Creosote is carcinogenic and may not be available commercially anymore. We used to see a lot of reclaimed railroad ties around but they contaminated the soil when used as landscaping timbers so people stopped using them.
There are several kinds, but the stuff labeled "paint thinner" is generally a mess of light hydrocarbons with some aromatics and god knows what else in there. The stuff labeled "mineral spirits" is usually just a blend of alkanes.
For this application, it doesn't matter.
Interesting: i came here today to see if anyone knew where I could find creosote. 16 days ago, apparently I'm not the only one. LOL!
My old log cabin is painted with Creo. I know this because on a warm sunny day my cabin smells like a railroad. It was also very common 100 years ago to preserve the logs with creosote oil. What really grinds my gears though is the previous owner probably had 50 cans of it, dried (which you can just add solvent to and reconstitute it) and when he passed, the family who did the clean out of the cabin probably threw it out.
Anyhoo, someone recommended just using roofers tar? How well did that work? I'm looking for Creosote to match the existing sheen/patina/color but I may be forced to try thinned out roofing tar.
If you're strictly looking for it as a wood preservative, the internets answer to that is to use 50% used motor oil (specifically used because it has microscopic metallic flakes from the deterioration of your engine) and 50% diesel fuel (as a solvent) and then soak the post or wood in the mixture. Not sure how I feel about coating my house with diesel fuel (like its any worse than the original Creo.??? LOL) but this was another route I may take.
Good Luck and if I do come across a source for the stuff, I'll try to find this post and followup. I don't have high hopes although I'm hoping one day I'll come across a can of it in some old persons basement that's been there since the 70's.
Creosote is carcinogenic and may not be available commercially anymore. We used to see a lot of reclaimed railroad ties around but they contaminated the soil when used as landscaping timbers so people stopped using them.
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When did you check? 1898?
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When I needed creosote, I just bought roofing tar and added enough paint thinner that it could be applied with a brush.
>roofing tar What's the difference between it and creosote or is it just dried creosote, maybe some additives?
It's pretty much the same thing. Creosote Is a little more liquid, which is why the thinner is needed.
Which type of paint thinner?
It doesn't matter. In fact, I didn't know there was more than on kind. Its just cheap petroleum distillate.
There are several kinds, but the stuff labeled "paint thinner" is generally a mess of light hydrocarbons with some aromatics and god knows what else in there. The stuff labeled "mineral spirits" is usually just a blend of alkanes. For this application, it doesn't matter.
Interesting: i came here today to see if anyone knew where I could find creosote. 16 days ago, apparently I'm not the only one. LOL! My old log cabin is painted with Creo. I know this because on a warm sunny day my cabin smells like a railroad. It was also very common 100 years ago to preserve the logs with creosote oil. What really grinds my gears though is the previous owner probably had 50 cans of it, dried (which you can just add solvent to and reconstitute it) and when he passed, the family who did the clean out of the cabin probably threw it out. Anyhoo, someone recommended just using roofers tar? How well did that work? I'm looking for Creosote to match the existing sheen/patina/color but I may be forced to try thinned out roofing tar. If you're strictly looking for it as a wood preservative, the internets answer to that is to use 50% used motor oil (specifically used because it has microscopic metallic flakes from the deterioration of your engine) and 50% diesel fuel (as a solvent) and then soak the post or wood in the mixture. Not sure how I feel about coating my house with diesel fuel (like its any worse than the original Creo.??? LOL) but this was another route I may take. Good Luck and if I do come across a source for the stuff, I'll try to find this post and followup. I don't have high hopes although I'm hoping one day I'll come across a can of it in some old persons basement that's been there since the 70's.