Blade sealing/varnishing question

ProgramCrazy said:

When you used the Joola Varnish, did you spread it over the entire blade face to become wet (Like how this guy did in his thumbnail)? Or did you just dip the brush in once or twice and just spread it over the blade face?

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Neither, I put a few drops on a piece of sponge, the same for spreading water based glue, then spread it on the blade. Sometimes I also just put the drops on the blade then spread it like it's glue. I use sponges because it absorbs the excess varnish, but not too much like paper towels.

hipnotic said:

It's called raising the grain and it's a common wood working practice, not just in blade building. If this were done before, he could have applied any kind of finishing without any problems. The point is that, those fibers that were raised, were already loose, so you really want to get rid of them. In this specific case, if he had used a poly finish he wouldn't have had any raised fibers, but the first time he used a water based glue they would all come attached to the rubber, or worse. Unless he used a considerable amount of sealer, but in that case he would have changed the properties of the blade. People really overestimate the amount of effort it takes to sand through a top ply...

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I've purchased about 8 or 9 different blades in the last 6 months or so (various brand and top ply materials) and have sealed every one of them with Minwax polyurethane. Almost every single one of them have had their rubbers removed and different ones applied on several occasions as I like to test out different blade/rubber combos. All this while only using WBG. Not only have I never had to sand any of them after sealing them, I've never had any of them splinter when removing the rubbers. Every single one of my blades still look brand new and have never seen sandpaper. One or two very thin layers of polyurethane while immediately wiping away any excess with a paper towel. Zero sandpaper needed. Playability has been affected 0%.
You guys can stick with your water based varnishes if you feel the need. Just don't forget to visit the sandpaper aisle when you buy your next can!

JRW911 said:

I've purchased about 8 or 9 different blades in the last 6 months or so (various brand and top ply materials) and have sealed every one of them with Minwax polyurethane. Almost every single one of them have had their rubbers removed and different ones applied on several occasions as I like to test out different blade/rubber combos. All this while only using WBG. Not only have I never had to sand any of them after sealing them, I've never had any of them splinter when removing the rubbers. Every single one of my blades still look brand new and have never seen sandpaper. One or two very thin layers of polyurethane while immediately wiping away any excess with a paper towel. Zero sandpaper needed. Playability has been affected 0%.
You guys can stick with your water based varnishes if you feel the need. Just don't forget to visit the sandpaper aisle when you buy your next can!

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fair enough.
But this is not a post and discussion about glues and varnishes and their chemical components, this is about a single incident where things have gone wrong. And i think it is a matter of the kind of wood that is being used.

JRW911 said:

I've purchased about 8 or 9 different blades in the last 6 months or so (various brand and top ply materials) and have sealed every one of them with Minwax polyurethane. Almost every single one of them have had their rubbers removed and different ones applied on several occasions as I like to test out different blade/rubber combos. All this while only using WBG. Not only have I never had to sand any of them after sealing them, I've never had any of them splinter when removing the rubbers. Every single one of my blades still look brand new and have never seen sandpaper. One or two very thin layers of polyurethane while immediately wiping away any excess with a paper towel. Zero sandpaper needed. Playability has been affected 0%.
You guys can stick with your water based varnishes if you feel the need. Just don't forget to visit the sandpaper aisle when you buy your next can!

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What you failed to realize was that I was talking about this specific case, and how this top layer reacted to being exposed to water, the sealer is irrelevant.

Congrats on your 8 or 9 blades, I have made and sealed over 450 blades.

Way Zooted said:

My preference is spray lacquer. I prefer Deft satin but Watco or Minwax satin/matte also works. I use a sponge for the edges and only 1-3 very light coats on the face. Sanding sealers are also good.

Also, something I didn't know until recently is there are different sandpaper grit grading systems around the world. CAMI (N America) and FEPA (Europe) are the two most common.

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Nice chart, looks like the sandpaper I bought were all FEPA standard since they all got the P in front of the number, but they're dirt cheap on amazon and works pretty well, so I can't complain.

PingBirdPong said:

About varnishing…
I see my equipment retailer use water based varnish(DHS specifically), but they brush it on the blade lightly with the original brush, but immediately wipe most of it off with a paper towel. The amount that soaks into the wood is enough to seal the blade, and need no sanding.

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Yeah, I don’t sand after sealing the surface either, I only polish the edge after sealing to make sure the edge tape don’t pull off splinters. I don’t wipe with paper towel however since I use a foam brush to apply the varnish, and the layer is so thin it’s already dry on the first side when I finish applying it on the other side lol