Soaking stakes in creosote

[Grassman]

I soaked some 5 yr old unused stakes in creosote. These were very dry. In the creosote for 3 weeks.
Had a look after and the creosote had hardly soaked in. Did some more for 2 days and there seemed to be similar penetration. Get the feeling it's a waste of time.

 

[Grassman]

These were supposedly tanalised originally. Not as that makes any difference!

 

[exmoor dave]

I soaked some 5 yr old unused stakes in creosote. These were very dry. In the creosote for 3 weeks.
Had a look after and the creosote had hardly soaked in. Did some more for 2 days and there seemed to be similar penetration. Get the feeling it's a waste of time.View attachment 565286 View attachment 565288

I've hot had any luck with tantalised posts no matter how much I dry them out.


Cut and repointed poles & sleepers on the over hand soak creo up by the gallon

 

[kill]

Try mixing waste oil in with the creosote at a 50/50 mix

 

[carbonfibre farmer]

@roscoe erf

 

[roscoe erf]

@roscoe erf

Cheers as said mix 50/50 and leave longer in soak and soak the whole post

 

[Post Driver]

Are they Spruce? Spruce won't penetrate at the best of times, even when under pressure in a clave. That's why they have started to incise spruce machined rounds to create penetration.

I think, but am not 100% that if it gets too dry, then the chemical can't get amongst the cells either.

Try some pine posts and see how you get on then

 

[joe soapy]

Old fashioned creosote used to penetrate like disel, modern stuff dont seem to

 

[milkloss]

Proper chestnut posts are cut in the winter, pointed and then straight into a hot tar tank a few inches deeper than the post is to go in the ground. Cover the tops with a few sheets of tin and cook them for a few days. As the moisture is cooked out the top of the post it draws the creosote up the grain.

You are expecting the creosote to cross the grain into the post. It's not going to happen.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I mix creosote diesel and waste oil in a 3 way mix.....around 25 posts in a drum will drink over 25 litres between each changing

 

[Grassman]

I mix creosote diesel and waste oil in a 3 way mix.....around 25 posts in a drum will drink over 25 litres between each changing

I will try mixing it.
The creosote just looks too thick. Not what I was expecting.

 

[JD-Kid]

depends on the posts some there is no way they will take up any treatments
by the time yer buy the posts pi55 about dipping them etc etc be cheeper to by galv Y posts

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I will try mixing it.
The creosote just looks too thick. Not what I was expecting.

I buy my posts two years in advance...put them in the shed to season, then they get thirsty

 

[Grassman]

depends on the posts some there is no way they will take up any treatments
by the time yer buy the posts pi55 about dipping them etc etc be cheeper to by galv Y posts

Yes I agree. I hadn't intended to be pratting about like this. This timber is a few years old when the treatment was poor so I didn't want to use the stakes without doing something!

 

[Grassman]

depends on the posts some there is no way they will take up any treatments
by the time yer buy the posts pi55 about dipping them etc etc be cheeper to by galv Y posts

Is that similar to clipex?

 

[Yale]

Just buy properly treated ones.

According to past threads a post will soak up about a litre,about a pound in money.

Buy a dearer post and save your time.

 

[RagnarHairybreeks]

I've used air drying phenolic resin on external wood before (we sell it as an industrial engineering sealant for coatings so sometimes I get an out of date batch). Very thin stuff, just brush it on and it sucks into the wood and hardens to resin in about an hour. Never had anything rot, even using softwoods and cheap plywood.

Just a thought (and the stuff is not expensive and goes a long way.)

 

[Grassman]

I've used air drying phenolic resin on external wood before (we sell it as an industrial engineering sealant for coatings so sometimes I get an out of date batch). Very thin stuff, just brush it on and it sucks into the wood and hardens to resin in about an hour. Never had anything rot, even using softwoods and cheap plywood.

Just a thought (and the stuff is not expensive and goes a long way.)

Interesting. Have you a link?

 

[Grassman]

Just buy properly treated ones.

According to past threads a post will soak up about a litre,about a pound in money.

Buy a dearer post and save your time.

I thought I was buying properly treated ones at the time! We were all conned!

 

[RagnarHairybreeks]

Interesting. Have you a link?

Sure, this is it;

https://www.google.co.uk/search?sit...-ab..0.11.1183...0j0i131k1j0i10k1.KWuE6PbIBr0

Metcoseal AP is the stuff I use, it's around £13 per litre off the top of my head, but I'm sure you can get similar for less.

As I often get it free I've used it on lots of things - including sealing render on a concrete fishpond I cast
Worked an absolute treat, but turns fresh render slightly purple

As it is you can paintbrush it on, or if diluted with APT thinners you can airless spray it.