How can I 'burn' an old fence post out?
jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk
I know from bitter experience that they are surrounded in a mass of
concrete, which goes down about 18-24", so this time I wondered if it
was possible to remove the stump (leaving a nice square hole) and
simply insert a new post.
Initially it looked promising, as the 'stump' move slightly, but there
were so much suction that I couldn't get it out.
So my next attempt was to drill loads of holes into it and then try and
break it out.. This kind of worked, but only got me down about 8 inches
before this no longer worked (basically because it was so deep that I
couldn't get any leverage)
So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it
just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I
then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However,
the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again.
I am now down to about 15" so I am almost there but its getting
frustrating as its taken almost 2 days!
Is there anything I could use to burn/decompose/eat the wood?
This may not help in this case, but certainly the other 3 posts might
benifit from your answers.
Any ideas or suggestions about be appreciated
Jon
meow...@care2.com
Sulphuric or hydrochloric acids would eat it, but theyd also eat the
crete.
Can an SDS chisel not mash the wood up?
NT
Andy
<jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1131903960.7...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Sodium Chlorate is an oxidiser and should help the fire along quite a bit.
Don't burn your eyebrows off though!
Andy.
jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk
tried my SDS.. A few months back I bought some HUGE drill bits.. THey
would almost certainly do 'some' damage.. Whether it will get the stump
out, I don't know.. But its worth a try!
Rob Morley
jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk says...
drill it with is a large spade bit - you can get extenders that fit
between the drill and the bit.
Brian
profiled to go into one corner of the rotten end of post set in concrete.
Hammer post saver in and you end up with socket to take post. You can even
use the old post with the rotten bit cut off!! Wickes sell these things as
well cost about £5.
<jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1131903960.7...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Rob Morley
> How about using a metapost "post saver".
That's Metpost in case anyone wants to Google it :-)
dave stanton
> Pour sodium chlorate (weedkiller ) onto the stump and add a bit of fuel.
> Sodium Chlorate is an oxidiser and should help the fire along quite a bit.
> Don't burn your eyebrows off though!
>
> Andy.
Sodium Chlorate weed killer is now sold with inhibitors to prevent it
being used as a oxidiser, ie for rocket fuel or explosives.
I don't know how effective it is though, you may need to get it really
hot in order to get to release its oxygen.
Cheers
Dave
iamwhatiam
It only takes me 1 hr to remove a post and concrete.
http://www.gb-online.co.uk/gardhand.html
The post will be approx 2ft in the ground, so how can you burn it out.
It will be soaking wet, as the post has rotted. What a mess.
Sodium Chlorate weedkiller has a fire depresant in it, so don't try.
Oxy is too dangerous, and I have not seen a torch with a 2ft extension
nozzle.
Do not use Metapost unless its really really necessary. If you do not
get them straight to start off with you have posts that lean over. Hit
a stone as you drive them in, and they twist. So you have twisted
posts.
Even when I drive in 3inch round to 6 inch round agricultural spiked
wooden posts into the ground by 2ft deep. Its impossible to get them
out by rocking them and pulling. The suction in the ground is
tremendous.
2 ways round it.
1 - Literally dig the concrete out, always dig around the concrete, so
its clear of the soil and is not supported. If possible leave the post
in situ, if not rotted away, as you can lever with it. Chisel the
concrete, or split the concrete in half, look for weak spots. As I say
it takes me 1 hr to get a post and concrete out.
2 - Why not set the posts half a fence panel away or there abouts. So
you are digging and putting in posts in bare ground. Then make up a
half panel to fill in the offset. Leave the old concrete in the
ground.
When I come round to putting in new posts/panels in its amazing what
historical relics of fencing you find.
Rob Morley
says...
> Come on dothe job properly, do it the right way.
>
> It only takes me 1 hr to remove a post and concrete.
>
> http://www.gb-online.co.uk/gardhand.html
>
> The post will be approx 2ft in the ground, so how can you burn it out.
> It will be soaking wet, as the post has rotted. What a mess.
> Sodium Chlorate weedkiller has a fire depresant in it, so don't try.
> Oxy is too dangerous, and I have not seen a torch with a 2ft extension
> nozzle.
Danger is my middle name :-)
> Do not use Metapost unless its really really necessary. If you do not
> get them straight to start off with you have posts that lean over. Hit
> a stone as you drive them in, and they twist. So you have twisted
> posts.
Metpost repair spurs slide neatly between the post stump and the
concrete - it would be quite hard to put them in crooked.
