Sealing Stone

["lmhtwb" <lmhtwb@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Before I ask my question, I apologize for being lazy and not reading thru
all the archives to find the answer, if it's there.  (My excuse is 5 days
until show time, and 10 sculptures left to mount!)

The question is:  do indoor sculptures have to be sealed?  Or,
alternatively, what is the purpose of a sealer as opposed to a polish?  And
of course, the follow-up, what kind of sealer do you use on translucent
white alabaster?

See, for the last several years, I have followed Liebson's method of
finishing/polishing sculptures -- namely, sand smooth, then wax.  Last
weekend I had the opportunity to talk to another stone sculptor who said I
was an ignorant fool for not sealing the stone.  (He really had a major
attitude problem!)  He said I should put 2-3 coats of Watco woodsealer on
the pieces and then maybe, if I insisted, wax, although he warned me that
"all waxes yellow and degrade in a couple of years".

I'm not sure I trust the guy because of his attitude.  Now, Watco will
yellow maple, so I assume it will also yellow any white stone.  Not good
when dealing with white alabaster and marble.  While I understand this guy's
concern for greasy finger prints on a sculpture or moisture degrading porous
stones, but several coats of wax will also seal the surface without
yellowing.  (I've used wax only on maple sculptures and they are as shiny
and white as 5 years ago when I finished them, so I know wax works well for
a finish.)  I might consider some of the stone sealers used on walkways
would be beneficial if the sculptures were going outside, but since my
pieces are for indoors, they'll never have to endure rain, snow, or dogs.

So, am I missing something?  Is this extra sealer step really necessary?

Linda,
trying to move up from ignorant fool to basic moron