Sanding sealer as a sealer

[john taylor]

I am rough turning some burrs they are very wet as the tree only came down a month ago so once turned I seal them and put them away to dry.

I do not like using wax or PVA on them as some always gets into the holes in the burr and is impossible to get out and shows up in the final finish.

In the past I have tried various oils with mixed results so I am trying to find some other form of sealer.   I had a thought that maybe a couple of coats of shellac sanding sealer might do the job has anyone tried this?

regards
john

[Bryan Milham]

John,

I've not done this and what I say here is an intuitive answer, I have no proof I'm right.

Shellac is an alcohol/spirit based product. Once the alcohol/spirit the residue ‘shellac’ is a hard but brittle layer. It works very well on smooth finished surfaces.

But I’d doubt it would form a good seal on part turned work, especially wet timber which ‘will’ move and cause it to crack.

[Turners cabin]

Hi John why not try not sealing them and using the methord of placing them in a box or bag of shavings ?

[Mark Hancock]

I've always found with burr timber if it's dense and through out the form there is no need to seal it. With the grain pulling in all directions it all counteracts itself and you get very little movement and less chance of splitting.

It's also worth turning very wet burr timber thin as you get a wonderful leathery texture when it dries.

[bodrighywood]

Burrs I have turned wet have tended to open up a little in places but as Mark sid rarely sp[litting to any extent. Any small fissures that do appear just add to the look of the wood IMHO anyway.

Pete