sealer experiment

[Diggin Jiggin]

Taggers right, the only one that was 24 hrs was the straight val oil. I thought 24 would be way too long for the thin stuff.

Maybe Capesam was onto something with the temperature too as it is cold in my garage where I did all the sealing (40 or so at night), and the turp stuff smelled so bad I did not bring them into the warmer part of the basement near the furnace for a couple of days. I wish I'd done just a piece of unsealed wood too, to have it to compare too the others to see how much it absorbed and too see the difference sealing it made.

I've still got the stuff, I could do another test. I think i've got some 5/4 pine left over from a xmas project... If I do another test on a softer wood do you think that would be a more valid test. how long should i let em soak...what do you want to see ?

[Pete F.]

Great test
Is the best way to quantify water absorbtion visual or by weight?
I have been thinking about trying this but don't have all the different sealers.
Use a very accurate scale. Might have to borrow one from a science teacher or your neighborhood drug dealer
Each block would start off at the same weight.
One block would have no treatment as a control
Each block would be sealed with a different method
Each block should have a thru hole and a perpendicular hole so they are similar to actual conditions
After sealing prime and paint?
Immerse in water for some amount of time to simulate actual conditions and then let air dry till free water is gone.
Weigh and compare.
I believe different woods have vastly different rates of absorbtion and this makes a large difference in how the wood acts upon exposure to water.