The problem description was clear enough. Smith chose to obfuscate the issue with a chemistry lecture. He says the bottom line is that oils from the wood occur as small amounts of molecules dissolved in the cured CPES and not as a bondbreaking film on the surface. I wish he would have just said so and moved on. Am convinced that CPES could work for us as a sealer coat. Will report back after some test panels.

: If the debate is over the use of the work emulsion, I can understand that
: there might be some narrowly focused, and off-track comments.

: Regardless of whether the solvents form an emulsion OR a solution with the
: oils and/or natural resins in the wood, when the solvents evaporate
: anything dissolved in them will precipitate. You get precipitates in
: emulsions, too.

: To avoid jargon hangups, you might just call the stuff "the goo left
: behind", or some similar phrase.

: "Goo" seems to be a nice general term that covers many
: possibilities.

: If this was an election year I could swear the politicians were out there
: caucussing -- or doing some other type of cussing. Translated, my take on
: the discussion is: It appears that the residue is not an emulsion, but the
: by-product of evaporation of solvents.

: I'm not so concerned with the exact geneology of how "the goo left
: behind" was created as I am with wondering if it will cause problems.
: Apparently it won't cause problems, and you can remove it with dry
: abrasion if you want, or leave it alone.

: So the next paddle you make let it sit a bit longer, and if it develops a
: slimy feel on the first use, no need to resume the DIS cussion, just get
: with a short burst of cussin' and wash any slime off -- and then use the
: paddle peacefully for the rest of its natural life.

: PGJ