On Thu, 20 May 2010 12:53:32 -0700, Winston wrote:

Hi all.

I just finished installing the fence gate that I mentioned about a month
ago. SWMBO informed me that she likes the redwood grain appearance so I
would like your advice on a fast inexpensive, great looking coating to
preserve the look of the wood. This is out in the "weather" (1) 24 x 7
so durability is most important.

Thank you.

--Winston



(1) San Francisco Bay area 90% "Weather":
Bright sunshine with light drizzle possible. 40 F to 85 F; limited
humidity.

There may be quicker and easier ways to treat your gate
but anything worth doing is worth doing right, here's
my method.

If you didn't use stainless steel fastners, now is a good time
to correct that oversight, some of the chemicals may be
corrosive.

First you will need to build a metal pan deep enough to
submerge your gate with it laying flat and block it up
aroundthe sides with some of your neighbors pavers
(you can return them when through).

Now is a good time to get beer, while you are at the store
getting borax, get a case and a half and three boxes of
borax.

Fill the pan with water and start a fire under it.
I recommend you use some old tires, foam rubber,
plastic bottles and maybe some heart pine for fuel.
feeding a fire is hot dirty work, the smoke will keep
the flies, gnats and mosquitoes out of the neighborhood
while you work, everyone will benefit.

When the water comes to a boil dissolve all the borax
that will go into solution, and lay the gate in pan
and bring back to a boil. After the gate has boiled
for 10 minutes put out the fire and let cool until the
next morning. Do this three days in a row, don't laugh, at
one time all wood was treated this way, it is highly
effective even if it is a little slow and messy.

On the second and third day walk your property line
and look for neighbors pets that may have ingested the
solution and that are sick or dead, collect them in garbage
bags and place in freezer, you can use your freezer or one
the neighbors if they have one on their back porch.
Don't forget to move them before they are discovered.
You may want to keep the cats for a push stick.

After the third day you have to dispose of the borax
solution, if there is a tree leaning over your
property line that you don't really enjoy, that would be a
good place to dump the solution. Always think ahead and try
solve two problems at once.

Let the gate dry for a couple of weeks. Fill your pan with
paraffin and bring to frying heat and put gate back in pan,
cook for 30 minutes. Put fire out and wait until the wax
is down to 200 degrees, this will ensure that enough has
penetrated the wood and it will be thin enough to
drain completely and leave a nice finish.

Disposing of the wax is more of a problem, it won't
soak in the ground, so you will have to carry it at least
two houses away from yours.

Return the pavers, they will look fine even if they are a
smoky and cracked up.

Use the pan for a drip pan to park the car over.
Rehang the gate, if you have done this correctly it will
last at least 25 years, by then most of the neighbors
will have forgotten about the missing pets, smoke and
trees dying.

basilsik



A wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse