“Sealing effects performance”…. Is there any proof?

[Lazer]

As an aside with all this handle talk, is there a good way to clean the sweat/dirt from the handle?

No, the unprotected naked wood sucks up sweat and dirt like a sponge. Once it’s in there it stays…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[lodro]

I get that you're just trying to understand if anyone has ever conclusively deduced that there absolutely is or is not a difference due to sealing but I would ask, since the difference is so miniscule that nobody has ever reported noticing it, then what's the point. Just seal every blade to protect it and play. Unless you're looking for some scientifically definitive answer to settle a bet, it doesn't matter.

Having said that, putting sealer (polyurethane or otherwise) on wood does definitely harden the wood, it just does. So if someone does a test for this correctly they are absolutely gonna find that the outer veneers of the blade will be slightly harder, so the known chemical properties of wood sealers give you your answer without ever even having to pick up a TT blade.

.....and because what you say is true, us, the ones who are "pro-sealing", emphasize the sealing should be done thinly.
The idea is to seal the blade, not lay-up a thick layer of polyurethane.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Then handle is visible, the blade isn’t , I’d like it to look nice but I most of the time don’t do anything with it… But I always seal my blades. The change in characteristics is minimal and the change over time is less as well ..

Cheers
L-zr

Fully agree. The change in playing characteristics of the blade is minimal. The blade may even feel better after the sealant is added depending on who is doing the feeling.

Also agree. I want my handle to look good. For one person, the handle will look good if it is sealed, for another, it will look good if it is old, beat up and sweat stained. But, for sure, that, the water damage to the handle will also affect the life of the blade. So, from the perspective of the life of the blade and the water damage, sealing will help. From the perspective of aesthetics, one person will like the blade to look new. Another will like something different. But it is fine to seal the handle if you want that look and if you can get used to, or do like how the handle feels with sealant on it. I know a few people who do seal their handles and like how that feels.

Personally, I do like the way my handle looks. But it does not look how it did when it was new.

Still, to many people that would look terrible and they would rather have it look clean and pristine. I think that is totally good. So that is just about personal choices.

 

[NetProphet]

.....and because what you say is true, us, the ones who are "pro-sealing", emphasize the sealing should be done thinly.
The idea is to seal the blade, not lay-up a thick layer of polyurethane.

Absolutely!
I made the mistake first time sealing of putting it on too thick, there were visible lines on the blade when it had dried. I had to sand it back with very fine paper, 800 I think, until it was glass smooth. The sealing layer I left behind was thinner than I could have applied with any brush and it's been enough, never had an issue changing rubbers

 

[Silver Server]

Still, to many people that would look terrible and they would rather have it look clean and pristine. I think that is totally good. So that is just about personal choices.

That’s some well aged patina right there. Not all handles age/look the same unfortunately lol. Another selling point for OSP.

 

[lodro]

Absolutely!
I made the mistake first time sealing of putting it on too thick, there were visible lines on the blade when it had dried. I had to sand it back with very fine paper, 800 I think, until it was glass smooth. The sealing layer I left behind was thinner than I could have applied with any brush and it's been enough, never had an issue changing rubbers

When I first started sealing I had this spray can of clear acrylic urethane and sprayed until i got a mirror gloss finish on it. 😁
"CUT"
Now i use a slightly damp lint-free rag and rub a very thin layer into the wood and remove any excess immediately. A gentle block-sand with about 400grit finishes the job.
Nothing to it.

 

[NetProphet]

Ok, but many people report not sealing and never having any problem with damaging the blade.... and now we're back to the same old endless debate

It does depend on what glue you use, how much of it you put on, the humidity in the wood and how long it's been stuck before removing.
Also, some blades come sealed from the factory and people don't know this when they buy. I think there are only 4 Yasaka blades unsealed but I've seen that people aren't aware and forget this and say, oh I never lacquered my blade and I never had a problem 😂
But really, gluing onto bare wood is a chance you take, not worth it with your favourite expensive blade imo

 

[darkky65]

The point was looks nothing else.

The one to left is sealed with linseed oil. The one to the right is naked. The one to the left is played about twice as much as the right one. If you seal with varnish it holds up even better…

Cheers
L-zr

does sealing the handle with LSO make it feel plasticky?

bought a 2nd hand blade with the handle sealed with varnish and it felt awful.

 

[lodro]

But really, gluing onto bare wood is a chance you take, not worth it with your favourite expensive blade imo

Absolutely ! and it does not even have to be a real expensive blade, sometimes we also grab a cheap blade from Ali maybe because we like the colour of the handle and the performance blows us away and it becomes our long lasting trusty blade. Well, we would not want to then f#ck it up just because we were too lazy to spend the 5 min it would have taken to seal it, right ?

 

[turbozed]

For me there's proof that sealing DOESN'T affect the blade qualities in a significant way.

