Creosote Nightmare

[BeenWorkin]

Hi everyone,

I find myself in a big dilema, i have just finnished a carpentry project to produce a garden table and two benches out of reclaimed railway sleepers. The sleepers are treated with creosote an It has just been pointed out to me that creosote was banned and you should not use any wood treated with it for furniture.
I have put a lot of hard work into the table and benches and as you can guess I was pretty gutted to find this out. Is there anything I can do to save the project? Is it possible to seal in the creosote with a clear varnish?

Please help

[darrenba]

Yeah you are in a bit of a situation. Take a good read here

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/railway%2 ... tments.htm

Really who ever sold you them should have asked what you're planning on using them for.

Your only real options are redo with non-creosote wood or clad the existing sleepers with some kind of timber, or material that covers up the tar.

[dewaltdisney]

On top of the creosote just think of all those train toilets dumping out over them during the years they were part of the rail system. In warm weather there will be tar oozing out.

Write it off to experience and use the parts as a cutting layout to speed up a replacement build.

DWD

[big-all]

if there kids pets wildlife or plants concerned then dont take the risk
when you cut the sleepers what does theinside look like do they look tary or just dark wood!!

http://www.railwaysleeper.com/railway%2 ... tments.htm

[BeenWorkin]

The sleepers are from the underground network so no risk of toilet waste being dumped on them.
I would estimate that they were in the ground for 10 - 15 years and have sat for at least another 3 years.
I have plained about 5mm off the surfaces to get a nice smooth finish and of the ones I have split you can see fresh wood in the middle of the piece.

Wont a varnish put an impregnable coat on the wood? that way no contact with the residual creosote would be possible.

This was a big surprise to me and quite scary considering I used to creosote occasionally with a spray gun the fences every summer as a child for extra pocket money.

Does not appear to be any tar present.

[dewaltdisney]

All the black marks on the timber is the creosote. I think the health risk is minimal and the carcinogenic problems were where creosote went on the skin to be absorbed during painting. Well I am a well paid up member of creosote on the skin club as well as using compressed air to blow dust from drum brakes club so there you go

As people will not be sucking the timber your main concern will be 'sweating' where you can get an oily weep so hands touching the surface and on to mouth etc. and smell getting into clothing are the issues. However, you are doing right trying to seal them but it will be tricky to find a varnish to stick on and last any appreciable time. An oil based one possibly might work but being exposed to rain and sunlight it may well delaminate and go milky. I do not think you have anything to lose by coating in an exterior varnish and see how it goes.

DWD

[big-all]

get a blow torch/paint stripper heat gun on it and see if it weeps but have a bucket off water handy lol

[ultimatehandyman]

This is such a shame as it looks so bloomin solid, I bet you are gutted!

[thescruff]

Make a good work bench.

[royaloakcarpentry]

Naaah Scruff......be a useless workbench because he forgot to fit a vice lol.

[BeenWorkin]

I am going to try a couple of coats of wood sealer then 2 or three coats of clear varnish in an attempt to keep the remaining creosote safely locked away. Will report back with results.