Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-11

/
| small end is often treated in the same
| way although a beveled top is much
| TO be preferred, especially when cut
4 smooth Naturally a smooth, beveled
| surface drains much meter during wet
| weather than does rough, hat surface
For the best results posts should be
| peeled as soon as cut. since the bark
/ and sapwoOd are certain TO be attacked
| by various wood borers. Only in the
case of a few trees does the bark
| loosen upon drying; in most cases II
becomes more firmly attached TO the
l sapwood. With a little practice one
/ may become quite proficient in peeling
/ with an ordinary axe. although it may
/ not be POSSIBLE to remove all OF the
/ soft, inner bark with this tool. How
ever, the job may be easily completed
with a drawknife, placing the post on
! a pair of horses so that 1t may be
| rolled in turning a new surface. The
/ fine. inner bark prevents the penetra-
| ton of creosote. For this reason it is
much better policy to remove thin
/ layer of sapwood rather than permit
any inner bark to remain.
| This important step should be thor
| ough to insure successful treatment
and should be both slow and uniform
\ to avoid checking. The method or
piling should allow of a free circula-
|
/ to insure uniformity in drying. The
| so-called "log-cabin' method is very
| successful, although good results are
| often had by standing the posts on end
/ about a pole or other object In any
/ event, the posts should not come in con-
| tact with moist earth or rotten wood;
/ a foundation of rocks or seasoned wood
/ must be used.
If the posts are piled in the open
| m he irnn
rays of a hot sun, the pile should be
| covered with loose boards weighted
/ with stones to hold them in place
/ Much better results may be obtained
/ by piling in partial shade where the
/ drying will be uniform and a minimum
| of checks" formed.
| The length of time required for
thorough seasoning depends upon
weather conditions; varying from six
weeks during a dry summer season 10
six months during a cool. moist win
/ ter. Naturally the kind of wood and
/ size of post will have an important
| bearing upon the time required for sea-
soning.
Two general methods of treatment
/ are applicable to farm conditions, the
! open-tank method and the painting
method. Usually. however, a farmer
| a
The necessary equipment for the ap-
| pIication of the open-tank method con-
| sists of two tanks for the creosote (de-
| signated the hot" and the cold"
/ tanks) and some system of heating.
| The hot" tank is of cylindrical form
/ flour feet high and three and a half
/ feet in diameter; the cold tank of
| horizontal form measuring three and
half feet square on the end and eight
/ 81. 90 ,fVafya wxysAh
| traction engine to furnish steam is the
! most satisfactory means of keeping the
hot" tank at a constant temperature.
/ However, direct heating by means of
! fixe box beneath the tank will give
! very fair results.
| The hot" tauk is filled to a depth of
1 1-2 to fet and the creosote maintain
ed at a temperature of about 21O de-
/ grees Fahrenheit. The temperature
should not go higher than 22O degrees or
lower than 200 degrees. The purchase
Of a cheap, high temperature thermome-
/ ter is advisable in this connection. The
( cold" tank is filled about half full
/ and heated merely enough TO keep the
I creosote in a liquid condition. This
requires about 100 DEGREES Fahrenheit
The posts, properly prepared for
treatment, are stood on end. butt down.
in the hot tank for a period of time
varying from one to two hours, depend
ing upon the size of posts and the char
acter of the wood. They are then laid
full length in the cold" tank and sub
merged for about an hour. 1t is very
important that the posts be kept below
the surface of the oil in the cold" tank
This system of heating the butts only
gives a deep penetration of oil on that
part and a light pentration on the top.
The deep penetration should extend over
that portion of the post which is set in
the ground and for distance of s to ~
inches above ground. The light pene-
/ ration on the top is sufficient to guard
against dry rot and ordinary weathering.
Ii is possible to make one tank serve
the purposes eff two, although the eff
,iency is correspondingly lowered. In
this case the oil in the tank is heated
TO a temperature of about 210 degrees
Fahrenheit and the posts are placed IN
the hot creosote for a period of one to
two hours. The fire is then raked out
and the creosote permitted to cool re-
quiring six or eight hours. The daily
schedule would be about as follows:
a m. Fire built under tank.
a m. Creosote registers a tempera-
ture of Els degrees. Tank filled with
posts, butt down.
10 a. m. Fire raked out and creosote
permitted to cool
p. m. Fire built under tank Treat
ed posts removed as soon as the oil is
in a liquid condition.
p. m. Creosote registers a tempera-
ture of 21O degrees. Tank filled with
posts
p. m. Fire raked out and creosote
permitted to cool.
a m. Fire built under tank. Treat
ed posts removed as soon as oil is in a
liquid condition.
According to this program two charges
are handled during the twenty-four
hours. If an old creosote drum is used
the daily capacity will be between 40
and so posts, depending upon the size
and uniformity of the posts If a kero-
sene barrel is fitted as a treating plant
he daily capacity will range between
; and 25 posts.
When the one tank method is used il
3 necessary to paint the tops of the
hosts with creosote, which should be
hot and may be applied with a four or
! six inch paint brush. AS the posts are
AIKEN from the tank they are held a
minute or two to permit the surplus oil
running back into the tank The posts
9re then placed on A pair Of horses
where the tops are painted. after which
they are piled in -log-cabin" STYLE for
week TO allow the oil to dry in" After
1.-THE posts are dry they may be handled