treating oil on railway sleeper

[johndcfc]

hi all, great to see a forum like this, especially for a non expert like myself.

i have started a garden project some time back, and i am ready to get it going again. i have set out railway sleepers in the rear garden to create two adjoining boxes, one raised higher than the other.

i have decided to grow grass in them for now, and intend getting this done after winter. before i do this , i need to treat the timber as there are some patches of oil on them. i am not sure if this runs through it, or if it is on the surface. i suspect the later, but i am no expert.

so my question is, what is the best way to get rid of, or permanently cover this oil. it would be nice to sit on these when the garden is done, but i am concerned with stains on clothing, and the risk of slipping.

i have asked at DIY stores but no one seems to know what to do. i have considered a blow torch to burn off some of the wood and oil, and maybe sand it down. i reckon i have one try at making this look good, so i am reluctant to do anything before i know more.

once the oil problem is sorted, i think i need to treat the wood, but in a way that creates a good finish, rather than a sticky surface

sorry for the long wind on this one, any help suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[joe-90]

Unless these are the type from garden centres that are not impregnated with tar/preservative you will never get rid of it. They are pressure treated to give them long life.

 

[johndcfc]

have i just found my answer? found this on a link in another thread.
the oil is in patches, and i have not noticed any extra oozing during the summer, (although it was not that warm this year anyway).



Q2. I have had my garden landscaped and used old railway sleepers around the perimeter and for seating. Whenever it is warm and sunny some of the sleepers ooze tar. My young children keep getting covered in the oily mess much to the disdain of my wife. I have tried a high pressure jet hose on the sleepers but this has had no effect. Can you help?
Unfortunately your story is all too familiar. There are only three effective options, I'm afraid.
1) If the oozy tar is unacceptable, (very understandable), remove the sleepers. There's nothing effective you can do to stop them leaking.
2) Replace them with non-creosote treated sleepers, whether new or used. Landscapers should not really be using the old GB pine sleepers, due to their unpleasant leaking. The best used sleeper would be the African Azobe, that is an untreated (and needs no treatment) tropical hardwood, that is very dense, and is sometimes used underwater, or for lock gates etc.. Alternatively new pressure treated Baltic / Scottish pine (treated with an environmentally child friendly treatment) or new untreated French oak. We can help you chose if you need.
3) Clad the existing sleepers with some kind of timber, or material that covers up the tar

 

[johndcfc]

Unless these are the type from garden centres that are not impregnated with tar/preservative you will never get rid of it. They are pressure treated to give them long life.

aye, they seem to be impregnated, they are not the smooth clean type.

looks like i will have to get creative then, and disguise the worst parts. maybe a few well placed shrubs to grow over the affected area and hang down to the nexct level.

thanks for your reply joe-90.

 

[JohnD]

if they are full-cell treated with creosote, it is dangerous to health and is now a banned material.

If you are already near the end of your life and have no children in the garden, you may consider that they effects are not worth worrying about.

Otherwise, get rid of them.

 

[johndcfc]

if they are full-cell treated with creosote, it is dangerous to health and is now a banned material.

If you are already near the end of your life and have no children in the garden, you may consider that they effects are not worth worrying about.

Otherwise, get rid of them.

well i hope i'm not too close yet, but i do have a teenager and a wain of two. i decided to go for grass so the wee one can play more safely. how would i know if it is dangerous. i dont understand "full cell" and other than describing the patches as oil, i dont know exactly what it is.

these were proper sleepers from once functional railways. could it be oil spils - think i might need to get somebody to have a closer look at it.

thanks for the help .

 

[JohnD]

full-cell means the wood is drenched in the stuff using two-way pressure impregnation - not just dipped or sprayed. it's an expensive way to treat it as it uses a great deal of preservative (telegraph poles used to be done the same way). If you think of the timber as being porous like a fine sponge, every one of those tiny cavities (cells) is filled with creosote. So it never dries out and never stops bleeding out and coming off on your hands and clothes. So it is much worse than an old creosoted fence.

Creosote is both poisonous and carciogenic. It irritates the skin, eyes, etc. If you touch the sleepers and then rub your eyes or touch any other sensitive part, it will start to hurt a while later.

It will also scorch plants that touch it with their leaves or roots.

 

[johndcfc]

full-cell means the wood is drenched in the stuff using two-way pressure impregnation - not just dipped or sprayed. it's an expensive way to treat it as it uses a great deal of preservative (telegraph poles used to be done the same way). If you think of the timber as being porous like a fine sponge, every one of those tiny cavities (cells) is filled with creosote. So it never dries out and never stops bleeding out and coming off on your hands and clothes. So it is much worse than an old creosoted fence.

Creosote is both poisonous and carciogenic. It irritates the skin, eyes, etc. If you touch the sleepers and then rub your eyes or touch any other sensitive part, it will start to hurt a while later.

It will also scorch plants that touch it with their leaves or roots.

thanks john. there goes my plan for disguising it. i am going to chat to the guy that sold me the sleepers. he might know if it is full cell or not. ah well.

 

[Trog]

Each traditional softwood railway sleeper of 8'-6" x 10" x 5" contains up to three gallons of creosote. Which is why they burn so nicely even when they are really old and rotten.

 

[TicklyT]

For telegraph poles oozing creosote the old answer was to nail slaters battens spaced about an inch apart around the pole to stop passers by coming into contact with the creosote running down the pole. Perhaps you could fix some battens to the tops of your potential seats?