ever heard of wood hardener?

Post by **ben739** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:39 pm

something like wood filler, but supposed to be injected and it hardens inside the wood?

also, ran into a bloke who sprays underside of his Minor not with wax oil, but with old engine oil to keep it from rusting. anyone ever heard of this?

Post by **Axolotl** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:47 pm

Wood hardener:- Yes, I've come across it, but not in a Minor context. It is (was) very thin stuff, like cellulose "dope" that you used to use for the tissue paper on balsa wood gliders. It soaks into soft wood that has been damaged by water, and stops the rot and hardens the remaining good fibres so you can build up a suitable layer of filler / paint on top. Used to use it on soft wood window frames to good effect.

Not sure it would be suitable for structural Traveller wood, however.

Under body oil spray:- Yes, Charles Wares swear by it, in fact their chassis garantees aren't valid without an annual clean and respray.

The idea is that it combines with road dust to form a sort of water-proof flexible coating. Whether it works or not remains to be seen

Post by **GAS** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:36 pm

Debbie does..........

Post by **bigginger** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:59 am

The oil is what used to be used in olden days before waxoyl etc were invented. I'd be wary of using it on effectiveness grounds, and the health/environmental issues with the spraying of it.

Post by **heathy12** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:01 am

STAIN YOUR WOOD BEFORE YOU USE IT!

I applied a coat of this yesterday to my trav after sanding down the whole side, it dosent absord very well and is kind of like varnish so Id recommend staining before you do this...if your staining! Was absorbed really well into the wood though and has hardened up a couple of softer areas. The staining I used (only because I couldnt get rid of the old staining completely which is a pain as I was wanting really light ash lookin wood)

Just Blackfiars yaucht varnish to apply today! oh the joys of travellers.

Post by **heathy12** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:04 am

Okay..well that was a bit contradictiorary!

I meant it was absorbed into the wood well, but the final top layer dosent once its been absorbed....so it sits on the top like a varnish!
HTH

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sun Dec 17, 2006 4:44 pm

Wood hardener - complete bodge. If the wood's gone soft it needs renewing - it is structural on the Traveller. Far better to use Teak Oil rather than varnish - which just traps moisture inside the timber. The clean dry timber can be treated with Cuprinol 5 star preventive, and when that has dried in - copious Teak Oil soaked in.

Post by **Kevin** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 3:39 pm

something like wood filler, but supposed to be injected and it hardens inside the wood?

I think Rustins make what you need.

Post by **Stig** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 5:18 pm

bmcecosse wrote:Wood hardener - complete bodge. If the wood's gone soft it needs renewing - it is structural on the Traveller. Far better to use Teak Oil rather than varnish - which just traps moisture inside the timber. The clean dry timber can be treated with Cuprinol 5 star preventive, and when that has dried in - copious Teak Oil soaked in.

Teak Oil certainly won't peel like yacht varnish does but it will darken the wood - cosmetic I know, but for some people that's a consideration (not on my Traveller!)

Post by **bmcecosse** » Sat Dec 23, 2006 4:11 pm

Yes - it does darken the wood - but no moisture trapped inside!! And certinly far better than some of the 'stained and varnished' horrors I see at Classic Car shows !

Post by **aussiemike** » Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:00 pm

hmmm this seems to come down alot to personal opinion. I must agree that the timber is a structural part of the traveller so if it is soft then replacement must be looked at when possible. However for every person with an opinion on how good varnishing is there is another person who says it is rubbish. Impossible to get a clear picture at the end of the day.

Post by **SteveandWilliam** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 5:57 pm

There seems to be as many opinions on how to preserve traveller wood as there are travellers. Having read the article Kevin recommended (see "traveller timbers", Main discussion), I have tried Burgess Microporous woodsealer on parts of the wood I have sanded/fed with Cuprinol wood preserver/soaked in Danish oil. Funny stuff. It is brown and sat on the surface in beads for a bit (perhaps the Danish Oil stopped it going into the wood). However, it has stained the wood a rich honey colour and looks good. There is a gloss coat to go over it, once dry, which is supposed to keep it porous.

My main concern is to find a treatment that stops the water penetrating or getting trapped (the little bit of wood between the pillar and the arch needed treating urgently, the rest looks OK) and to find a finish that will make the wood all the same colour (I think previous owners have tried just about every colour of varnish on the wood!)
Perhaps we should run a poll on the best treatment.