Mark J Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 @TerryMcKVery cool trebouche. Do they fire that thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryMcK Posted September 27, 2016 Report Share Posted September 27, 2016 @Mark JNo I think it was now out of use. They do have smaller ones (a bit of an oxymoron as they were still huge) in a demo arena to show how they worked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolmetscher007 Posted September 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 My father worked for a major US railroad for 40 years until he retired. He told me that even the railroads are no longer using wooden ties, and are replacing them with composite and cement ties. It is such a pity that railroads have used wood for the past 200 years. These ties are not made from fast growing woods like Pine etc. they are made from nice oak hardwood. Such a pity there isn't some kind of chemical way to "neutralize" creasote. You know how you can use a base to neutralize an acid... I wish there were some kind of chemical treatment that would un-awful the creasote so that we could all have access to these awesome huge chunks of Oak. But I'm sure even if this were possible, it would cost more than it's worth. Anyway... thanks for all the comments guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zfree Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I've found some railroad ties on an abandoned beach, they seems to be there for at least a couple of years. Is this enough to get any chemicals out of them ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I doubt it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 Yeah, they were made to be outside all day every day to the point of failure. A couple years on a beach will do little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 If you've ever seen them burning the old, rotten ties it is plain by all the black smoke that the bad stuff is still in them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 The creosote outlasts the wood by a good bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zfree Posted June 21, 2020 Report Share Posted June 21, 2020 I'm think of making a garden water tap from it, something like the photos below, is it good to go with a marine resin varnishing ? ` Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 Seriously, the creosote is bad news. Just handling ties can blisted your skin, even if you aren't normally sensitive. And inhaling creosote sawdust is going to do bad things to your lungs. Unless those ties are treated with some other method, I would stay away from them. I handled many during my late teens, building landscape retaining walls. We never cut with anything finer than a chainsaw, so airborne dust wasn't a problem, but handling those (very) used ties still caused 1st degree chemical burns through normal shirt sleeves. In the 1930s, there was a creosote factory here in town. My great uncle was hospitalized with skin blisters after working there for a single day. The place closed in the 1950s, and sat empty until the 1980s saw the beginnings of "Superfund Site" cleanup. Not until the mid 1990s was the property considered usable for new construction. Some portions of it are still fenced off as unusable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Sawdust Posted June 22, 2020 Report Share Posted June 22, 2020 Yep, wtn that's my experience as well. Cut with a chainsaw or else you don't have the right piece. That said, I love RR ties for the more rustic settings where you need to mark a curve in the driveway or support some earth somewhere, etc etc. Drive some rebar or other steel in there and pile 'em up. They do last a long time, and at some point they no longer stink. But you don't want them in your back yard, I wouldn't think. I personally haven't had skin issues handling them but I can see where it could be nasty. I didn't always use gloves. But then again, this from a guy who is also barely bothered installing fiberglass insulation. Frankly I doubt any varnish would stick to that stuff, but I could be way off there. They're both oil based? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zfree Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Here's some photos of my findings on the beach, i have 12 similar pieces, they does not seem/smell any chemicals. How can i be sure they are safe ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted July 9, 2020 Report Share Posted July 9, 2020 Short of sending them to a lab for destructive testing, you can't. Which is a shame because they sure are cool looking. Personally, I'd hesitate to use them. Maybe drill a hole on the underside & see what the chips smell like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 10, 2020 Report Share Posted July 10, 2020 Those look like most of the treatment has worn away from the surface, so they probably won't bother you during typical use as the spigot post you pictured. I'd still use caution while cutting and drilling, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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