Preserving posts

Vito · Jun 15, 2022

Do any of you have experience doing this? I have some 6x6 black locust posts I want to turn into light posts. Have seen the charring/ oil method in YouTube and was wondering what the success rate is with this. Would like to avoid the whole concrete base if possible. I am open to any other methods you might have experience with.

Thanks

Vito

Richard G. · Jun 15, 2022

I have a pole barn I built in 1977 and used black locusts poles.
It is still holding up well.
Explain the charring oil method please.
I know charred wood will just about never rot.
Richard

BarnyardEngineering · Jun 15, 2022

We're lucky to get 20 years out of a black locust fence post around here. Pull them out of the ground and they're completely ate up. Nothing but a rotten nub left about 6" below the surface.

Locust is supposed to last 40+ years, but we've never seen it.

Jim Phelps · Jun 15, 2022

My grandfather built a pole barn to store hay in back in 1974 took tar and painted the part that would go in the ground, now these were just cut tree's and that barn is still standing as straight as the day he built it.

cjunrau · Jun 15, 2022

I have no experience with it but have heard of boiling them in a 45 gallon barrel of used oil. Leave them in there for a month. They say get the oil hot once a week and it acts like a rail road tie.

Fred Werring · Jun 15, 2022

Neighbor and I built a line fence maybe 18 years ago. He used locust posts, I used pressure treated.

Locust posts are all gone, mine are still up...at least for now

Vito · Jun 15, 2022

They torch the portion that is to be buried plus 6 inches that will be exposed. Then they coat with a 50/50 mixture of diesel and used engine oil . Some use roofing tar . These posts are then buried on top off a 6 inch gravel base. Trying to get max life out of these.

Vito

Tony in SD · Jun 15, 2022

Most wood can get wet and most wood can get air and not rot but wood will rot if it is wet and has air. So the trick to protect wood from rotting is to eliminate one or both elements. Most of the post is exposed to both. The only part that is not is way below the ground line. However where the post meets the ground and a few inches below, the post stays wet the longest while air can get to it. That is why most posts will rot at or just a few inches below the ground line. Therefore that area is of most concern.
I know most of you have pulled old posts that were ready to break at the ground line but the bottom of the post which had no air was like new. Now you know why.

DRussell · Jun 15, 2022

Used to have a neighbor who would char all his fence posts. They lasted for years and years.

Ellis Kinney · Jun 15, 2022

I use tar on anything that goes in the ground. Several coats. Tar is almost impossible to find these days, I am almost out. A lot of people think roof mastic is tar, but it ain't. Ellis

Ultradog MN · Jun 15, 2022

No help on your posts.
I thought you were wanting to preserve (archive) your posts here.
None of mine are worth that...

Vito · Jun 15, 2022

Youre killing me with that one Jerry! Lol

Vito

Steve@Advance · Jun 15, 2022

Tony, I've seen that with the old wood boats stored in the water.

Rot almost always starts at the water line. Usually where end grain is exposed, at a screw hole, or a damaged board.

dhermesc · Jun 15, 2022

Get a tall hedge post and let your grandkids worry about how to cut it off.

JerryLook · Jun 15, 2022

Im curious about preserving posts as well. Also what about cedar posts versus locust? I can get both, which ones last longer?

Also larch is an option as well.

caterpillar guy · Jun 15, 2022

If you can get old power or telephone poles use them. We have some on polebarns we built back in the 60's and 70's still fine. Aoter we built later and the depth got deeper than the treating on the poles are not starting to rot out at ground level like they always do. That was still back in the early 80's so over 40 years ago.

Vito · Jun 15, 2022

Ive been reading myself blind on the internet. Too many
articles dont know who is on the money with their advice.
They char a lot cedar in Japan.

Vito

JerryLook · Jun 15, 2022

This post was edited by JerryLook on 06/15/2022 at 06:56 pm.

Northvale PA · Jun 15, 2022

Photo of slicing locust posts from logs, with chainsaw. They look nice all squared up. We are now trying the soak in oil method. I have also charred them, which helps. I have posts on our place 30 years now, that were pulled off my dads place, at least 25 years there. He wanted all new treated lumber posts. Most of those treated posts rotted off years ago. Go with locust but use heartwood, dry them and soak the bottoms in oil. Sap wood is no good and a half round has sap wood.
<img src=https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/cvphotos/cvphoto128349.jpg

Gary Reif · Jun 15, 2022

I agree with what dhermesc said, install hedge posts and let your grandkids worry about them. We've got hedge posts my Grandfather installed nearly 60 years ago and they're still solid. Of course they're not in low or wet areas. Probably let your great grandkids worry LOL.

Stephen Newell · Jun 15, 2022

Black locust is very rot and insect resistant treating it with nothing. If you just want to help them there are a number of different treatment chemicals for fence posts you might use. You might get a small barrel or a large piece of PVC pipe and put a cap on one end and put enough of the chemical in it to dip the ends which go into the ground.

Preserving posts

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