PVA ? Question ( Now with photos )

[Blister]

I have some logs I need to seal the ends of

So before I go and buy a 5ltr container of PVA glue

Two questions , does it dry ? ( dont want sticky drippy wet logs in my wood store ) ,

and does it work OK for sealing cut ends ?

Cheers :mrgreen:

 

[CHJ]

Yes and Yes.

Not the cheapest option, I take it you don't have any cans of old paint in the shed.

 

[Blister]

Yes and Yes.

Not the cheapest option, I take it you don't have any cans of old paint in the shed.

Hi Chas

I tried paint before and it soaked quit a long way up the grain

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

I prefer paint!

 

[The Shark]

Yes and Yes.

Not the cheapest option, I take it you don't have any cans of old paint in the shed.

Quite agree with Chas, but do you need 5litres? I know it depends how many logs you have, but 1Litre goes a long way IMHO, and you can see if you get on with it too.

Malc

 

[Blister]

I prefer paint!

Any type ?

 

[CHJ]

Hi Chas

I tried paint before and it soaked quit a long way up the grain

PVA will do just the same if not more so, it's water soluble.

And surely on rough sawn logs or rough blanks you are leaving at least 1/3 the expected blank yield oversize to accommodate shrinking or minor crazing in the ends.

 

[Silverbirch]

Works well for me. It doesn`t need to be top quality woodworking adhesive of course - any old PVA would do.
One slight downside is that because it dries clear, you can`t always tell at a glance what`s been treated and what hasn`t, especially if your wood stash is a bit of a shambles. like mine is.

Ian

 

[CHJ]

One advantage of old paint is colour coding lots, surprising how wood can loose it's identity when it's been tucked away for 2 or 3 yrs.

Where possible I now use cheap candle wax*, drop the odd coloured one in the mix now and again for just the same reason.

* used up all my old paint years ago.

Keep my eyes open around bargain bins when in DIY stores for paint and places like IKEA for after xmas sales of old candles.

 

[János]

Hello,

Yes, any paint or lacquer would suffice, as the goal is to slow down drying, and every kind of film building finish will slow down the evaporation rate. The only unsuitable material is drying oil, as this kind of finish is not a vapor barrier.

In my country the traditional way to seal the cut end of logs was to paste them with cheap paper (news print). Old hide glue or flour paste works well as an adhesive. For saw logs tar or bitumen was used to prevent checks.

By,

János

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

I prefer paint!

Any type ?

Nope, other then not gloss.

I tend to use what ever is lying around which could be Vinyl, Sink, Acrylic or Matt. I don't use Gloss purely so I don't have to get white spirits out to wash the brush.

 

[mike s]

iv got some old clear varnish that i will never use, but i am unsure about using it as a sealer.
from what iv heard hard varnish ruins the blades and cutting tips of tools, has anyone tried this on turning blanks?

 

[CHJ]

iv got some old clear varnish that i will never use, but i am unsure about using it as a sealer.
from what iv heard hard varnish ruins the blades and cutting tips of tools, has anyone tried this on turning blanks?

Just use it, it's nothing compared to the silicates that you will find in most woods, let alone trapped in any rough bark you cut, a HSS turning tool will keep its edge longer cutting mild steel than it will cutting any wood so a bit of varnish is of no matter.

 

[Finial]

I just tie a carrier bag over the end. Doesn't look so tidy in the wood pile though!

And how right the point about cutting wood versus steel is, never thought about that before!

Terry
http://www.turnedwoodenbowls.com

 

[duncanh]

I just tie a carrier bag over the end. Doesn't look so tidy in the wood pile though!

And how right the point about cutting wood versus steel is, never thought about that before!

Terry
http://www.turnedwoodenbowls.com

Are the bags completely sealed or do they have small holes in? If they're hole free do you turn them inside out at all? Do you get much problem with fungus inside them?
Sorry for all the questions - just wondering as it's something I've never tried.

 

[colin macdiarmid]

Hi I used pva I watered it down a touch an it workered fine, see the red oak bowl on my website that was one that was coated with pva

 

[Finial]

The bags are usually hole-free. You can't get them completely airtight so I don't think a few small holes would make much difference. Humidity will be high inside whatever you do so I don't turn them and there is mould growth. They slow evaporation from the ends so help stop splitting, but no guarantee. If kept too long without drying the log will likely spalt anyway.

Terry
http://www.turnedwoodenbowls.com

 

[Paul.J]

I've been using the plastic bag method for drying,mainly when i am cutting into rounds,and it has been good so far,with Elm,Cherry,Laburnum,even the fruit woods.
You do have to watch out for staining though,which is why i try and turn the bags each day.
I used to use PVA but found i had a lot of failures,too many for my liking,even with the pith cut well out.

 

[Haldane]

I use cheap PVA watered down (makes it a lot easier to apply as well as making to go further) don't have many problems with this method.

Dave

 

[Blister]

Decided to go with the PVA as I found some in the shed :mrgreen:

Look like this now

.
Cherry and Yew
.

.
Not sure what to do with these Huge Yew logs , I can only just lift them :shock:
.

.

.
Good job I have a wheelbarrow :lol: