A Better Way To Apply Anchorseal

[123maxbars]

After years of using a brush and a few phone calls with @YellowHammer I am here to say that I have kicked the habit and moved up to the sprayer! ;D I got the back pack sprayer that UC coatings has per Robert's recommendations and after using it for the first time I will never go back to the brush again. Fast, easy to use and the  clean up is easy (there is no clean up). I made a video on the topic, The sprayer makes its debut at about the 6min 30sec mark of the video.  I mention in the video that I use 1/2 gallon for the 2gallon of anchor but after spraying and talking to Robert again I added another 1/2 gallon. The tank holds 4 gallons but 3 is about all I want to carry around with me and is more than enough to spray a couple dozen logs. It was around 200$ and worth every penny. 

I Spent 200$ To Save Thousands At My Sawmill, A Must See For Sawyers - YouTube

 

[YellowHammer]

Nice.  It was spraying good near the end, a lot faster than a paintbrush.  

[Walnut Beast]

Nice video 👍

[WDH]

I have a 3 gallon Solo backpack sprayer.  Wonder if that will work?

[123maxbars]

I have a 3 gallon Solo backpack sprayer.  Wonder if that will work

Not sure Danny, maybe @YellowHammer will give his opinion. 

[YellowHammer]

There only one way to find out.  Even though the anchor seal is diluted it's like spraying a thin latex paint.  When it's about right, like near the end of the video, (I believe Nathan was making water adjustments as he went) the stuff will spray very fast and without cleanup.  

I tried a Tractor Supply backpack sprayer, and it wouldn't build up enough pressure to atomize the mix.  It's tip was also too small, and I popped the sprayer mechanism and broke it in short order.  

The Solo sprayer should work if it can handle the pressure and have a large enough tip.  If it just spurts out the tip in a non atomized stream, it's no bueno.  

When I'm spraying, I basically pump with my left arm semi continuously while spraying with my right and can spray a whole pack of lumber in the time Martha drives the previous one to the drying shed.  So a couple minutes per pack when dialed in.  Or from an hour painting log ends to 5 or 10 minutes with no bending.  

I just leave the mix in the sprayer week to week, so many times you don't even have to spend time reloading, just pull the sprayer out, strap it on, spray what needs to be sprayed, and stick it back under the workbench.  

[xlogger]

I got a cheap one gallon sprayer from Lowes and it works good. I don't usually get maybe 4-8 larger logs for live edge at a time when I go pick up them so I don't do as many as some of you guys do at a time. Sometimes I do have to blow out the nozzle. Time to order some more Anchorseal going to find the old post from Robert that he found a good substitute, how is that working Robert? 

[samandothers]

Happy Birthday Nathan!

Nice video.  Looks like there was a need to keep pressure up pretty good to spray a good pattern. Did go much faster than a brush!

[scsmith42]

I have a 3 gallon Solo backpack sprayer.  Wonder if that will work?

You have to change out the nozzle tip for a larger one.
The sprayer that US Coatings sells is basically a standard one with a larger nozzle tip.

[doc henderson]

I tried a pump up sprayer.  i even got a tip variety pack that included a fan tip.  it worked ok, but not enough flow.  I got the cheap airless sprayer from HF, and it works great unless the screen on the dip tube clogs up.  i have had to clean it a few times but not the machine.  it sprays fast and is fun to use if you have electricity, and do a fair number.  i think that sprayer was about 150 bucks.                                            


 

[Walnut Beast]

Nice Doc 👍

[boonesyard]

So do you guys not even clean the hose and tip after you're done spraying? You can leave it sit for a month with product in it?

[YellowHammer]

Nope never empty or otherwise clean it. Just put it under the workbench ready for the next spraying.  The second pic is a closeup of the tip.


 

[DR Buck]

I have a 3 gallon Solo backpack sprayer.  Wonder if that will work?

You have to change out the nozzle tip for a larger one.
The sprayer that US Coatings sells is basically a standard one with a larger nozzle tip.

