Recently as I've looked around, I've seen many recommendations to seal bowls with Anchorseal (which looks expensive). On the other side many people appear to not seal at all (like me) just slow the drying with various methods. For thick lumber planks, we always seal the ends with "left over" exterior paint which seems to seal well as that's what its designed for. Does paint work in bowl situation? Is Anchorseal (or diluted glue) used primarily so we can see through it? (Granted buying new paint is likely just as expensive as Anchorseal)
Thanks, Lary
Anchorseal vs paint? or slow drying.
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Re: Anchorseal vs paint? or slow drying.
#2Anchor seal works great. I used to sell bowl blanks on Ebay and it seamed to go a long way. Plus, unlike paint it won't dry hard in the container. I had a 5 gallon bucket of it, and had a couple gallons left over from 20 years ago. The spout got knocked off and I didn't notice it for a couple years. It formed a crust on top, and thinking it was ruined, I checked here for advice. One of the knowledgeable Wood Central guys said to just add a little water and stir, that the wax emulsifiers were still present. Sure enough, after scraping all the dried wax off the inside top and inside of the bucket into the remaining Anchor seal, a vigorous stirring with a paint stirrer with my drill restored it to near fresh condition.
Re: Anchorseal vs paint? or slow drying.
#3Agree with Dale, Anchorseal is worth the trouble/expense of using and I've also reconstituted it with a bit of water. I also think I have less cracking on blanks or first-turned bowls with it than latex paint. I always paint any exterior end-grain after the first turning.
Lots of comments based on individual user experience with success in bowl drying and it is not one-size fits all. It depends on the wood species, the thickness of the walls and how uniform the thickness is and the environment the workpiece will be dried in apart from the paper bags, boxes and newspaper wrappings or whatever.
Certainly, slowing the drying is a major key to the process. If you have a method with the paint that works well, that is, very little cracking, then stick with what you know. If you are having troubles, then try Anchorseal.
Re: Anchorseal vs paint? or slow drying.
#4One thing I like about Anchor Seal is that you don't have to clean the brush. If your brush has dried out and you want to apply more, just swirl the brush around in the can and rub it on the sides a bit. The brush comes back to life and you're back in business. I agree, it's worth the money, and can be cost effective if you buy it in bigger quantities.
Re: Anchorseal vs paint? or slow drying.
#5Thanks for the input. I have ordered a gal of Anchorseal and try it out. Not needing to clean the brush sounds great.