seal any blanks.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I can't answer your question but what I have used in a pinch is put a coat of latex paint on and let it dry. Then put another coat on. I have a ash log about a year old did that way and when I cut it up for blanks there were no cracks.

[Bill Bolen]

One of my turning pals scoffs at the anchor seal types of product. (I use anchor seal all the time myself), he keeps several big blocks of wax on hand and melts them in an old crock pot and dips the ends of his wood into that. Anchor seal is just wax carried in an imulsion (SP?) and for me is a lot faster. I have used lates paint in a pinch but you can't really identify the wood once its on because you can't see through the latex. ...bill..

[Richard Madison]

Ryan,
I use same procedure as William's friend, melted paraffin. For pieces too big to dip in my pot, I brush it on, or ladel it on and spread with brush. Seems to work ok.

[curtis rosche]

i have a question about this too, my stepdad doesnt like the dna method of drying, something about being to dangerous. and he says that you dont wax the ends because then the piece wont dry, so hes trying to tell me to just cover it in vegtable oil, over and over. is this a method that works, i have those peices of apple that i still havent sealed yet.

[Reed Gray]

The sealers don't make it airtight, but they do close it off enough so that it slows the process down, and allows the wood to equalize rather than dry in stages (the outside first, then the inside, so that the outside shrinks while the inside isn't and stress is released by cracking). DNA isn't necessary, but slow drying is. Too fast and it will crack, too slow and it will mold. Some woods tend to crack more than others, like fruit woods. A couple of paper bags make a nice environment, plastic ones work too, but you have to reverse them every day or 2 to let the water out, otherwise it will rot/mold. You don't want wind or sun, or direct heat on it. It may take a while to figure out what works best for you.
robo hippy

[Gordon Seto]

Curtis,

May be you do some side by side comparison experiment with different species. Coat one face of the cut with your step dad's method, and the other face with traditional sealer. Store them under similar condition and report back.

[Matt Hutchinson]

My first blanks were sealed with melted candle wax. I used a double boiler, and just dipped or painted it on. One problem is the sheer amount of wax needed to do this for any decent quantity of blanks. But what I found most annoying is that as the wood shrank/moved during the drying process the wax would flake off. However, if this is only a stop-gap system, I think it would work okay. As far as adding mineral oil or what have you, I have no experience or knowledge.

Hutch

[Dennis Peacock]

Candle wax of parafin wax works perfectly well as a sealer. The exotic blanks you purchase in the stores or online are sealed with wax. But I believe that their wax is a mix of bee's wax and parafin wax so the wax doesn't flake off as the wood moves. The bee's wax is a softer wax and help the wax to stay just a tad "soft" or flexible. I get bee's wax around here for around $2 per pound.
Anchorseal is the most economical way to seal the wood (IMHO)...and it does what it's designed to do...slow down /retard the drying of wood. It doesn't stop the wood from drying....just like a finish on your kitchen table.....The finish is on there in about 5 coats...and no finish stops your wood from seasonal movement via moisture and dry out process.

Curtis, what your stepdad is referring to..I think..is to seal the endgrain only and not the long-grain of the bowl blank. This works equally well and just remember to take the sealer of your choice and bring it onto all the long-grain surfaces for about 1" and set aside for a few years to dry or set aside until you're ready to turn your blank into a roughed out bowl.

So there ya go....all this and $5 will get you a burger and a shake at McD's. :D

[Curt Fuller]

Plastic shrink wrap also works for a short term solution. I buy some rolls at office max that are on a cardboard tube handle and the wrap is about 6" wide. You can wrap a piece of wood in seconds. But they don't breath at all and will eventually get moldy. Plus, it gets holes poked in it pretty easy. But as a quit fix if you can't get anchorseal or if you plan to turn the wood soon, it works pretty well.

[George Guadiane]

My first blanks were sealed with melted candle wax. I used a double boiler, and just dipped or painted it on. One problem is the sheer amount of wax needed to do this for any decent quantity of blanks. But what I found most annoying is that as the wood shrank/moved during the drying process the wax would flake off. However, if this is only a stop-gap system, I think it would work okay. As far as adding mineral oil or what have you, I have no experience or knowledge.

Hutch
I use paraffin wax in old electric frying pans. You can melt a shallow puddle and dip or roll (round blanks) in that. I leave the wood on the hot surface long enough for the wood to sizzle a little. the watter that is coming out then seems to suck the wax on/into the wood, it doesn't flake off after that.
For pieces too big to dip, you might try brushing on wax then using an old electric iron to burn the wax into the wood.

[Geoff Hanha]

Hi i use paints gloss paint and anything eles to seal the ends when in a rush but have to recoat at some point, when i have the time i do a run and chainsaw and bandsaw to blanks, then wax the ends.
The wax i get from any cheap souce i can find, supermarkets and such, sales i get the big church type size, break up and then use a deap fat fryer, this is as safe as it gets, just do it on a flat surface and be carefull as it is hot stuff, and don't leave it alone, gloves are a good idea if your hands are not tough enough. I leave the blank a few seconds or so as i am turning them around so the wax gives penatration, when the wax cools and looks clear then its a good coat, if its a bit opac then not so good, some wet woods will need a second dip, you do not dip the whole thing just the edges which are the end grain this allows the wood to breath and to dry out over time. I have done it this way for a long time and it works...Geoff

http://www.shapewood.co.uk

[Ron Ainge]

I use wax all of the time. I have an old turkey cooker and I load the wax in the cooker that is about 8 inches deep. the secret is to get the way almost hot enough so that is just about to the smoking stage. dip the end grain in the wax and then let it drip off for a few seconds. you will hear the wood fry like you are making french fries. you will be amazed at the small amount of wax this takes and I do not have the wax flake of either.

[Jim Pinkerton]

Some of my wax started to flake off, so I took a propane torch and heated the wax and wood. The wax was drawn right into the wood. I don't think it will flake again.

[Geoff Hanha]

Reason is most like that the wax was not hot enough and or you did not give it chance to get into the pors of the wood, wood being wet will give a barrier just give it a few seconds as you roll it around, as describe above by another member the wax will be frying the wood, you will see it frizzing. With very wet wood i give a second coat the wax not being so hot this time and a quick roll just to thicken up what is there as sometimes with softer woods the wax is hardly there, although it has sunk into the wood itself..Geoff

[Richard Madison]

Ryan,
Agree with the guys about getting the wax hot, not just barely melted. Being careful not to get it too hot.

Maybe worth repeating, the reason for coating end grain is that moisture escapes from same approx. 6 times faster than from the side grain. The goal is to have the entire piece dry as uniformly as possible.

[Joe Petersen]

I candle-waxed the end of my rough sawn lumber. Since I did this I read to use latex paint in several books. Don't know what is best, but the concensous(sp) seems to agree.

My melting pot is a candle warming plate. It takes 24-48 hours to melt a large candle in the glass container, but my wife just happens to keep a white pint size vanilla candle on the plate all the time. I took the candle out and painted all the wood in no time. (Didn't tell her though)