Creosote based coatings to prevent rust

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If you could provide an example of what you mean by Creosote (a link to a commercial product), that would help. I have seen creosote tar coatings to prevent horses from cribbing stables, but that stuff is nasty and smelly and would seem a poor choice to apply to a truck.

I would never, as in NEVER, use anything that hardened to a hard, tar-like coating. Gooey grease - yes - Tar - no. Water will eventually get under all hard coatings (spray tar, etc.) and once that happens, the coating is worse than nothing at all.
 
Someone did something like that to my 40 i got back in the 80's. It was put on in the early 80's and it is still on there. It still kinda stinks and is still very tar like still to this day. It is a sticky smelly stuff but it has worked very well and i have had no rust issues under this truck. It was only put on the underside, but pretty darn thick.
 
Hey Steve - Appreciate the reply & opinion

Unfortunately,.. I don't have more info right now.

Was talking to someone, who just purchased a bone stock 40 w/ original paint. I asked if there was any rust,... they said no,.... & proceeded to tell me that the previous owner had used creosote (years ago), to protect the truck from rust, going so far as to inject it into the door drains & other areas. The person I was speaking to, knows cruisers (where to look/inspect for rust),... & was going about cleaning the stuff off. In addition to the creosote - The truck had been garage kept & well maintained during it's life,... so who knows if the great condition is because of the creosote, or not.

Like you - From what I know about creosote - It's not something, intuitively, that I'd think would be a good idea,.... hence my question here. And matter of fact - he said actual creosote,... not something based from creosote (that was my wording).

Otherwise - It's a great 40.

Thanks again!
~CLK
 
krzyabncanuck said:
Someone did something like that to my 40 i got back in the 80's. It was put on in the early 80's and it is still on there. It still kinda stinks and is still very tar like still to this day. It is a sticky smelly stuff but it has worked very well and i have had no rust issues under this truck. It was only put on the underside, but pretty darn thick.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

FWIW - This 40 is an 80s truck, too.

Cheers!
~CLK
 
Safe to say that all rustproofing should be carefully inspected and reapplied in a nasty climate. Nothing is a 'apply once and forget about it' deal. Any thick greasy petroleum product can make a good rustproofing if you can get it applied where it needs to be. If you learn more, please post it.
 
Creosote is a timber preservative and has been typically used in this part of the world to treat hardwood railway sleepers.

I've never heard of it being used to protect steel before now.

:cheers:
 
Hey Tom,

As a kid, growing up - I worked on a horse farm.

We used creosote to treat wood, in stalls & on fences,... That'd been chewed on by horses.

Nasty stuff,... & not something I'd picture putting on/in a vehicle.

If/when I hear more about this truck,... & how it cleans up - I'll report back. Supposedly, the trucks's in very nice condition.

Cheers!
~CLK
 
Creosote is a carcinogen and I'd avoid it whenever possible, bad stuff. Especially dangerous when it burns. It has been used as a preservative for wood on power poles and railroad ties. Find something better suited for the intended purpose.
 
I would think a lanolin-based film such as Fluid Film would be a lot better and safer than creosote . I know from experience when climbing poles that if you slip and "burn" a pole it takes forever for arms/face/chest to heal from those nasty splinters . Not to mention people should never locate their (*)&%& mailbox near a utility pole - if you have to kick away from one that splits those boxes/posts hurt when you land on them.

I intend to use Fluid Film on mine , heated a bit to help penetrate seams after the metal and paint is done . Seems like it would be easy to re-apply as well .
Sarge
 
I have restored a few little British cars over the years. They, like the Japanese cars from the '60's and 70's, rust like crazy. One rust treatment that is popular among the MG,Triumph and Healey guys is to use a product called Penetrol. They swear by it and I have used it as well with good results. Penetrol is actually a paint conditioner. I believe it is linseed oil-based. It goes on pretty thin...about like kerosene. It can be purchased at Lowes or Home Depot for just a few dollars per can. What I do is go buy a cheap 1 gallon pump sprayer and load it up with two or three cans of Penetrol. Plan on throwing the sprayer away afterwards. If the Penetrol gets on your driveway you'll never get it off so park the vehicle in the grass or lay down an old tarp underneath. Jack it up and spray all the little cracks and crevices with the stuff. I usually pull the door panels and spray inside as well. The Penetrol will leak out over several hours time until it finally dries. It dries to a goldish honey color with a slight sheen. Avoid getting it on the paint. Cleans up pretty well from your hands with mineral spirits. Like I said, the British Car guys swear by it. It is cheap and it works well.

As for the old black creosote rust proofing...I have replaced a few British floorboards that were sprayed with the stuff by the dealer when the vehicle was new. It tends to crack over time and start to flake, creating "flaps" and other voids which trap dirt and water and cause rust. The most rust-free vehicles I have encountered were not sprayed with the stuff but instead left bare underneath and kept clean and dry and away from salt. No coating is a replacement for proper care and storage.
 
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Never heard of this stuff being used for autos but it used to be used extensively on saws when we got them from the manufacturer and machinery that was shipped or stored. Kind of a paint to remove (when you have a batch of 100 round saws to clean or a 42' bandsaw) but protects metal. Might be an interesting application. Creosote on the other hand is every nasty thing that has already been said about it. But I don't like the smell of the fluid film either.

http://www.cosmolinedirect.com/?gclid=CNrv2q668LgCFWQ6QgodpiEAoA
 
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