Chris Bacon
It won't work. However, if you drill a pilot hole down the middle
of the post, and screw a long coach screw in, you might be able
pull out the stump with a suitably drilled piece of 4" RSJ or
other sturdy lever. Your best bet may be to drill the concrete
out at the corners/sides of the posts, and then try pulling the
stump out:
OOO holes
###
### stump
###
You need a good "eye", though (the drill but won't like going
into the timber, which helps). I removed a row of posts set into
a concrete foundation (*why?*) by drilling a channel out of one
side:
---------O----------
O
###
###
--------------------
and levering in the vertical slot with a wrecking bar. Probably
won't help you, though!
Problems can happen when there are knots, dents, or whatever in
the concreted-in stump - or some silly sod has driven nails into
the stump before concreting it in! I have come across that. Grr.
Mike Harrison
Maybe soak it in a solution of potassium nitrate, let it dry - this ought to encourage the wood
itself to burn in the presence of an oxidiser.
Liquid Oxygen would probably work as well...
bland
>> Do not use Metapost unless its really really necessary. If you do not
>> get them straight to start off with you have posts that lean over. Hit
>> a stone as you drive them in, and they twist. So you have twisted
>> posts.
>
> Metpost repair spurs slide neatly between the post stump and the
> concrete - it would be quite hard to put them in crooked.
the way to get them straight is simple: clamp the post in the spur before
it is put in the ground and keep the post vertical.
This makes a mess of the post top so use the old post then throw it away and
put the new one in when the spur is done.
bland.
jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk
to put a good bit of post in the hole that I had made and then try a
"Repair Spur", just to see if it would work.
Sounded like a good idea to me, until I found that 4" Repair Spurs are
almost impossible to get.. I even rang Metpost and was told that Travis
Perkins and Wyevale are the ONLY people who buy them off them. I
already know that TP have none as they checked their centre stock.. So,
if I can't get one froM Wyevale, then I am stuffed and its back to the
drawing board.
If anyone knows where I can get a 4" version of the Metpost "Repair
Spur" I would certainly be interested.
All the best
Jon
Chris Bacon
> I came up with a plan.. Since I am already down about 12", I was going
> to put a good bit of post in the hole that I had made and then try a
> "Repair Spur", just to see if it would work.
If you're down that far, it'll probably hold better than
a metpost anyway.....
Rob Morley
jon.p....@alcatel.co.uk says...
bumpy
>Maybe soak it in a solution of potassium nitrate, let it dry - this ought to encourage the wood
>itself to burn in the presence of an oxidiser.
>
>Liquid Oxygen would probably work as well...
Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs
and all that.
May be fill the hole up with potassium nitrate, a bit of charcoal and
maybe a bit of sulphur, mix it up a touch. Put a good heavy cap on it,
stand back and set light. That will clear the concrete and make a hole
at the same time. No need to recycle the concrete as you will not be
able to find it. The neighbours might complain thou ???
Bill
<ag...@agent.com> writes
>Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs
>and all that.
--
Bill
Mark S.
You could have just dug the concrete out and replaced it with a new
concrete post by now. :-)
Mark S.
david lang
> So, as a last resort I tried to burn it!.. I tried using petrol and it
> just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I
> then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However,
> the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again.
Home made napalm? Polystyrene dissovled in petrol to form a paste like goo?
Dave
Rob Morley
davi...@nospamblueyonder.co.uk says...
the wood which is underneath and starved of oxygen. Add an oxidant and
the wood will burn.
Andy
"AJH" <sy...@despammed.com> wrote in message
news:ttbjn1hq7olsdme74...@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 15 Nov 2005 02:51:48 -0000, Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com>
> wrote:
>
>>The problem with adding anything combustible is that it will burn, not
>>the wood which is underneath and starved of oxygen. Add an oxidant and
>>the wood will burn.
>
>
> One of the pyrotechnic projects I never got around to was to remove
> the wire wound bar cw ceramic from an old radiant fire and rejig it to
> fit down a hole drilled in a stump, plan was to attach it to an arc
> welder and just give it enough juice to carbonise the wood in situ.
> Might work in this case.
>
> AJH
>
Although Sodium Chlorate has a fire depressant added, it will still act as
an oxidiser: if you don't believe me, try sprinkling some on your log fire
next time you have one going,
Andy.
Martin Bonner
bumpy wrote:
> >
> >Maybe soak it in a solution of potassium nitrate, let it dry - this ought to encourage the wood
> >itself to burn in the presence of an oxidiser.
