Can anyone confirm that the wood is unstained/unsealed? Also, can anyone knowledgeable with wood confirm which kind of walnut wood this is? I opened my palm rest today since I was traveling before and I just came here to the discussion page to see absolute chaos. My rest was ordered on the first batch and has some tiny cracks in the edges, as well as unfinished sides.
That said, it is in much better condition than others here and I would like to salvage it. If my suspicion is correct, this is unfinished (unsealed) black walnut which is very porous, which explains why the wood is warping for so many people and the marble tops are cracking because of this. I put it back in the box and plan to seal it ASAP before it starts warping and cracking the marble top. If I'm successful and the sealer prevents warping successfully I will document my work for others that may wish to do the same.
If anyone can collaborate with me it would be of great help not only to myself but the MD community as well. I really like this rest and something as simple as sealing the wood could save so many of these gorgeous rests.
Mario.PaulI put a couple coats of clear polyacrylic on mine and it really makes the colors pop and should provide good protection too. $12 well spent at the hardware store.
Edit: I bought a second one of these second hand and the adhesive from the rubber lifted some of the stain so I can confirm that these are unsealed. I will definitely be sealing my original purchase before putting the feet on.
ChitownM2The polyacrylic was enough to seal it? I didn't have a chance to seal it but it doesn't matter since I had to evacuate. If it survives I'll give it a shot
Mario.PaulNot sure what you mean exactly. Polyacrylic is a clear water based wood finishing product. The other options would be an oil based polyurethane or a shellac but those may yellow it some.
Mario.PaulI actually made my post about polyacrylic in the wrong thread. I applied the finish to my Royal Glam colored wrist rest, not my marble one. I'm still waiting on replacements for my marble one so I'm not going to mess with those.
Whether or not the polyacrylic will be enough to "seal" the wood to prevent the warping, shrinking, etc problems I do not know. My guess is no. Maybe if the entire wood piece were finished prior to adhering to the marble it might work.
That said, it is in much better condition than others here and I would like to salvage it. If my suspicion is correct, this is unfinished (unsealed) black walnut which is very porous, which explains why the wood is warping for so many people and the marble tops are cracking because of this. I put it back in the box and plan to seal it ASAP before it starts warping and cracking the marble top. If I'm successful and the sealer prevents warping successfully I will document my work for others that may wish to do the same.
If anyone can collaborate with me it would be of great help not only to myself but the MD community as well. I really like this rest and something as simple as sealing the wood could save so many of these gorgeous rests.