# sealing log ends for storage



## isaaccarlson (Aug 16, 2010)

I cut down a cherry tree that was too close to the house and will not be able to mill it right away....kinda busy with other stuff. Where can I get the sealer to spray on the log ends? Would spray paint work?


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## smokinj (Aug 16, 2010)

I use what I have on hand.


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## betterbuilt (Aug 16, 2010)

I use old latex paint. I hear arborseal is the best stuff to use.


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## discounthunter (Aug 16, 2010)

miss-colored latex found at any store that sells paint.


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## scsmith42 (Aug 17, 2010)

Bailey's sells end sealer, and UC Coatings is a major supplier of "Anchor Seal". You can buy them both over the internet.


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## huskyhank (Aug 17, 2010)

For now slap on any kind of paint you have. The sooner the better. Then do another coat when that's dry. For next time get some Anchor Seal.


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## Sawyer Rob (Aug 17, 2010)

Personally i think it all depends on how important that cherry log is to you. If you want to do it right, with something that actually works, then coat the ends with Anchorseal, or another brand of end sealer. You can saw right through Anchorseal without problems too.

Second choise, melted wax! Any wax that's melted will work, from candfles to what ever you can find. If done properly, it works just as well as Anchorseal.

And a DISTANT third choise, that really doesn't work so well, is paint. I've tried paint, and it really doesn't work well at all, and also after it dries it's gritty and will dull tools when you saw through it. It does LOOK like it will work though... 

SR


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## isaaccarlson (Aug 17, 2010)

I have a ton of old latex paint...I'll just use that as I can't get any Anchor Seal right now. I'll just have to make time to mill it sooner. Thank you.


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## Mike1974 (Aug 17, 2010)

Latex works very well for me. prevented/minimized splits on a ton of logs I had outside over a fall/winter/spring.

Just do a couple heavy coats.

The added benefit is that mis-tints are cheap, and make it easy to color-code if you're doing a bunch of stuff and want to keep your cut lumber organized by source tree.


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## isaaccarlson (Aug 17, 2010)

we have a TON of old latex paint....something on the order of 300+ gallons. The previous owner collected it and never got rid of it. Now it costs money to get rid of it so it is still here. Still works too. Now I have something to do with it! The figure on these logs is wonderful.

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## Backwoods (Aug 20, 2010)

Even if you paint the log to color code it, end seal it to stop the moister. Think about it, how well dose paint seal a cement water tank? It don’t, the water still weeps out. Get some end seal and seal it up right. After all you would not use a crescent wrench and a hammer to change a tire!!! Or would you?


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## Mike Van (Aug 20, 2010)

When I was new at this some 20+ years ago, I'd seal everything. Anchorseal worked the best. I got too busy over the years to spend the time sealing, and haven't bothered with it for 15 years or more. I don't see a difference worth starting sealing again. Short chunks like those Cherry may be worth it, but log length stuff, I've never seen enough loss to be worth the time & money. The general feeling back then was if you don't seal as soon as the log is cut, don't bother.


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## BobL (Aug 20, 2010)

To be as effective as anchorseal I reckon you need 3 coats of latex paint but as for paint being grittier than anchorseal that depends where the logs are sealed and how they re hqndled. Because anchorseal takes longer than latex to dry. If the logs are stored in a dusty environment more grit can stick to the anchorseal so it becomes grittier than paint. Also as anchorseal remains somewhat softer and stickier than latex, logs are moved around if the ends make contact with dirt or sand even on dry anchor seal or wax the grit can be more easily embedded than on paint.

At the arborists yard where I mill, next door is a company that manufactures artificial limestone blocks so there is often a film of white gritty dust covering all the logs in the yard. If I happen to use anchor seal on the day a stiff easterly is blowing the anchorseal picks up a lot of this grit.

All of this irrelevant if one is prepared to buck a few inches off the ends of the log before milling. In the case of the harder Aussie hardwoods that have been down for more than a month or so this is standard practice because the drier ends are where a significant amount of chain bluntening occurs.


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## isaaccarlson (Aug 20, 2010)

The big ones are painted, as well as most of the small ones. I am hoping to make some more of these in cherry. This one is elm.

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