In message , Jack Stein
writes
Gerald Ross wrote:

Being in the UK, I am wondering if paraffin would do a useful job.
Have you tried kerosene?

I assume you are referring to paraffin wax or candle wax.

I used to use an old hand held electric clothes iron to melt paraffin
wax into the end grain. This stops the rapid, uneven drying that
causes cracks in wet wood drying. Also be sure the pith is removed. I
never used any commercial products like anchor seal that everyone seems
like, but wax always worked well for me.

I too like Wax, it has worked for everything I have sealed. The only
wood I had problems with was the ones I used a commercial sealer !

One way to melt the wax is to use an electric deep-fat fryer, they will
handle decent size pieces depending on shape, just remember to turn it
off when the wax is molten, its normal temperature is a little high. If
you plan on sealing a lot of wood, and I mean a lot you can buy wax
pellets in bulk at very reasonable prices. Besides if you get bored
turning candlesticks, you can make your own candles

Another trick is to add colouring to the was to colour code your wood. I
usually dip the wood for a few seconds for any moisture to fizz away,
which seems to give a better adherence to the wood
--
John