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Eric, sealing is the never ending argument of plug building. Most builders believe someone else has the secret answer and they are looking for that answer. Most of what I know has to do with carpentry and woodworking rather than sealing, but you should always look at the basics.
1.) Mositure will always interact with wood, there is nothing we can do to stop this. Wood was made to take moisture from the ground to the leaves. Forces beyond are control are at work here.
2.) End grain is where wood will absorb moisture. Long grain will not absord moisture. I'm sure everyone has heard the straw analogy.
I build with pine, basswood, birch, maple, ayc, red cedar and white cedar. I have tried many many sealers and to be honest, they all pretty much work the same. Some are cheap and quick, some are expensive and lengthy and some will probably kill you from long-term exposure.
The best advice I received from a commercial plug builder was the following "take a finished plug and weight it. Next submerge it in a bucket of saltwater for one hour and weight it again. If you do not have weight gain you are good to go." This plug builder is long gone but this advice is very good.
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