Economical means for treating wooden fence posts

[JamesHW]

For protection from the sun:
I did read an article from many years ago, about somebody using a mixture of spar varnish, paraffin wax and a solvent. The lumber was soaked for a few weeks. I think it was a study that National Parks did, i think it was from the 70's.

I believe your referring to this publication: PROTECTING WOODWORK AGAINST DECAY WITHOUT CHEMICAL PRESERVATIVES

have some window sills just like the photos in the article

 

[mrmikey]

What about where the post is burnt, just the surface blackened, anyone know if that works?...........Mike

 

[sixdogs]

In my experience, fenceposts rot at the ground level way more than anywhere else. the moisture and oxygen at ground level is what does it. The solution I saw in New England was to wrap a piece of plastic or tar paper around the post at ground level.

Maine is a very acidic soil and my cedar posts only lasted seven years before they rotted. I saw decades old untreated telephone poles that were just unshaped trees but had tar paper wrapped around where the post meets the soil. Locals would also just put the post end in a plastic bag, insert in the ground and back fill. It worked and posts lasted far longer than you would expect.

Just something to add to the topic.

 

[rademamj1]

My ranch here in Central Texas, uses Mesquite branches installed 75 years ago for barb wire fence posts. They look absolutely terrible. But the posts are untouched by any ground rot and impervious to all insects, mainly due to the natural oils the Mesquite tree generates. You can see the oils seeping out of a freshly cut or trimmed Mesquite tree. And its these same oils that provide wonderful flavor to Texas BBQ when we use Mesquite wood in the smoke house. Too bad we cannot buy it by the gallon for treating all types of fence posts.