SEAL THAT BLADE or else!

1. What to use. After years of experimenting and research I have decided to use . . . 

I called AFM. They have a partnership with a distributor who sells trial size bottles that will easily seal a dozen blades. I think I paid $6+ a little shipping. I recommend the matte finish for better adhesion.

2. How much to use (how many coats and the thickness of each coat). Using an old pair of 100% cotton undies (socks usually have too much lint and/or toe-jam) . . . I typically use two light coats . . . just enough to fill the nooks and crannies, but not enough to turn my blade(s) into a lacquered coffee table, unless that's the desired effect. I try to fall just short of filling all the grains, but make sure the sealant filled the gullies. The first coat I rub into the blade, then let dry. A couple hours later (or even better to wait a whole day), I use a second coat . . . swiping towards the edges and circling the spine and outer edge, making sure there are no drips, puddles, or any other imperfections. I let dry for 48-hours before affixing.

Here's my latest blade seal job. Note: I used a third coat on the BH because it's a Stiga blade and I plan to use a glue sheet with LPs on that side. I don't mind sacrificing any "feel," which would probably be impossible to notice for 99.99% of players anyway. Years ago, myself and Hookshot from this forum and OOAK did "blind" testing on rackets. Nobody, including us, could tell which blade was sealed and which wasn't.

In short, if there are any negatives associated with sealing, I argue that the PROS heavily outweigh the CONS. Even if you're a filthy rich bastxxd, do you want to risk destroying your favorite blade?