Definitely need a different tip.   I bought the UC coating offered sprayer many years ago and before I did I spoke with them at the Richmond Expo about it and they emphasized the larger nozzle size.  Its also made from brass, not plastic or nylon like the regular ones are in some sprayers.  
What I haven't tried and I mad do this year is instead of water I want to use window washer fluid to see if it keeps from freezing and still works.

[doc henderson]

when I rolled it on, I would clean cut the end with a chainsaw.  nice and straight when suspended off the ground with forks on the skid loader.  then I would roll it with a 3/8th nap roller.  I wasted so much as the roller held some.  the pan held some.  and if you got in a hurry, you would get a pool in front of the roller and it would run on the ground.  a brush is slow, and tended to be too thin so you needed to re apply.  the spryer is the best I have found.  if you cleaned it, you would be wasting a fair amount.  Mine had antifreeze and blue color from UC coating.  My current is the ancorseal 2.  with the pressure up, I do not thin the product.  my hand moves fast and steady.  only worth it if you are doing a ton of logs.  the sprayer comes with a 25 foot hose, and it uses 110V.

[Walnut Beast]

Yellowhammer if you can leave it in the sprayer I'm in. Docs having good results with a cheap airless that makes me think a Graco battery cordless sprayer. It only holds a quart cup but that would work great with a bigger tip size. They can spray the thickest latexes no problem 

[wesdor]

Great video - Our woodturning club buys Anchor Seal in the 55 Gal drum and sells it to members for $20 / Gallon.  We have always used a brush or roller to apply but as you imply, this is a game changer - quicker and less waste.  We need to head this direction.

In the video you mention another supplier (I was given a caution regarding the name).  When I checked out their website I found the Chapin 90 PSI Model #61500 (hand pump) for $53 but also found a 24 volt Chapin Model #63924 for $160.    It looks like they have a much better price for the pump sprayer.  Can anyone comment on the effectiveness of the battery powered?  

A reminder, Anchor Seal should not go much below 50 degrees F.  For sure if it freezes you have lost it.

[YellowHammer]

Yellowhammer if you can leave it in the sprayer I'm in. Docs having good results with a cheap airless that makes me think a Graco battery cordless sprayer. It only holds a quart cup but that would work great with a bigger tip size. They can spray the thickest latexes no problem

I think if you can spray close to power, a pump like @doc henderson  that draws from a 5 gallon bucket would be nice, but my log yard is a hundred yards from power.  I also spray other places where I have no power and is too far for a hose.  A backpack works nice for my application.

I've got a one quart corded Graco hand sprayer that I bought just for this, and its sitting in the cabinet because I never use it anymore.  It's too much trouble because when I spray, I normally go through a gallon or three.  Refilling several times a session was horrible mess.  I get about a thousand bdft per gallon of spray.

I looked at the Chapin battery sprayer, it might be nice, and I may upgrade to it when my current hand pump backpack dies, but I don't see it happening anytime soon.  When you look at the picture, how often does it look like it's been cleaned. :D :D


  

[scsmith42]

So do you guys not even clean the hose and tip after you're done spraying? You can leave it sit for a month with product in it?

I've been leaving it in the sprayer going on 8 -10 years w/o problems. The only thing I have to do is clean the brass nozzle under hot water And then blow with compressed air when I go to use it.

[scsmith42]

A reminder, Anchor Seal should not go much below 50 degrees F.  For sure if it freezes you have lost it.

US Coatings sells a winter formula that is good year round. I started buying it by the drum about ten years back and it's all that I buy. It does not go bad if it freezes.

[YellowHammer]

Here is my Yellowhammerism thoughts on spraying sealant:  
"Spraying sealant is simply pasting dollars bills on the ends of lumber, but doesn't add a penny to its value, just keeps from losing it."

Not only that, but in the kiln, those exact same dollar bills just evaporate into the air and out the vents and disappear.

Its money spent simply for lumber to hold is value, not lose it, and if the amount used could be minimized using efficient application or production techniques, then that is a direct savings.  A sprayer of any kind is much more efficient than a brush, and saves 10X the time.  I can also easily adjust how much I put on based on the species, its tendency to cracking, and its value.  I'm never going to spray as much on a 50 cent poplar log as I would on a $4 walnut log.  Some wood I won't put a drop on.  If I can save money by doing nothing, then I like it. 

