just got some nice blk wlnut logs and need to seal the ends. have tried melted parafin wax straight and it tries to peal off when it dries. anybody mix anything with it to get some penetration? min. spirits, BLO ? The wax just sits on the surface and then just peels off. Any help is appreciated. I'm probably gonna saw them up in a few days.
jack
U. C. Coatings' Anchorseal.
I've heard that basic latex paint will do the trick. I've done this to a couple of maple logs, but have yet to slice them up.
-John in NH
Your experience mirrors mine except...
I am going to assume you were attempting to brush the melted wax on the logs. It cools much too quickly and doesn't adhere. I learned that in order for the melted wax to work is to dip the ends of the wood into a pot or vat of wax. When done this way it works great and stays put.
I use a $1 West Bend shallow electric fryer obtained from my local thrift store. My wife picks up old candles at yard sales for next to nothing and I drop a couple in the fryer when it runs low. The shallow fryer works fine for me as one only needs to coat the ends plus 1 or 2 inches up from the end.
If the log is too large to dip then I fall back on one of the wax emulsion products like the Anchorseal that Jack Novak recommended. Woodcraft sells a decent Anchorseal-like product at about $18/gallon.
BTW, latex paint as an end sealer never worked well for me.
No sense sealing them if you're going to saw them soon. End checks have already begun, and are largely self-limiting. Coatings are for freshly cut logs or freshly crosscut board ends.
Something occlusive in nature but suspended or dissolved in water is what you want. PVA glue, latex paints have been mentioned. The commercial product is a water-emulsion wax like we old GIs remember buffing to a brilliant shine on every floor. Water, non-sudsing surfactant, some alcohol to stave off mold, and a bigass blender....
The logs are way to big to dip, so gonna have to brush something on. The idea of sealing the whole log end is so when I cut into lumber the ends of all boards will already be sealed. I'v used a masonry sealer(drylock) b-4 but it damn near turns to concrete when dry. Hell on my sawmill blades. Guess i'll experiment with melted wax and Min sp. or maybe latex paint.
Thanks anyway jack
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