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Sealing first turned bowls

B

Barry Holman

Joined
Nov 14, 2021
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Ruckersville, VA
I have been sealing the full inside and outside with Pva glue. I know it’s not necessary so I would like to know what I really need to do. Do I just seal the end grain on the outside of bowl and not put any seal in the inside?
 
If you want to use a sealer, yes the inside end grain needs to be sealed. PVA glue is a good choice, as is PVA based primer, usually a bit cheaper.

I prefer using paper bags. It’s a lot less time and mess, and the bags can be reused many times
 
Okay, so, are these twice turned bowl blanks and you have removed most of the bulk? There are hosts of sealers out there for rough turned bowl blanks. PVA glue actually works really well since it breathes, and water can escape. If you are twice turning your bowls, do make sure to round over the rim, both inside and outside since a sharp edge can cut you, and a sharp rim is far more likely to crack since there are limits to how tall of a bowl you can make. You want even wall thickness, but when you come to the rim, there is no more wall, and rounding over the rim eases the stress that a sharp edge makes. Outside end grain especially needs to be sealed, and inside grain doesn't hurt to seal that either.

robo hippy
 
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