> >
> >Liquid Oxygen would probably work as well...
>
> Just where do you think you can get potassium nitrate from ??? bombs
> and all that.
>
> May be fill the hole up with potassium nitrate, a bit of charcoal and
> maybe a bit of sulphur, mix it up a touch. Put a good heavy cap on it,
> stand back and set light. That will clear the concrete and make a hole
> at the same time.
complicated than just mixing charcoal, saltpeter, and sulpher together
and stirring with a stick.
See http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/Stories/016.1/ for
example.
DStocker
Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on
line for $20 for 10 pounds. Theres a reason they use it for stump remover.
Drill holes in the remaining post as far down as possible. I used a 22inch
long, 1/2 inch machine bit from HF. The wood was soft so I probably got a
good 15" down before friction kicked in. Mix a 1/2 pound or so of Sodium or
Potasium Nitrate with water. It should be thin enough to soak into the wood.
Keep the sprinklers off. Then fill the holes with the P. N. powder. Can you
wait 6 months? Probably not. So speed up the process. Wait a couple days to
dry out. A blower of fan would help. Then, light it up! Soak 4 or 5
charcoals, soaked in mineral spirits, on top of the post and light it up.
There is not enough oxygen past 15 inches to support combustion with out the
P.N. that absorbed P N will smould for up to two days. I've had stumps where
the PN gets absorbed into the roots and it smolders 6 feet following the roots.
--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/how-can-i-burn-an-old-fence-post-out-211062-.htm
tabb...@gmail.com
> replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote:
> Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on
> line for $20 for 10 pounds.
We don't have harbour fright here.
Paul
> On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
>> replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote:
>
>> Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on
>> line for $20 for 10 pounds.
>
> ... if you want the police to take a keen interest.
> We don't have harbour fright here.
Or one of these maybe.
https://www.mining-technology.com/contractors/cutting/oxylanceinc/
"Where oxy / fuel torches produce a temperature of 2,450˚C to 2,760˚C,
burning bars produce heat in the range of 3,870˚C to 4,150˚C."
I like his safety outfit.
https://www.mining-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2017/09/oxylance-new-image-L.jpg
Who says you can't have fun at work ?
Paul
harry
alan_m
> On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
>> replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote:
>
>> Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be purchased on
>> line for $20 for 10 pounds.
>
> ... if you want the police to take a keen interest.
> We don't have harbour fright here.
>
>
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQnIgrXJd8
--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk
Paul
> On 12/06/2020 22:56, tabb...@gmail.com wrote:
>> On Friday, 12 June 2020 16:44:05 UTC+1, DStocker wrote:
>>> replying to Rob Morley, DStocker wrote:
>>
>>> Go back to the idea of using Potasium Nitrate, which can be
>>> purchased on
>>> line for $20 for 10 pounds.
>>
>> ... if you want the police to take a keen interest.
>> We don't have harbour fright here.
>>
>>
>
> Use Thermite
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXQnIgrXJd8
probably have trouble getting it started.
Thermite will start off a magnesium ribbon,
without additional blow torch work. (I did Thermite
as a chem department open house demo one year. I
wasn't very good at it. I have no future
as an arsonist.)
Paul
DStocker
I have been successful in removing 6 of my 8 posts down to the cement "bottom"
(22"), that were rotted out at the top of the cement but your right, it can be
a difficult process. Each post had a different level of rot and difficulty.
Even then, the new posts were bigger and required plaining to fit the holes.
We live in an area where fence contractors just cut the old posts off and dig
new holes for the new posts because of the rock tailings from the gold rush.
They leave the old crete in the ground. It seems the moisture trapped in the
post, as well as the depth of the post in the create keeps it from burning,
smoldering, like a tree stump would do after being prepared for burning. But
that can take 6 months or more. The depth seems to deprive the burn of
oxygen. Charcoal worked well up to about 8 inches. Then, I used a 5/8 drill
bit with a 22" shank available at HF. I drilled many holes down as far as they
would go and smashed them together with a 6' x 1" carbon steel pry-bar. Then
a cheezy planting auger that has about about a 2.5-3" width that I sharpened
in the grinder. I pulled the pieces out with a vacuum. I'm thinking, if I
had an acetylene torch, I could turn the oxygen on low enough to just feed the
smoldering process? Or just it to burn the post out like a small kiln. Maybe
a small fan from a computer on the top of the hole to keep the air
circulating? There has to be a better way to do this.
tabb...@gmail.com
> replying to jon.p.weaver, DStocker wrote:
> I have been successful in removing 6 of my 8 posts down to the cement "bottom"
> (22"), that were rotted out at the top of the cement but your right, it can be
> a difficult process. Each post had a different level of rot and difficulty.
