Wet rot?

[oldharry]

They are using Polyethylene glycol on Mary Rose, a waxy substance which is intended to replace the water in the wood to prevent it shrinking and cracking as it dries out. Try a Google on 'Mary Rose preservation' if you want to know more. Currently they have discovered that there is a large quantity of sulfur based compounds in the timber which is being catalysed by the iron fastenings into sulphuric acid - in common with other raised wooden vessels like Vasa, so research is continuing to find ways of neutralising that in the long term.

I found no mention of glycol as an anti-rot agent in its own right, more as a penetrative agent to carry the polyethylene in to the timber to support it and preserve it, although i came across the various websites proposing it for modern boats some years ago.

But I guess Mary Rose's problems after 400 years in the oggin, are a bit different to our attempts to prevent rot spores getting their teeth in to our boats!

 

[Captain Coochie]

So Glycol is a carrying agent for other chemicals then ?

 

[oldharry]

Thats how it reads on the Mary Rose preservation sites. I am not a chemist, but experiencing the penetrative quality of it in an older car cooling system, I should imagine its probably doing something similar on the timber and being used to carry the polyethylene 'wax' in.

 

[Captain Coochie]

From a Chemist

[ QUOTE ]
Glycol on its own will inhibit the development of mycelium (spores) through a physical action, but NOT through a biocidal one. It makes the environment hostile to the wet rot spores, and can provide a substrate (carrier) for other preservatives.

Flammability is an issue.

To get rid of the threads/spores, you need to change the environment where the little b*ggers breed, by making it drier, or you need to spray it with some nasty chemical which will kill it, and then prevent it happening again.


[/ QUOTE ]

 

[tbennett]

There seems to be some confusion here. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and Ethylene glycol (used in antifreeze) are quite different things in terms of their properties although they are chemically related. In fact a PEG molecule is a polymer (long string of) Ethylene glycol-like units. Wikipedia has quite good articles on both.

PEG is a non-toxic, waxy substance which has many uses, it is even used in some food items. It is used for wood stabilisation where it is used mainly to preserve the wood's form by replacing the water lost as waterlogged wood dries out - this prevents shrinkage and warping. I imagine its anti-rot effect may be due to the removal of the water, which the fungus requires to remain active, and not to the presence of PEG. But we are talking about pieces of wood in museums not boats in the water here.

Ethylene glycol is toxic and Wikipedia includes 'use as a rot and fungal treatment for wood' as one of its uses.

Glycol is a group of compounds which includes Ethylene glycol but I fear some posts may be referring to PEG (polyethylene glycol) when they say glycol.

As borates do have rot preventative properties then to mix Ethylene glycol with borates sounds a very good idea, i.e. to hit the rot with a double whammy. However, I am no expert here merely someone who would like to treat a small patch of rot in the stern deadwood.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_glycol

By the way, the rot is around the stern tube and I seem to remember that this type of rot can be due to electrolytic action. Have I imagined this and if not then how would I tell the difference between fungal and electrolytic rot?

 

[Captain Coochie]

If there was some confusion there is even more now /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
To be honest the only rot i know of is fungal and living off the timber .

 

[Niander]

Ethylene glycol has seen some use as a rot and fungal treatment for wood, both as a preventative and a treatment after the fact. It has been used in a few cases to treat partially rotted wooden objects to be displayed in museums. It is one of only a few treatments that are successful in dealing with rot in wooden boats, and is relatively cheap.

FRom wikepedia..thats good enough for me!
in fact have been treating small amount of rot in mast today.

 

[Captain Coochie]

I think i will pay the extra fiver and use Borate based chemicals myself , i know they work for sure . The risk is to big IMHO .

 

[Niander]

Do you have a link to this Borate you use ?

 

[LittleShip]

Did You read this??

http://boatbuilding.com/article.php/ChemotherapyforRot

Tom

 

[Captain Coochie]

This has both in it
web page

Looking at the cuprinol 5 star treatment i cant see anything about borate only glycol .
I dont know enough about the chemicals to say what works and what doesnt , what i am worried about is if people are thinking that antifreeze alone will cure dry and wet rot . Maybe it does /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif but i wont be taking the word of someone that used antifreeze on his feet to clear up athletes foot /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif