Posts: 37
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2017
Have a neighbor who has an old horse drawn plow, single blade from the late 1800's to early 1900's, and the wood is in pretty bad shape. What would your recommendations be to prevent further decay? Sorry I don't have a pic, but can get one. Thanks!
Posts: 151
Threads: 0
Joined: Feb 2017
Not qualified to answer, but my guess, and I hope I'm wrong, is that there's probably nothing to be done. If it's in the kind of "bad shape" that would continue to decay if untouched, it would need to be dried for a few months? Then lots of destructive rot removal, and/or vacuum resin infusion like they do with boats. Failing that, lots of epoxy poured in the cavities and exteriors. I feel like at least some of the people who hold things like horse-drawn plows dear would have some kind of conniption if that were done.
But now that I've offered a probably incorrect course of action, we just have to wait and let someone come along and correct me! lol
Posts: 182
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Sugar Land, TX
(02-19-2020, 12:46 AM)Sawdust60 Wrote: Have a neighbor who has an old horse drawn plow, single blade from the late 1800's to early 1900's, and the wood is in pretty bad shape. What would your recommendations be to prevent further decay? Sorry I don't have a pic, but can get one. Thanks!
I would slather it with boiled linseed oil and then re-apply occasionally.
Posts: 7,898
Threads: 1
Joined: Mar 2000
I presume the owner wants to keep the piece for a long time.
If the wood was still solid, I'd move it out of the weather, and let it sit for a good long while to ensure it's dry. Then I would put a protective coating on it like spar varnish, if the piece is destined to go back out in the weather.
However, your note implies that rot/decay is well along the process. If that's the case, I really don't think much is to be done, except to take pics, measurements, and tracings/drawings of the piece if the desire is to replace the wood that is rotting away.
I have an old train depot baggage cart with cast iron underpinnings/wheels. Our desire is to restore it for use out at our patio area. The lumber is falling apart, so I've done all the measuring and templates to build new and make the new look old in the finishing process.
Posts: 37
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2017
Thanks for the recommendations folks. Think I'll offer to make a template if he wants to replace sometime down the road and distress it, but coating in boiled linseed oil sounds like a plan.
Posts: 182
Threads: 0
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Sugar Land, TX
(02-19-2020, 05:23 PM)Sawdust60 Wrote: Thanks for the recommendations folks. Think I'll offer to make a template if he wants to replace sometime down the road and distress it, but coating in boiled linseed oil sounds like a plan.
You can also use boiled linseed oil on the metal parts to keep them from rusting. Thin coats, allowed to cure/dry in between is key with BLO - otherwise you'll end up with gummy mess.
Posts: 37
Threads: 0
Joined: Mar 2017
(02-19-2020, 10:04 PM)Sullivan Wrote: You can also use boiled linseed oil on the metal parts to keep them from rusting. Thin coats, allowed to cure/dry in between is key with BLO - otherwise you'll end up with gummy mess.
Thx Sullivan!
