# Homemade anchor seal



## Brian Chinn

Does anyone have a recipe for making anchor seal or similar product?


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## Tony

I know guys that use latex paint or watered down yellow wood glue.


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## Lou Currier

Yes....use an old crockpot, melt candles and either dip or pour....there you have it, ends sealed.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike1950

I for one, hate wax on blanks. Anchor seal goes a long ways. Not that spendy. Open can, use shut can. Time is worth something. Latex paint is a crappy replacement.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 4


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## Karl_TN

@Mike1950, Did you mean you hate any wax on blanks, or thicker wax from melted candles? Just wondering since UC Coatings says this about their Anchorseal product: "... creates a wax barrier that protects against end checking and costly degrade in freshly sawn logs and lumber. Known in the forest products industry as the best quality and most stable wax emulsion end sealer available...". My blanks feely waxy after putting on 2 coats of Anchorseal using the winter formula.

@Brian Chinn For what it's worth, I recently heard some professional woodturners have started using white school glue mixed 50/50 with water. A gallon of school glue cost about $15, but mixed 50/50 with water would bring the cost to $7.50 per gallon of sealer.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Mike1950

Karl_TN said:


> @Mike1950, Did you mean you hate any wax on blanks, or thicker wax from melted candles? Just wondering since UC Coatings says this about their Anchorseal product: "... creates a wax barrier that protects against end checking and costly degrade in freshly sawn logs and lumber. Known in the forest products industry as the best quality and most stable wax emulsion end sealer available...". My blanks feely waxy after putting on 2 coats of Anchorseal using the winter formula.
> 
> @Brian Chinn For what it's worth, I recently heard some professional woodturners have started using white school glue mixed 50/50 with water. A gallon of school glue cost about $15, but mixed 50/50 with water would bring the cost to $7.50 per gallon of sealer.


I do not mind AS but getting wax off or getting on tools is a pain

Reactions: Agree 2


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## Karl_TN

More... Seems some people suggest mixing 2/3 glue to 1/3 water.

Back to your original question: I suspect an Anchorseal alternative might include these ingredients mixed together with a big blender:

Melted Paraffin or Candle wax,
Melted Emulsifying Wax NF
Hot Water
Polyethylene Glycol (for Winter mix to keep from freezing)
Problem is I'm unable to find the ratio needed for each ingredient.


See if this recipe helps with the amounts:

Note: I looked up ingredients on Amazon, but you'll need to do the math on how many gallons this makes in order to calculate the price per gallon of sealer. Substitute cheaper waxes to lower price.

https://www.woodfinishsupply.com/CandelillaWax.html

*Emulsifed Wax *_formula:_

*George Frank's* formula for emulsified wax is an excellent decorative patinating wax especially for limed or whitewashed surfaces.
Melt in a double boiler:
(Suggest a hotplate outdoors to avoid fire danger!)
4 ounces of Candelilla wax flake, (1lb for $20 on Amazon)
4 ounces of Carnauba wax flake, (1lb for $19 on Amazon)
and 6 1/2 ounces of Stearic Acid. (3lbs for $20 on Amazon)

In a separate glass, earthenware, or enameled container add:
1 ounce (liquid) of Triethanolamine (for emulsification) (16oz for $20 on Amazon)
to 31/2 quarts of boiling water*.
(*If your water is high in minerals, use distilled water or rain water)

Now; pour the melted wax mixture into the water; begin stirring with a wooden paddle as soon as you finish pouring. Continue stirring until the mixture cools and has the consistency of heavy cream.​


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## Karl_TN

Mike1950 said:


> I do not mind AS but getting wax off or getting on tools is a pain



Agree, I found the hard way when getting candle wax off of my Dewalt planer rollers so now I mostly use candle wax primarily for woodturning blanks (easy enough to turn the wax off on the lathe). For anything else, I'd rather take the candle wax off using a hand plane than use my power planer again. Much easier to heat up the hand plane to remove the hard wax than the planer rollers.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Mike1950

Karl_TN said:


> Agree, I found the hard way when getting candle wax off of my Dewalt planer rollers so now I mostly use candle wax primarily for woodturning blanks (easy enough to turn the wax off on the lathe). For anything else, I'd rather take the candle wax off using a hand plane than use my power planer again. Much easier to heat up the hand plane to remove the hard wax than the planer rollers.


Yes, and as a flat worker i hate the wax. Gets on everything. I do not see it often though. Sell waxed pieces to crazy turners.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Funny 3


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## kweinert

Karl_TN said:


> Note: I looked up ingredients on Amazon, but you'll need to do the math on how many gallons this makes in order to calculate the price per gallon of sealer. Substitute cheaper waxes to lower price.​



Doing the math results in a per gallon cost of $13.71. Not including your time, water, or power of course.

Note that that's using the unit cost of a single purchase (for example: $20 / 16 oz = $1.25/oz, use 4 oz = $5 cost.) I didn't figure out the ratios to see how much you'd be able to make and not have any left over ingredients :)


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## justallan

Just my opinion here,
If you are doing wood work for money I feel that in the time that it takes to concoct up something suitable, get the ingredients, mix them, ETC., a guy could make and sell quite a few pens and calls or whatever you specialize in and make out money wise without the hassle.
If you are doing this as a sometimes hobby and have the time and are just interesting in trying new things then I do understand that perfectly.
As far as melting wax every time you want to seal something.....OH HELL NOOOOO!
I buy Anchor Seal by the 5 gallon bucket and put that stuff on like I was in a mud fight, it goes a long way.
If I were to try something cheaper, there are some white roof sealers out there that are as low as $70 for a 5 gallon bucket, if it came in clear I would probably already have tried it.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## woodtickgreg

