Sealing staves with glue

[osage outlaw]

I'm trying to find a lower cost option for sealing staves.  I have always used polyurethane and I'm tired of paying $35 for a gallon it.  Tonight I picked up a gallon of TBII wood glue for half the cost of the polyurethane.  I remember someone saying they watered down glue to seal staves.  Does anyone do this or know the ratio of glue to water?  I would like to get it thin enough to paint on with a brush. 

[burchett.donald]

 Been using hairspray for a long time...Comes off with water, never looked back
                                                                                                                          Don

[penderbender]

Been using hairspray for a long time...Comes off with water, never looked back ;)doesn't that defeat the purpose? I have used tight bond 3 to seal the ends of staves I don't usually debark so don't know about that. But it dries clear and gives a good seal. You can water it down too. Don't know exact ratio, I just make it a decent concistany. Cheers- Brendan
                                                                                                                          Don

[Pat B]

Clint, I've gotten staves before that were sealed with wood glue like TB but I don't know how it was mixed. With the paper mache like my wife does she thins the glue pretty thin. I think she just pours water in until it is the consistency she likes. That's how I did it with the figures I did with paper mache.

[BowEd]

Sounds like a good idea watering down the glue to use as a sealer.Should do the job.

[Trapper Rob]

Clint somebody told me they mix it half & half.

[justsomedude]

Titebond is probably overkill and it isn't as easy to clean up as Elmer's glue.

[mikekeswick]

Buy PVA glue that they use in construction as a general purpose sealer/adhesive.
It is cheap as chips and you just mix with water until its the consistency you want. Obviously the thinner you go the less of a good job it does at sealing though. I just use it as is. Very effective stuff.

[chamookman]

Clint - Always used watered down plain Elmers Glue. 50/50 is about right - You can really mop it on with a brush. Bob

[stuckinthemud]

I use PVA without water - I rub it all over the end and the first four inches of the stave with my hand cos I'm too cheap to buy a brush

[Stick Bender]

I have never done it but Elmer's sells a spray adhesive I use for a lot of stuff it sells for cheap around the beginning of the school year pretty easy to clean up

[Dances with squirrels]

I like brush-on shellac because it survives the steam tube intact, but it isn't cheap nowadays.

[osage outlaw]

I've never heard of sealing staves with hairspray.  How good of a job does it do on keeping them from checking on the ends and back?

I'll look into the PVA glue.  What brand name are you guys using?

I go through 3-4 gallons of polyurethane a year so I don't think I want to mess with any small spray bottles of glue. 

[stuckinthemud]

Not any particular brand, just the biggest cheapest bottle of builders general use pva

[LittleBen]

Maybe just try titebond I. It's a lot cheaper than TBIII and for sealing the end of a stave or log should be just fine, never tried it though.