Wood Stain is not a sealant. A sealant is something that makes the wood protected from WATER. Stain just colors the wood.
Sealant should make the wood water proof. So if you spilled water on a blade that had been properly sealed, the water would never touch the wood; it would only touch the sealant.
Varnish....Laquer....different versions of clear or semiclear substances you can apply to wood as a protective coating....I would not worry what version. If it can seal the blade and protect the wood from water, that is what you are looking for.
I like polyurethane sealants because you can use a very thin layer that you will not feel and that will not change the playing characteristics of the blade that will still protect the blade from water damage.
What is the purpose of making the blade water proof? Water doesnt typically land onto the blade surface.
My main goal is that I noticed some of my blades splintering when I peel off rubber. I want to protect the surface from splintering.
Water actually land on the blade surface all the time, remember that VOC free glue is water based, and the sweat from your hand will be in contact with the handle.
If your main goal is to prevent splinters, then mostly any sealant will work, Joola, DHS, Revolution, and most name brands have a sealant product available. I personally use Joola varnish, but I also heard the Minwax is a good choice, I think UpSideDownCarl might be using this since he said he likes polyurethane based sealant.
Since my Joola varnish is about to run out, I'm tempted to try a polyurethane sealant, which one are you using? I see Minwax has two wipe on style sealant, one of which is water based like Joola varnish.
https://www.minwax.com/wood-products/clear-protective-finishes/wipe-ons/minwax-wipe-on-poly
https://www.minwax.com/wood-product...shes/wipe-ons/minwax-water-based-wipe-on-poly
After searching a bit more, it looks like there's actually 4 wipe-on style ones, since they have gloss and satin finishes for either type (oil based vs. water based).
I actually put a layer of Minwax Wood Stain on the blade already, thinking it would provide some protection. Does the Wood Stain not provide any protection at all? I was planning on then adding a layer of polyutherane on top of the Wood Stain.
Is there anything I can use to cause the already splintering sections to stick to the blade and not get worse?
I'm under the impression that wood stain only color the wood. It's like the base coat for car paint, base coat provides the color, clear coat protect the base coat color.
As for making the splinters stick back to the blade surface, applying some varnish or other sealant might help, since it sticks to the wood quite well, might act as a glue of some sort.
Modern glues are water based since the oil (voc) based glues have been banned. I can't confirm that but players are reporting that bats get heavier after several glueings because they soak water from the glue
That's natural, If the wood is naked it will also change density according to climate.
I like the old fashioned oil based sealants. Why put water on the blade when you are trying to protect the wood from water.
Can you post a photo of the part of your blade that you are talking about. Trying to give advice on this is not that different than trying to give advice on anything when you CANNOT SEE THE ACTUAL ISSUE.
You also may need to glue and CLAMP the area that needs to adhere to the blade.
If You already suffered from splintering and it is small You can use several layers of laquer to fix this.Can you post a photo of the part of your blade that you are talking about. Trying to give advice on this is not that different than trying to give advice on anything when you CANNOT SEE THE ACTUAL ISSUE.
But one thing is for sure, SEALANT WILL NOT GLUE SPLINTERING PIECES OF WOOD BACK ONTO THE BLADE FACE. However, wood glue might.
Most of the stuff being asked in this thread are common sense wood working issues. You could find someone who is a carpenter and ask him all the questions you wanted in person. Someone who knows wood working would know the answers to the issues and questions in this thread.
