Question about sealing

[Michael Zhuang]

How much does sealing a blade alter its playing characteristics.

I took out a blade that I recently sealed to play with the past 2 days, and I noticed it is really stiff. Compared to my other blades, there is very little spin, very little arc, and the blade is very direct. I can't remember if it was always like that even before I sealed it.

I put 2 layers of wood stain seal, then 2 layers of Minwax Polyutherane. How much would that change the playing characteristics?

 

[Michael Zhuang]

 

[Michael Zhuang]

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/71...424bdde.999876c15e060ab38f55dce2a9b44295.jpeg

https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/20faea58-2fd0-4cac-acb0-0179d14ae600_1.08dfaff21cb98d8f1f3c3c3fbc0f4e55.jpeg?odnHeight=612&odnWidth=612&odnBg=FFFFFF

 

[Lazer]

If you don’t overdo it it doesn’t affect much, I currently use one layer of regular varnish very like the ones you used. Four layers sound a bit much to me…

Cheers
L-zr

 

[lodro]

4 layers is completely over the top.................
I use 1 layer of thinned down water-based polyurethane

 

[Michael Zhuang]

So do you think it altered the stiffness?

 

[yoass]

So do you think it altered the stiffness?

Probably, yes. The good news is that you can sand it down, leaving a very smooth but still saturated surface that won’t be prone to splintering.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

Sand it down with sandpaper?

I'm not sure how well that will work. The surface seems pretty hard and dense...

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

With a TT blade, if you want to seal the blade, and you want to maintain the blade's playing characteristics, you are only supposed to put the thinnest of layers on the wood. It should be sooooo thin that it is barely noticeable.

If you put more than a very thin layer of sealant on, of course it will change the playing characteristics. 2 layers is 2x too many. 1 normal layer is still too much. It should be one very think layer.

A lot of this is common sense though. If you have a 5.6mm blade and then there is 1mm of sealant on top of the blade (0.5mm on each side), what do you think that will do?

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

I put 2 layers of wood stain seal, then 2 layers of Minwax Polyutherane. How much would that change the playing characteristics?

You say you put 2 layers of "wood stain seal" on the blade. What is this that you referring to? Is this just a stain, or is it both a stain and a sealant? Can you give the name of the specific product so we can see if it is just a product to color the wood or, if it adds any solid substance to the blade face.

Also, if the blade face is going to be covered with rubbers so you can't see it, why would you put a stain on the wood which makes the wood grain stand out and makes it look pretty if you are looking at the wood? Is there any reason to color the wood that will be covered by rubber?

You also say you put two layers of Minwax Polyurethane on the blade. Unless that is Minwax Wipe-On Poly, in my opinion, that is too thick and should be thinned 50% with a thinner/solvent like mineral spirits. So, one coat would likely be too thick even if you tried to put a thin layer on. If you put 2 thick layers on each side than that is about 4x too thick without whatever you are calling "wood stain seal". If you what you what you are calling the "wood stain seal" has any substance to it like the Polyurethane, than, it is likely 6x too thick at minimum and if you put 4 thick layers on, then it may actually be 16x too thick.

 

[yoass]

Sand it down with sandpaper?

I'm not sure how well that will work. The surface seems pretty hard and dense...

Zeal and patience, my friend.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Probably, yes. The good news is that you can sand it down, leaving a very smooth but still saturated surface that won’t be prone to splintering.

Sand it down with sandpaper?

I'm not sure how well that will work. The surface seems pretty hard and dense...

Zeal and patience, my friend.

Based on how much sealant it sounds like you used, I might use solvent and try to remove the sealant instead. If you do that, you will probably still leave a bit more sealant than you want on the blade face.

Or, when you are an EJ and you have ruined a blade with zeal, you can just buy a new one.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Now I see that in post #2 you tried to post photos of 1) Minwax Wood Finish "Penetrates, Stains, Seals" and 2) Minwax Polyurethane Clear Satin.

The photos did not post because you did not click the button that actually adds the photo to the post. But they come up if you try and reply to them. I don't think they will come up when I click to post this. But I can see the photos now. So, I am not sure they will show up when I post. But, lets see.

BTW: The Wood Finish product looks like an oil based stain. That will add weight to your blade. But it is not like adding a coat or two of Poly to the blade face. So, only 8x too much sealant rather than 16x too much. But, you had no need to add the stain to the blade.

 

[Michael Zhuang]

The specific sealant are the 2 images i posted in #3.

The wood finish says penetrate, stain, and seal. So i assume it has some sealing qualities.

I put the wood finish because the surface had splintered quite a lot, so i thought that the penetration might help to restore the wood a little.

I originally planned on just 2 layers of the wood finish. But people in another thread said that wood stain has zero sealing qualities, so thats why i pit 2 layers of polyurethane over the wood stain.

I read some articles online that recommended 2 layers.

At first i thought the blade was playing well on drives. But after looping, i noticed my shots being oddly straight.

 

[UpSideDownCarl]

Lets see if I can add your images this time while quoting that post where you tried but failed to post the images of the products you used:

I would ditch both of these and get Minwax Wipe-On Poly and use a cloth to apply a VERY VERY VERY thin coat of that. That is a Polyurethane that has been thinned so it is perfect for sealing a blade.

 

[Lazer]

So do you think it altered the stiffness?

Not stiffness but the hardness may have changed a bit.
Do NOT try to use a resolvent like Carl says, it may turn into a mushy mess, sticky and yucky.
I would do like Yoass suggest and sand it. Be careful that You don't reach the wood though.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[Michael Zhuang]

Not stiffness but the hardness may have changed a bit.
Do NOT try to use a resolvent like Carl says, it may turn into a mushy mess, sticky and yucky.
I would do like Yoass suggest and sand it. Be careful that You don't reach the wood though.

Cheers
L-zr

But its not just the surface hardness, clearly the stiffness is very stiff. The blade wont bend and it sends the ball flying.

Can i just sand it with sandpaper on in my hand? Or do i need some kind of tool?

 

[Lazer]

That can not be due to the laquer. It could make the vibrations a little duller but You wouldn't notice much stiffness change.
Use a sanding block, Thats a block made of cork that You wrap the sand paper around.

Cheers
L-zr

 

[lodro]

Michael,you might recall that I once suggested , when a new blade arrives from China, that you should use a metal straight edge and check if the blade is bent or warped or both.
Now this becomes very important because if the blade is bent or warped you can make a big mess with the sand paper whether you are using
a sanding block or not. Using a block, there will be a tendency of taking the edges down on the "concave side" and sanding a hole into the middle
of the convex side.
If the blade is perfectly flat (yeah right 😁) one can use a sanding block that covers the whole widths of a blade, if not, very very careful work is needed with a block. Do NOT round the edges !!!!

If you find the blade badly,
shall we say "unflat" , getting rid of the varnish with solvent might be the better bet.

 

[Lazer]

If You find it "badly unflat" retire it...

Cheers
L-zr