“Esitol” Wood Preservative.

Progress, Volume XVII, Issue 3, 1 November 1921, Page 63

“Esitol” Wood Preservative.

An interesting booklet published by the manufacturers of “ Esitol ” wood preservative gives some details that prospective users should know. The manufacturers claim that “ Esitol” will do all that creosote will do. It is odourless, making the immediate habitation of a house possible, and it is harmless to plant life. In greenhouse and conservatory work there is a big future before “ Esitol ” because it is so much cheaper than paint. It preserves the wood better than paint, and is considered for this purpose quite as decorative.

Creosote does noc always preserve wood, being a combination of an oil and an acid, the acid portion tends to destroy the hbres of the wood, the only preserving action that creosote has is due to the oily constituents, these being volatile; m time wood treated with creosote will be left entirely unprotected. The hotter the climate the more rapid will be this volatilisation.

The chemicals of which “Esitol” is made are not volatile; therefore they cannot be driven out ot wood by increased temperature. As temperature does not effect the wood preserving qualities of “Esitol” it is a much more permanent preservative than creosote.

With regard to the degree of penetration, very often in the case of piles, pit-props, railway sleepers, etc., the creosote has to be forced into the wood under pressure, which is a very expensive process. Now plain water penetrates wood more easily than an oil will. It is a well-known chemical fact that certain inorganic salts in solution in water have a peculiar affinity for wood. Therefore they will penetrate, attack, or bite into the wood more easily and more rapidly than anything else. This is the case with “Esitol ” wood preservative, altnough water is the medium used for impregnating the hbres of the wood with preserving chemicals; once these chemicals come into contact with the tannin and cellulose of the wood they form an insoluble compound that cannot be re-dissolved by water. For this reason “Esitol” can be used for under-water piles with perfectly satisfactory results; the insoluble chemicals will resist the Teredo and other sea vermin much longer than piles treated with an oily preservative like creosote. The colouring matter penetrates into the wood just as deeply as a similar application of creosote. The chemical explanation of this fact is that the wood preserving elements in “Esitol” are practically colourless; the surface of the wood acts as a kind of filter, the colours purposely being retained on the surface and being “ fixed ” there by means of a chemical fixative which enables the colours to resist the action of the weather—wet or dry. ‘Esitol” is non-inflammable, and is a very quick dryer. It can be painted over or varnished over immediately it is dry, and is claimed to be an excellent preservative for railway sleepers and much cheaper than creosote or tar.