Is any commonly available material suitable? Oil paint? Latex paint? Polyurethane (oil or water)?
I only have a small amount to do and would just as soon not have to buy stuff unless nothing I have will work. Thanks.
i think you can use any number of products as long as it remains flexible. i have had good luck with black jack roofing cement. tried parafin wax once, that didn't work..it cracked and fell off as the logs dried.
I bought a 102" piece of 2 x 8 koa (still green) when I was in Hawaii two years ago. The chap I bought it from cut it into 25" lengths, then glued a single layer of newsprint paper on each end of each piece with white glue. Two years later the wood is ready to work, and there is absolutely no checking or cracking.
--Steve
Latex paint is a bad choice becasue latex paint is, by design, permeable to water vapor.
I've had good luck with paraffin, but don't doubt it can fall off later if the log is very wet when first applied. Old glue or old shellac would be fine, as would fresh.
Roofing cement seems likeit would be kind of messy but effective.
A couple years ago i bought an auction bin that included a can of "instant patch". I never got around to either opening it or throwing it out. Turns out it is thick paste of asphalt with fiberglass mixed in. Goes on nicely; on my hands it is waterproof and durable. Ought to work... (next time I will use gloves) Thanks
How long down? Conventional practice leaves them uncoated, since end checks are largely self-limiting and the sticks are cut long. Down for more than a week in spring weather will have "coated" the ends with dry wood.
They were in the tree on Wednesday. Unfortunately they are 4' long, so I can't afford to waste the ends to checks. So you are saying I should paint coat the pieces I haven't gotten around to cutting ASAP.
Pruning spray for a small job. Any asphalt, hide glue, or paint will make a good sealer. Bugs
I've had zero luck using latex paint. I've heard that diluting white glue 1:1 and painting it on works well though I recommend the following for pieces like yours that can be handled easily:
Pick up a Fry Daddy, Fry Baby or electric skillet from a yard sale, thrift shop, etc. for a buck or three.
Melt old candles (my wife picks up pillar candles at yard sales for 25,
50 cents or a dollar) and maintain a temp below the smoking threshold for the wax.Dip the ends of the wood into the wax and let it "fry" for 10 seconds or so. This will ensure good adhesion with the wet wood. Let cool for a few minutes while you dip the rest and then quickly redip to add a second coating - just a quick in, pause for 1/2 second and out.
Unplug the fryer and allow the wax to remain until next time. Just drop "new" candles into the fryer and let em melt along with all the other wax. Old crayons sitting around? Put 'em to work for you! Wicks in there? Bugs in there? Bark and sawdust in there? Who cares! It still works and it ain't no beauty contest.
I milled up my own "lumber" from some apple a few months ago - double-dipped in the hot wax and have had no wax adhesion issues or checking, though the piece closest to the pith has cupped a bit. I routinely use this method for my wet bowl turning blanks - just roll the edge through the wax in a shallow fryer.
Absolutely. In the log you can staple some cardboard over the end to hold. I harvest bowl blanks off logs in my yard, and I just heap the working end with shavings from the chainsaw.
Once they're boards they'll behave much better, because the risk of radial checking will be gone, though you _will_ shelter them from direct sun. Don't imagine you'll have the high relative humidity Steve's friend had in Hawaii, which is why the greater level of protection.
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