I've sealed like 7 blades and have always done a hardness frequency test before and after.

Every blade returned the same frequency except for one that jumped by 10 hz or so. Something that minimal in hardness difference is certainly not someone on my level with notice. Arguably, it's small enough where it's possible no human could tell the difference.

This was with a very thin layer or two of wipe on polyurethane however. I've seen varnish jobs where it looks like sealant is slathered on. These probably do change the blade enough where it gives all sealing methods the reputation of changing blade properties.

 

[Lazer]

does sealing the handle with LSO make it feel plasticky?

bought a 2nd hand blade with the handle sealed with varnish and it felt awful.

A little bit, much less than varnish. But the effect diminishes fairly quick with use. It also depends how much you use.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[vvk1]

For me there's proof that sealing DOESN'T affect the blade qualities in a significant way.

I've sealed like 7 blades and have always done a hardness frequency test before and after.

Every blade returned the same frequency except for one that jumped by 10 hz or so. Something that minimal in hardness difference is certainly not someone on my level with notice. Arguably, it's small enough where it's possible no human could tell the difference.

This was with a very thin layer or two of wipe on polyurethane however. I've seen varnish jobs where it looks like sealant is slathered on. These probably do change the blade enough where it gives all sealing methods the reputation of changing blade properties.

100%. It's not that hard to actually test whether varnish or sealant creates a stiff coating capable of noticeably affecting blade properties or not...

 

[Lazer]

100%. It's not that hard to actually test whether varnish or sealant creates a stiff coating capable of noticeably affecting blade properties or not...

Never seen varnish that look or act like this. It’s probably water based. The one I’m talking about is oil based you use white spirit (Lack nafta in Swedish) to thin it, It takes -2 hrs to get dust proof and hardens in -24 hrs. After 15min you can still pour it off the surface…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[igorponger]

SILICA OIL has no adverse effect on wooden outer veneers, likewise it allows a strong bond with rubbers. Furthermore, silica oil does not damp feelings in your hand.
________________
Be erudite of everything.

 

[Tyce]

You're probably better off using bacon grease that silica oil

 

[God-scrubplayer]

it does affect performance but you need to be at a certain level to feel it. Maybe around 2100 with classically trained forehand. The bigger issue with sealing blade is the rubber come off a lot easier thus making you reglue your rubber every so often.

 

[lt kettch]

Fully agree. The change in playing characteristics of the blade is minimal. The blade may even feel better after the sealant is added depending on who is doing the feeling.

Also agree. I want my handle to look good. For one person, the handle will look good if it is sealed, for another, it will look good if it is old, beat up and sweat stained. But, for sure, that, the water damage to the handle will also affect the life of the blade. So, from the perspective of the life of the blade and the water damage, sealing will help. From the perspective of aesthetics, one person will like the blade to look new. Another will like something different. But it is fine to seal the handle if you want that look and if you can get used to, or do like how the handle feels with sealant on it. I know a few people who do seal their handles and like how that feels.

Personally, I do like the way my handle looks. But it does not look how it did when it was new.

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Still, to many people that would look terrible and they would rather have it look clean and pristine. I think that is totally good. So that is just about personal choices.

Looks great to me 😁

Your setup makes me miss my V+... I played it so much the sweet spot on my fh got damaged and splintered when I tried to change out rubbers... I guess that's kind of something to be proud of? 🥲

 

[z0uLess]

This is quite anecdotal, but I tried ordering an identical blade to my main blade so I had a backup just in case, but I ordered from a different store that had their own exclusive sealant (contra.de instead of spinfactory.de). De blade weight is almost identical, but the feel and speed of the blade is very different. The only difference between the two are the sealant, but I suppose that the glue method can make this difference.

 

[Dominikk85]

Also sealing is not always the same. Some put on some stuff, let in soak in for a minute and then wipe of the excess so that it basically just fills the holes between the fibres. Others put on 3 thick layers of lacquer.

 

[banbekas]

Fully agree. The change in playing characteristics of the blade is minimal. The blade may even feel better after the sealant is added depending on who is doing the feeling.

Also agree. I want my handle to look good. For one person, the handle will look good if it is sealed, for another, it will look good if it is old, beat up and sweat stained. But, for sure, that, the water damage to the handle will also affect the life of the blade. So, from the perspective of the life of the blade and the water damage, sealing will help. From the perspective of aesthetics, one person will like the blade to look new. Another will like something different. But it is fine to seal the handle if you want that look and if you can get used to, or do like how the handle feels with sealant on it. I know a few people who do seal their handles and like how that feels.

Personally, I do like the way my handle looks. But it does not look how it did when it was new.

View attachment 31906

View attachment 31907

View attachment 31908

Still, to many people that would look terrible and they would rather have it look clean and pristine. I think that is totally good. So that is just about personal choices.

Man, your blade is gorgeous. I'd like to get one.