Blade Varnishing / Sealing

Definitely it will change the behavior ... possibly the dwell time will reduce considerably. The only player I know varnishes the wood actually does not varnish the blade but just the handle for easy twiddling ........... sorry but could not help but ask ... why do you want to varnish ? to get a cheaper alternative for a faster blade ? or to protect it .... also on a lighter note did you varnish your avatar ?

I think it's a good idea to varnish the wood, to protect it. I have a TBS and the blade is allready varnished and I've never torn off any splinters.

PS: What club do you play in Belgium?

Mine is AFP-Antwerp I have never used any varnish/sealer to protect my blades. But ok, I never switch rubbers myself, I always let the people in the store do it for me.

I do varnish my blades, just a very small layer though. If you don't you will most likely damage your blade. But if you put too much on I think the rubber will come off sooner. You kinda make the surface a little 'slippier' I think.

Some people like to seal their blades. Some people don't. I personally like to. It does protect the wood. I do not notice any significant change in the playing characteristics of the blade. I have a friend who has the same exact setup as I have only he has not sealed his blade. The two setups play almost exactly the same. And no two blades feel exactly the same. I felt my blade before I sealed it and after. I did not notice any difference. What I use is Minwax Wipe on Poly. The reason is that you can put on a very thin coat and it sinks into the wood and looks more like the wood has been polished with oil than like their is a coat of poly over it. So it does not effect the wood to the same extent that putting thick coats of varnish on a blade would.

I think in the speed glue days a lot of people would seal the wood since they were pulling their rubbers off and regluing so often. I don't know that it is as necessary these days, but it definitely protects the blade surface. I also like to seal the handle. I like the way it feels with the handle sealed. I know, I have been told that the handles are designed to absorb your sweat. I don't feel I need that. I sweat, but I wipe my hand off and cool it.

But if you were looking to seal your blade, Minwax Wipe on Poly is much less expensive than what the blade companies sell, is really easy to apply. You just use a cloth. It takes at most 5 minutes to apply. Then you let it dry. And it probably works better than anything else for a blade since it can be put on so thin that the blade retains its playing characteristics. My Primorac and my Cornilleau blades both have an amazing amount of dwell time. My Clipper has a lot of dwell time for a blade that is that fast as well.