> Even then, the new posts were bigger and required plaining to fit the holes.
> We live in an area where fence contractors just cut the old posts off and dig
> new holes for the new posts because of the rock tailings from the gold rush.
> They leave the old crete in the ground. It seems the moisture trapped in the
> post, as well as the depth of the post in the create keeps it from burning,
> smoldering, like a tree stump would do after being prepared for burning. But
> that can take 6 months or more. The depth seems to deprive the burn of
> oxygen. Charcoal worked well up to about 8 inches. Then, I used a 5/8 drill
> bit with a 22" shank available at HF. I drilled many holes down as far as they
> would go and smashed them together with a 6' x 1" carbon steel pry-bar. Then
> a cheezy planting auger that has about about a 2.5-3" width that I sharpened
> in the grinder. I pulled the pieces out with a vacuum. I'm thinking, if I
> had an acetylene torch, I could turn the oxygen on low enough to just feed the
> smoldering process?
Chris Green
posts out as we have a 9 acre smallholding with electric fencing on
wooden posts.
I'm lucky to have (and always have had) a mini-tractor with a
hydraulic three-point hitch on the back.
When I first wanted to pull the bottom of a broken post out I rather
tongue-in-cheek wondered if I could pull it out with the tractor's
three point hitch. Much to my surprise it worked quite easily with
just some 120mm screws driven into the post in the ground and a bit of
chain round them to pull with the hitch.
I now have three big (as in 300mm long by 10mm thick) coach screws
that I use to do this and it has never failed so far. I even lifted a
the remains of a big square field gate post (300mm square) using this
method.
I think it works well because the posts are rarely rotted down into
the ground, it's just an inch or so at ground level where there's both
water and air.
--
Chris Green
·
Vir Campestris
> I think it works well because the posts are rarely rotted down into
> the ground, it's just an inch or so at ground level where there's both
> water and air.
flint footings of the old outside toilet. I wouldn't have bothered if
I'd realised how deep they were... but I also found a three inch post.
I was able to pull it out by tying rope around the top, the levering it
with a 6ft crowbar.
Should have used stronger rope the first time. Thinking about it I
probably put half a ton of tension on it - and it broke.
Andy
Cynic
Ryan
I’ve burnt down about a foot. Diesel and oil. Powersawed with a 16” bar.
Going to dowel a piece of painted rebar into the bottom of new post and broken
one. Might look at a sealer before assembly, maybe devcon or rear diff rtv
Richie
Gets me every time!
--
For full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/uk-diy/how-can-i-burn-an-old-fence-post-out-211062-.htm
Lowena
John J
> Its that time of year again and I have just lost 4 fence posts...
> I know from bitter experience that they are surrounded in a mass of
> concrete, which goes down about 18-24", so this time I wondered if it
> was possible to remove the stump (leaving a nice square hole) and
> simply insert a new post.
> Initially it looked promising, as the 'stump' move slightly, but there
> were so much suction that I couldn't get it out.
> So my next attempt was to drill loads of holes into it and then try and
> break it out.. This kind of worked, but only got me down about 8 inches
> before this no longer worked (basically because it was so deep that I
> couldn't get any leverage)
> just flames, but very little damage appears to be done to the wood.. I
> then tryed BBQ lighter fluid and that seemed to work better. However,
> the BBQ fluid has run out and I am back to petrol again.
> frustrating as its taken almost 2 days!
> Is there anything I could use to burn/decompose/eat the wood?
> This may not help in this case, but certainly the other 3 posts might
> benifit from your answers.
> Any ideas or suggestions about be appreciated
> Jon
Oxygen lance?
Rod Speed
Not clear what that would do to the concrete tho.
Peeler
Speed, the auto-contradicting senile sociopath, blabbered, again:
<FLUSH the abnormal trolling senile cretin's latest trollshit unread>
--
dennis@home to retarded trolling senile Rodent:
"sod off rod you don't have a clue about anything."
Message-ID: <uV9lE.196195$cx5....@fx46.iad>
Brian Gaff
Brian
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"Chris Hogg" <m...@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:e4tm9hd5vps8c1cd2...@4ax.com...
> he's got them all out by now.
>
> --
>
> Chris