Internet Bonsai Club
Would you like to react to this message? Create an account in a few clicks or log in to continue.

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

5 posters

Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Treebeard Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:32 pm

Can someone recommend a wood hardener or preservative that is safe for plants and readily available in the UK? I've got a project in mind that will require that I protect quite a bit of wood from rot. I figure that bog-standard cuprinol wood preservative will do the job, but if that is not suitable for some reason that I haven't thought of then I'd appreciate some pointers to other products.

Chris.
Treebeard
Treebeard
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  bigsteve Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:01 pm

Treebeard wrote:Can someone recommend a wood hardener or preservative that is safe for plants and readily available in the UK? I've got a project in mind that will require that I protect quite a bit of wood from rot. I figure that bog-standard cuprinol wood preservative will do the job, but if that is not suitable for some reason that I haven't thought of then I'd appreciate some pointers to other products.

Chris.
Hi call Kaizen bonsai and speak to graham he uses a wood preserver for his trees to good effect, he did a talk for our club only i have forgotten the name of the product
cheers
steve
bigsteve
bigsteve
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Guest Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:38 pm

Hi Chris,

I ave used the stuff from Kaizen on my hawthorns... it DOES work... but only to a point... the 'deadwood' eventually turns to a 'papery' texture and crumbles... so my course of action is to simply let the tree rot.

I have preserved Juniper deadwood that I am creating a Tanuki with clear Cuprinol... soaking the bottom of the wood for a week. Then leaving the wood for six months to the elements before attaching the live. That was 12 years ago... and the wood is STILL ok.

Good look with your project bounce

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  JimLewis Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:37 pm

You might try a marine epoxy. I've talked to people who have used it on their trees, but on trees that already had some rot in the deadwood. The scraped away ALL of the rotted wood, mixed the epoxy and applied it. I think it dries glossy, so you'd probably have to take a wire brush on a rotary tool to it. I doubt you could use lime sulfur to whiten the wood afterward.
JimLewis
JimLewis
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Guest Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:06 am

Hi Chris. I have been using Ronseal wet rot wood hardener for a number of years now and it works very well. It is a spirit based chemical that dries to a resin.

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Tom Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:21 am

Will, do you use that alone or in combination with lime sulphur for deadwood? If you use both, does the Ronseal go on before or after the lime sulphur?


On another note I can confirm that the Ronseal product also works well on kitchen floors... Embarassed
Tom
Tom
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Guest Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:34 am

I use the Ronseal purely on non resinous deadwood. The product is clear and dries with a shiny finish. Once dry though, when you water the whole of your tree it goes matt. Ronseal not only protects the wood ,it also preserves the natural colour. I do not like the colour of lime sulphur as it is an unnatural colour.I understand why its used to give great contrast between alive and dead, but prefer to see it toned down by a couple of years or a pigment mixed with it. Teak oil is also good but has to be applied quite often.

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Tom Tue Sep 08, 2009 10:43 am

Thanks Will.
Tom
Tom
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Treebeard Tue Sep 08, 2009 12:53 pm

Many thanks for the replies, I've now got some options to work with. Down to homebase at the weekend for me Smile

The wood will be partially buried in soil, so it will be subject to a bit more wet than if it was above soil.

Chris.
Treebeard
Treebeard
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Guest Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:05 pm

What type of wood are you using? Some hardwoods do verywell underground, some not so.

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  JimLewis Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:51 pm

At least for the parts that will be underground, I'd strongly suggest the marine epoxy.

That wood hardener that Will describes sounds very much like the MinWax Wood Hardener we use over here. It requires periodic reapplication for wood that is merely exposed to the air and dampness, and does little lasting good underground.
JimLewis
JimLewis
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Guest Tue Sep 08, 2009 2:05 pm

Jim is quite correct. I have an English Elm thatwas the guinea pig, nearly ten years ago. Ineed to do some work on the deadwood as at soil level it has gone soft but everything above soil level is as hard as ... er ...wood. I do treat once a year.

Guest
Guest


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Treebeard Tue Sep 08, 2009 3:06 pm

will baddeley wrote:What type of wood are you using? Some hardwoods do verywell underground, some not so.
It's mopani, the kind that goes into aquariums for decoration. I figure that it must have some inherent resistance to rot but I'm trying to cover every eventuality.

Chris.
Treebeard
Treebeard
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Justin Hervey Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:58 am

Hi Chris, I used to live in Zim & Botswana where Mopani trees abound, it appears that the wood is resistant to water due to its density and oiliness. If continually saturated is is likely to last for decades, it is however prone to break down faster if saturated, dried, saturated, etc. A potential problem area would be just above the soil line where this is bound to happen.
Justin Hervey
Justin Hervey
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Treebeard Thu Sep 10, 2009 10:07 am

Hi Justin, that's useful information, thanks.

Chris.
Treebeard
Treebeard
Member


Back to top Go down

Wood preservative/hardener in the UK Empty Re: Wood preservative/hardener in the UK

Post  Sponsored content


Sponsored content


Back to top Go down

Back to top

- Similar topics

 
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum