Hello:

Have a bunch of railroad ties that are used for defining the boundary of
some garden
plots. They are black, which I assume is due to Creosole. About 25 yrs of
age.

They are cracking and de-laminating pretty badly, and would be a real pain
to replace them all.

Is there anything I can pour into the cracks to seal them up ?

I realize epoxy would probably work, but it would take an awful lot of
mixing, and a lot of epoxy, to do it.

Anything simpler available with a chance of doing the job ?

Thanks,
Bob

In article ,
Robert11 wrote:
Hello:

Have a bunch of railroad ties that are used for defining the boundary of
some garden
plots. They are black, which I assume is due to Creosole. About 25 yrs of
age.

They are cracking and de-laminating pretty badly, and would be a real pain
to replace them all.

Is there anything I can pour into the cracks to seal them up ?

I realize epoxy would probably work, but it would take an awful lot of
mixing, and a lot of epoxy, to do it.

Anything simpler available with a chance of doing the job ?

Thanks,
Bob




I can't think of anything that you could apply that would do a better job
than the Creosote that is already in the wood.. The Creosoting process
involves impregnating the wood with a tar/asphalt mixture, under very
high heat and pressure. It's not just a surface coating.

You might try some of the deck sealants., or maybe roofing tar.
--
-- Welcome My Son, Welcome To The Machine --
Bob Vaughan | techie @ tantivy.net |
| P.O. Box 19792, Stanford, Ca 94309 |
-- I am Me, I am only Me, And no one else is Me, What could be simpler? --

Bob see if you can source some liquid bitumen, as they sometimes use
for bitumen{Asphalt} repairs to seal around the edge of road repairs.

If you heat this up, to make it runny, pour that in; when set will be
firm with some flexibility..& of course its waterproof.
I have a can from when I worked for Shell, but guess is available at
merchants{Lumber Yards}.
You could also try bitumen mastic as used for fixing roof
felt/shingles; guess easier to obtain that road bitumen.

When I use that I heat up with paint stripper gun{Gas or electric}; be
aware that it may flame up, but only temporarily, till you remove heat.
And of course it sets instantly.

So have some sand around to smother if you have to.

If the cracks are large, clean them out and fill them with concrete and then
coat it with tar. Chances are, if they are 25 years old, they are starting
to rot on the bottom.

"Robert11" wrote in message
...
Hello:

Have a bunch of railroad ties that are used for defining the boundary of
some garden
plots. They are black, which I assume is due to Creosole. About 25 yrs
of
age.

They are cracking and de-laminating pretty badly, and would be a real pain
to replace them all.

Is there anything I can pour into the cracks to seal them up ?

I realize epoxy would probably work, but it would take an awful lot of
mixing, and a lot of epoxy, to do it.

Anything simpler available with a chance of doing the job ?

Thanks,
Bob

i searched google for creosote and cdc and found that you don't want it
in the garden at all.

"How can creosote affect my health?
Breathing vapors of the creosotes, coal tar, coal tar pitch, or coal
tar pitch volatiles can cause irritation of the respiratory tract.
Eating large amounts of creosote (any form) may cause a burning in the
mouth and throat and stomach pains. Eating large amounts of herbal
remedies containing creosote bush leaves may cause liver damage, while
large amounts of coal tar creosote may result in severe skin
irritation, eye burns, convulsions, unconsciousness, and even death."
so says
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts85.html
and the real long version is at:
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles...tml#bookmark06

Robert11 wrote:
Hello:

Have a bunch of railroad ties that are used for defining the boundary of
some garden
plots. They are black, which I assume is due to Creosole. About 25 yrs of
age.

They are cracking and de-laminating pretty badly, and would be a real pain
to replace them all.

Is there anything I can pour into the cracks to seal them up ?

I realize epoxy would probably work, but it would take an awful lot of
mixing, and a lot of epoxy, to do it.

Anything simpler available with a chance of doing the job ?

Thanks,
Bob

You might as well bite the bullet and replace them. If they have been
in the ground 25 years, they are on their last legs. I dug up a batch
of mine that were about that long in the ground and almost none of them
were worth saving. They rot from the inside out as the creosote does
not penetrate all the way into the middle. They are also a great place
for ant nests. Most of mine looked good on the outside but once I
started digging they came out in pieces they were so rotten. Same
thing with a batch of #1 ties I used for fence posts way back when. I
removed the fence last summer. Of 8 ties, only 4 were salvageable.

Harry K

But it smells so good!