I'm with Allan, I use ac1 and slather it on real heavy, sometimes 2 coats, it's cheap and easy and it works great. Now having said that I have used latex paint to seal the ends of boards in the same manner and find that it works about the same. It's also a good way to get rid of old paint. I do find that at least 2 coats is necessary. Also you can use a sharpie to write the date and species of the wood on the ends of the boards with latex paint. Also bear in mind that I air dry everything as I don't have a kiln or the room for one. Turning stock I prefer to use 2 coats of ac1. I have not tried the diluted white glue mix yet but I may if I need to get rid of old glue because it is past its fresh date. I usually just use ac1 because it's really not that expensive and it works as it's supposed to. I usually always have some on hand so it's my go to. I dont mill as often as I used to so I just buy it in 2 gallon buckets and that works for me without spending a lot of money. Sometimes going the cheapest way on some supplies just isn't worth it in my opinion and my time is valuable also.


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## Sprung

I have and use some Anchorseal. It's great for turning blanks that will go on the lathe. Messy when putting it on though and can leave a little mess on tools when machining a piece that had been sealed. Have also sealed some lumber with it.

A lot of the time - especially with burl blanks or smaller pieces that I plan to stabilize - I seal with glue/water mixed approximately 2/3 glue, 1/3 water. I had a bottle of Titebond 3 that sat long enough to go bad, so I've been using that for this. When I want to stabilize the piece, then I don't have to deal with even the thinner layer of wax from Anchorseal, but a few second at the belt sander will clean the glue off all the sides quite easily. This has worked well for me and is usually my preferred method of sealing small blanks.

Reactions: Like 1 | Informative 2


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## Brian Chinn

I don't use it that much. Just when I find some nice wood that I cut and dry myself. Woodcrafters charges nearly $30 a gallon. So, if I could cook some wax for 10 min and add some glycol, to me it would be worth it.

Reactions: Like 1


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## kweinert

If it doesn't 'go bad' then it looks like the 5 gallon is the way to go. Just out of curiosity I was looking at prices and one place (UC Coatings) has AC2 for $38/gallon and the 5 gallon for $88. Even when you add in the shipping for the 5 gallonthat brings the price per gallon down to just over $23.

I won't even say that is the best price. I was just surprised at the cost difference when going to the larger container - it seems much larger than I would normally expect.


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## Karl_TN

I still want to try using white glue, but what if green wood sealer could be made for less than $5/gallon? I don't know about other WB folks, but I often find used candles at auctions & estate sale for pocket change. Second, my wife get free candles from a local thrift store because any used/bent candles aren't worth their shelf space for selling. Thus, the primary cost for making green wood sealer is the emulsifier. Emulsifying Wax NF is $9/pound on Amazon. If it only take a 5% to 10% ratio (emulsifier to wax/water) then making green wood sealer might cost as little as $5/gallon using cheap wax. Am I missing anything besides getting a second-hand electric skillet to heat everything up?

@Brian Chinn, Here's a green wood sealer recipe which only uses melted candle wax & paint thinner: https://www.ehow.com/how_12036971_make-green-wood-sealer.html

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## JR Parks

Karl,
Since I only cut small pieces of local woods - bowl blanks or pen blanks - I just use my titebond II or III and it works great. One coat if say mesquite or a stable wood or a few if a fruit wood or the like. Again nothing wrong with AC but titebond is handy and sitting right there waiting on the next glueing project. Coat one end let dry flip and coat the second. I have very very few failures.


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## Mike1950

Karl_TN said:


> I still want to try using white glue, but what if green wood sealer could be made for less than $5/gallon? I don't know about other WB folks, but I often find used candles at auctions & estate sale for pocket change. Second, my wife get free candles from a local thrift store because any used/bent candles aren't worth their shelf space for selling. Thus, the primary cost for making green wood sealer is the emulsifier. Emulsifying Wax NF is $9/pound on Amazon. If it only take a 5% to 10% ratio (emulsifier to wax/water) then making green wood sealer might cost as little as $5/gallon using cheap wax. Am I missing anything besides getting a second-hand electric skillet to heat everything up?
> 
> @Brian Chinn, Here's a green wood sealer recipe which only uses melted candle wax & paint thinner: https://www.ehow.com/how_12036971_make-green-wood-sealer.html



one thing you are missing is wax can burn- be careful


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## rocky1

Beeswax melts at around 140 degrees f., at 185 it starts to discolor and smoke, the internet says 400 degrees is flashpoint, but speaking from experience, the smoke in the room will have run you out well before that. It also tends to separate and creeps up the side of the pan/pot when too hot, which accelerates flash point around the sides with increased oxygen present, and impurities within coated in beeswax may flash well before that. Heat it slow, try to maintain around 155 -160 degrees. 


Latex paint doesn't work worth a damn in my experience! 

Anchor Seal 1 isn't expensive, it goes a long way!!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1 | Informative 1


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## Graybeard

Guess I'm lucky. Both clubs I belong to buy a 55 gal drum and resell to members for $10 a gallon. I know Johnson Wood Products http://www.johnsonwoodproducts.com/ in Iowa uses a wax mixture of some sort. They've been in business a long time so maybe Anchor seal wasn't available when they started. It's really something to watch Randy and Byron process and store wood for drying. They've got it figured out for their area. They heat the work space with a big old wood stove so fire is always a concern.

Reactions: Like 1


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## vegas urban lumber

i seal the ends of logs for storage here prior to milling, since it's normally so dry. lately i use 50% candle wax and 50% mineral oil. during the colder months i cut the heated wax with more oil so it stays kinda soft. i keep a 10 gallon pot of it at the yard and if need be i heat it on the outdoor turkey burner. big mop type brush to slather it on the ends.

Reactions: Useful 1


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