Your own blade sealing

Seal ALL blades. One coat of Poly-U will not change a blade. My fav is Minwax Poly Quick Dry, Satin. Dip the corner of a lint free rag in it, rub it into the wood. Then wipe it off, let dry. If it is very open grain wood, use two or three coats. Apply about 10 minutes apart, then dry for one hour. Done.

Yes! Very useful! Thank you, sir!

davidz, you may try Titanium nano coating (some car repair shops have it), it does not add measurable weight when applied properly. apply two layers (even on 'softest' wood) and your blade will become a booster rocket.

there are other alternative nanotechnologies as well

have fun!

vvu.tee wrote: davidz, you may try Titanium nano coating (some car repair shops have it), it does not add measurable weight when applied properly. apply two layers (even on 'softest' wood) and your blade will become a booster rocket. there are other alternative nanotechnologies as well have fun!

By booster rocket do you mean that the blade will have more speed ?

I used to use Minwax Polyurethane Spray (Satin also, not glossy).  It works very well.  You can spray to your used undershirt and wipe your blade with it.  Or you can just spray the blade directly, but be careful, not to overdone it.

Last few years, I have been using Donic Sealer.  Price wise, you are better with Minwax PU Spray but with Donic Sealer, it is easier to use.  Just one thin coat and within 15 - 30 minutes, it is dry completely.  Or you might want to dry it using hair dryer.

Splintering is one thing but yea if I dont varnish my Petr Korbel (PK) back then I might fell victim to another BTY good for more bad thing products. I used Fit Chack to glued my T64s and it didn't dry off after 3 months. That could've destroyed my first ever BTY blade (even I'm starting to think it's a fake PK with both new and old BTY logo on the same blade). 

Hookshot, I used wood varnish. I actually don't know which type of varnish I should use so I just asked the hardware shop's keeper to pick one for me. It's a clear one with glossy finish.  

some nanocoatings are clear and transparent, you can even apply them on the windshield to improve visibility / some result is stiff, some in flexible layers.

for example, carbon or metal nano-fibers are superior to plain fibers in all departments save the cost

In the glue days, there was no need for a sealant as the glue itself would sink into the wood over time and provide the bonding. Most sealants will change the blade characteristic in some way especially if heavily applied. So be careful.

If you are sealing for water resistance, linseed oil is rated poor.

I use minwax with a lint-free rag.  Usually a couple of really thin coats across the blade face, and then a bit heavier/more just along the edges of the blade since that is where I have had a little problem in the past with splintering if I didn't seal the blade.

Edited by Brainstorm69 - 12/08/2011 at 8:31am

Can anybody recommend a non-polyurethane-based product that is commercially available in Europe?

You guys should mention not only your preferred sealer but your preferred glue. I don't seal i just get a few blades i like when that runs out and it's discontinued well SOL and a new search begins

Edited by The Shakehander - 12/08/2011 at 11:42am

The older Butterfly glue sheet, before they called it Chack Sheet, was very strong and much stronger than other brands of glue sheets I have used.  A thin layer of wood came off with the Butterfly glue sheet once.  Please use with caution.

Currently I use some woodtreatment oil from a Bob de Bauer / garden center (Hornbach). Uv resistant which means it doesn,t colour to become yellow I suppose for what that matters.

It,s colourless, natural look, not too shiny not building a layer on top of the wood.
It was the cheapest they had (approx fifteen euro / litre) but works perfect (with voc-glue that is for having experience with).
At least partially it contains hardening oil but not hardening the wood noticable.
I treat the whole blade including griphalves and sides with a thick layer. After an hour if necessary I remove excessive remains. Where it has this it,s slightly white, handy for applying and removing but not noticable afterwards. It then has a thin, transparent greasy film.

From that it takes twenty four hours to be absorbed. After that the film is completely gone.
Not feeling tacky or slippery including the handle.. with playing it feels normal.
Rubbers come off perfect (showing a consistent bound) and applying is perfect as well.
Don,t know if and when it needs a new layer but for now, several changes on some blades didn,t show anything in that direction.
 




Edited by mercuur - 12/08/2011 at 3:52pm