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Weatherproofing

Started by pmc, Oct 28, 2010, 05:09 pm

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pmc

Making something last a long time that you have put allot of time and effort into, for me, is paramount. I have read allot of comments on here on how to do this and making your Tardis out of wood means you may be in for some pain along the way.

Id love to make my box, when i eventually start  :-[ , out of fibre glass because it seems this will last the distance. For the single reason that I don't really have a clue how to do this and the expense, wood seems the obvious choice.

So how do we make wood last a long time when it sits out in the damp cold British winters?

I was thinking about the fibreglass option and was wondering if it were possible to give a thin outer layer of fiberglass over your finished wooden Tardis. I did a bit of searching and came across this site http://www.ehow.com/how_5666240_waterproof-deck-fiberglass-cloth-resin.html

I know this article talks about fibreglassing a deck but surely the principles would be the same for a wooden Tardis, the article also mentions that you could maintain the wood grain look.

Your comments on this would be welcomed  :)

PMC

deck5

Quote from: pmc on Oct 28, 2010, 05:09 pmSo how do we make wood last a long time when it sits out in the damp cold British winters?


Another eHow article -- http://www.ehow.com/how_2311776_waterproof-wood-unpainted.html

hb88banzai

Oct 29, 2010, 09:08 am #2 Last Edit: Oct 29, 2010, 09:19 am by hb88banzai
One place you could start is with the type of wood itself.  Using a rot & insect resistant wood like teak, (bald or swamp) cypress, cedar or redwood (even European "redwood" aka Scots Pine, etc.) in your build would give you a good head start for whatever weatherproofing was then used.

Note that California Redwood in particular sucks up and holds weatherproofing finishes extremely well due to its open pore structure (just watch out for almost microscopic splinters when handling or sanding).

Of course with teak, you don't have to weatherproof the wood much at all due to the high resin content (which is one of the reasons it was used on ships and for original Police Box doors). But then you would have to be independently wealthy in order to afford that particular timber.


philipw

Quote from: hb88banzai on Oct 29, 2010, 09:08 am
One place you could start is with the type of wood itself.  Using a rot & insect resistant wood like teak, (bald or swamp) cypress, cedar or redwood (even European "redwood" aka Scots Pine, etc.) in your build would give you a good head start for whatever weatherproofing was then used.

Note that California Redwood in particular sucks up and holds weatherproofing finishes extremely well due to its open pore structure (just watch out for almost microscopic splinters when handling or sanding).

Of course with teak, you don't have to weatherproof the wood much at all due to the high resin content (which is one of the reasons it was used on ships and for original Police Box doors). But then you would have to be independently wealthy in order to afford that particular timber.



I bet today california redwood and teak are almost the same price since the redwood is no longer harvested. Since good redwood is no longer available, many people use spanish cedar, which is a very good alternative.

hb88banzai

Oct 29, 2010, 10:49 pm #4 Last Edit: Oct 29, 2010, 10:59 pm by hb88banzai
California Redwood is most definitely still being harvested - a good portion of it in a sustainable manner (ie, not old growth, etc.), but no guarantees due to multiple companies involved (though most of the remaining old growth redwoods are in nominally protected areas).

Heartwood lumber (the dark red you would want for max rot resistance) is running about $1.80 a foot retail for 2x6 decking grade, but then I live in Humboldt where most of it is harvested. In fact I live in a city that owns it's own small forest and takes great pains to sustainably harvest it in an environmentally conscientious manner (no clear cuts, no over-harvesting, etc.). It's a very stable wood for a softwood - tends to stay straight  - and is also quite strong despite it's light weight. Not as strong (or hard) as Douglas Fir or White Pine, but much stronger than Western Red Cedar for instance, and few woods are as resistant to rot and insects.

Of course Teak is now a major wood plantation industry as well, so the prices there aren't what they used to be and it's not as onerous a thing as when they were chopping down all the wild forests. Teak would would be incredibly strong and stable (less likely to warp once dry than most woods), but it would make a very heavy TARDIS.

Note that if it is flat-sawn, as most lumber is these days, all woods will cup and crown to varying degrees depending on the species - you would have to get quarter-sawn wood for maximum stability, and that's hard to get.

philipw

I defer to your knowledge on the subject.

In Texas the last time I tried to secure redwood, I found no wholesaler or retailer that carried it. All said it was no longer being harvested, though there were boutique mills in Calif that I could get it from, at some $7.50 per foot and that was plus shipping. All I could find was construction grade, which wouldn't work for me in that project.

Contacting locations in Calif then, I confirmed it was near impossible to get what I needed, which was straight, clear boards and since I didn't necessarily have to have redwood, I used spanish cedar in its place. I would again as I really liked that material, its strength, workability and cost.

I cannot recall a time I've seen redwood of any grade in any lumberyard, much less a home center here in Texas. I'm glad to hear it's still available as there are times when only redwood will do on a project.


Sorvan

Quote from: pmc on Oct 28, 2010, 05:09 pm
I was thinking about the fibreglass option and was wondering if it were possible to give a thin outer layer of fiberglass over your finished wooden Tardis.


That's what I'm doing with my build.

In the link you provide, it says that you can maintain the wood grain look.  What they mean is that the fiberglass & resin is a transparent layer so you can see the wood grain underneath it.  This does however completely cover the texture of the wood grain, leaving a texture of the woven fiberglass cloth if you don't put on more resin after applying the cloth, or a completely smooth texture if you do.  In my case, I added texture on top of this.

If you want to use fiberglass, I'd recommend looking at instructions for boat building as these guys have a lot of experience with using fiberglass on wood.  From what I read, I chose to go with epoxy resin (instead of polyester resin which is used in your example) as it does an exellent job of sticking to wood and doesn't stink as much (though it does cost more).  It turns out that the marine supply store that I ended up going to, only stocks epoxy resin for boat builders.

Colin

hb88banzai

Oct 30, 2010, 04:04 am #7 Last Edit: Oct 30, 2010, 04:17 am by hb88banzai
Quote from: philipw on Oct 30, 2010, 12:43 am
(snip)
Contacting locations in Calif then, I confirmed it was near impossible to get what I needed, which was straight, clear boards and since I didn't necessarily have to have redwood, I used spanish cedar in its place. I would again as I really liked that material, its strength, workability and cost.

I cannot recall a time I've seen redwood of any grade in any lumberyard, much less a home center here in Texas. I'm glad to hear it's still available as there are times when only redwood will do on a project.


Spanish Cedar sounds like a very nice wood from what I'm reading, also very insect and rot resistant and used for cigar humidors. It must have a wonderful scent.

In the end it definitely comes down to what you can source wherever you are at. I was once only 200 miles away in Oregon and the lumber yard there said Redwood was almost impossible for them to to get as well. Yet, here it is.

philipw

Quote from: hb88banzai on Oct 30, 2010, 04:04 am
In the end it definitely comes down to what you can source wherever you are at. I was once only 200 miles away in Oregon and the lumber yard there said Redwood was almost impossible for them to to get as well. Yet, here it is.


Yes, I'm definitely contacting you next time I need redwood. :-)