In my experience, the most effective time to apply sealant as as soon as a log or green lumber is bucked, within minutes, when there is still moisture in the ends of the fibers.  The water based sealant mixes with the water in the green wood on the end of the log or lumber and makes an excellent seal.  If cracks are allowed to start before sealing, then these are hard to stop no matter how much is applied, or enough must be applied to create a bridge across the crack.  Typically, I apply sealant within minutes of cutting, when I put the chainsaw own, I pick up the backpack sprayer and spray the wood.  

As Nathan said in the the video, I like to cut mine by about a third or more to lower the viscosity, but not only just to get a better spray pattern, but to get a better application accuracy.  I've been spraying with a thinner mix for years, there's nothing wrong with it, because I can still end up putting as much on as is needed, but only as much as needed.  I am convinced that putting on so much that the end of the log looks like a wax candle is a waste of money.  Basically, if you put enough on the log to coat it properly and soak in, anything left hanging on the log isn't doing anything, just glueing dollar bills to the end of the log for no reason.  

As a test, just spray a previously sprayed log or board and if it was done correctly, the new spray will immediately bead up and run down the log, like rain on a freshly waxed car.  For me it's a case of use enough, but there is no reason to over use it.  Instead of two thick coats when only one 50% cut coat was only needed, then I save 75% of my money, which equates to significant money over the year.

How do I know if I've sprayed enough on?  Did the lumber crack or get degraded?  If not, good enough.

[scsmith42]

Here is my Yellowhammerism thoughts on spraying sealant:  
"Spraying sealant is simply pasting dollars bills on the ends of lumber, but doesn't add a penny to its value, just keeps from losing it."

Yup.
It's really quite simple.  If you lose 6" from each end of a 10' long board due to end checks, you've just lost 10% of your gross product.  That's product that you incurred costs for milling and drying too.
Several years back I walked into my inventory room to find my employees cutting 12" off of the ends of several hundred board feet of 13' long, 10" - 16" wide 5/4 quartersawn oak boards. It seems that they wanted to stand them up in the vertical racks instead of leaving them horizontal in the pallet racks.  It never dawned on them the financial losses that they were creating.
There was $500.00 of good lumber turned into scrap 1' long pieces laying on the floor, and I walked in when they had only trimmed a small portion of the lumber that they were putting into inventory.
Ouch....  
If you sell $100K worth of hardwood lumber per year, and have to write off 10% of it for end checking, that's a 10K loss. You can buy and apply a lot of anchorseal for $10K.

[Walnut Beast]

A reminder, Anchor Seal should not go much below 50 degrees F.  For sure if it freezes you have lost it.

US Coatings sells a winter formula that is good year round. I started buying it by the drum about ten years back and it's all that I buy. It does not go bad if it freezes.

Thanks for pointing that out Scsmith42. I talked to them today and they have two types basically ones solvent based and some states don't allow that. I asked if you could use all year around without any affects and he said absolutely it's fine. You know they sell 270 gallon containers 😂. I asked if the  cordless sprayer was any different except for the brass fittings and he said it was more industrial model than one from farm supply. So I'm probably going to get the cordless with the stuff that doesn't freeze. He did say the cordless sprayed a little better than the hand pump unit due to constant pressure. More uniform pattern. I was asking about some log savers to. The larger hammer takes the log savers and flitches also

[doc henderson]

I think that anchorseal (original) is petroleum based, more expensive, and they will add antifreeze if you want, as well as color.  anchorseal II is bulked up with plant based additives.  I think if it freezes the wax emulsion separates.  I guess when I buy more, I will have to double check.  I would hate for you to buy 270 gallon tote, and have it freeze and be ruined.  they may have been referring to application temp.  not sure.

[scsmith42]

Doc, you are correct re the differences in formula between Anchorseal Classic and Anchorseal 2, but it is my understanding that if the Classic formula freezes it will go bad.

I recall being told that they addd some methanol to the Classic formula to create the winter version.