ayc does absorb water, not a lot, but some. i've soaked unsealed ayc plug blanks in my saltwater tank for a couple of hours and they each gained about .2 oz. i like the val-oil cut with pure turps.

the problem I have with that turps stuff is, that fish have a great sense of smell and I have let the blanks dry for weeks and the turps smell is still there , I have plugs from last lear that still smell, so if a bass gets a wiff of it they might be turned off by the smell :huh: that's my thinking anyway. Maybe I didn't let them dry in a warm enough area, guess I should have left them out in the sun on a hot day or something.

imo if you don't let the sealer mix dry long enough it will smell, but after a few dunkings it'll wash away. i used to wait two days before painting now i wait one week in a climate controlled room, heater and dehumidifier. works well for me. sometimes i'm impatient and rush a proto and it will reak, after a test session smell will be vitually gone.

All good stuff, thanks everyone.:kewl:

Excellent experiment, Very good work DJ.

Another option would be to add the dye to the combinations befor the experiment to see which sealer actually penitrated better. Got to admit the suspense was great!

Good Stuff DJ
 

http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547...40.html#000000
http://www.stripersonline.com/ubb547...64.html#000000

Couple links to a test with linsy/minpirits vs Thompsons..
By H'Islander.. :kewl:
more good info...

Slip, I use the turps as a thinner... I let my plugs sit and air out for 7 days, heated room, but I do a looooong dip as well, not just a minute or two.
I then put my weights in, sand off excess epoxy... they usually have almost all the stink off by then, but, before I go to primer, I dip them for a spell in thinned out ZipGuard Exterior/Marine Urethane, let them drip, wipe just he excess.. then let them sit another day or two.
they dry HARD.. give them a quick sand and prime... then U killed me more time when you told me to let the primer sit for a week ;)... takes a freakin month to get them thru seal,prime, paint,clear.... but I'm happy with end result, and No Stink.

maybe my turpitine was no good or old or something
it'll wear off I guess

Karl thats good info too.

Sorry ,, not to be a PIA,, how about a 24hrs. submersed test ? I'll go fly a kite if you want ..

big diff if your oil and wood are warm compaired to cold oil and wood.
cold epoxy doesn't flow, cold oil won't sink in either.

read his first post again
it's there

diggin jiggin,:kewl: thanks for the great post

should be more specific,,, val oil/ turps ,,50/50..24 hrs. . not straight up ..

thanks CS ,,now i gotta keep my wood and my oil up in the kitchen .. she's gonna toss me ..

Taggers right, the only one that was 24 hrs was the straight val oil. I thought 24 would be way too long for the thin stuff.

Maybe Capesam was onto something with the temperature too as it is cold in my garage where I did all the sealing (40 or so at night), and the turp stuff smelled so bad I did not bring them into the warmer part of the basement near the furnace for a couple of days. I wish I'd done just a piece of unsealed wood too, to have it to compare too the others to see how much it absorbed and too see the difference sealing it made.

I've still got the stuff, I could do another test. I think i've got some 5/4 pine left over from a xmas project... If I do another test on a softer wood do you think that would be a more valid test. how long should i let em soak...what do you want to see ?

Great test
Is the best way to quantify water absorbtion visual or by weight?
I have been thinking about trying this but don't have all the different sealers.
Use a very accurate scale. Might have to borrow one from a science teacher or your neighborhood drug dealer:hang:
Each block would start off at the same weight.
One block would have no treatment as a control
Each block would be sealed with a different method
Each block should have a thru hole and a perpendicular hole so they are similar to actual conditions
After sealing prime and paint?
Immerse in water for some amount of time to simulate actual conditions and then let air dry till free water is gone.
Weigh and compare.
I believe different woods have vastly different rates of absorbtion and this makes a large difference in how the wood acts upon exposure to water.