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Cleaning weathered wood…

Started by metalspinner, August 26, 2021, 06:26:14 PM

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metalspinner

...like barn wood. 
I have a job I need to bid installing some barn wood as an accent wall in a home. 
The wood belongs to the homeowner who has already had it denailed, Kiln dried and currently piled in her garage.  

My thought is to straight line rip it, "clean it," and install it with my finish nailer. 
I've seen a couple of handheld brush sanders -the Makita which is near $600 all the way down to a porter cable which seems like junk. 
There is also a brush designed on an angle grinder platform that seems heavy enough to be worthwhile having. 
What do you guys do to knock the dirt, chicken crap, and stuff off the barn wood but still leave the saw marks, etc??
This will be in a stairway wall. So there's good chance it rubbed and bumped on a lot. Need to get the loose stuff off. 

I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

I have seen some nice looking material that was clean with a 3M brush that was called Brushlon.  So, I do think a brush is the way to go.  Check out 
https://www.e-aircraftsupply.com/MSDS/7100051065.pdf
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

beenthere

Light pressure wash, stiff scrub brush, rinse and dry. Just scrub off the dirt and leave the wood. 
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

cabindoc

I have the junk Port a Cable you speak of and have used it many times.  for a small job like that, I think it will work well and it has a vac port so you can pull some of the chicken poop into your festool hepa vac.  Also, after that I do agree the boards should be washed with a light power wash and if you have enough $$ in the job, hit with a clear coat using water based latex stain or water based poly while on horses.  I also recommend 15# felt on the wall first so one doesn't see white in between the boards as one ascends and descends floor to floor. 

 Sorry, more than you asked, I just cant help myself....
Scott  aka cabindoc  aka logologist at large
Woodmiser LT35 hyd
Kabota MX5400

doc henderson

we took some barn wood and split it on the mill to make it thinner and double the sq. footage for a wall.
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

metalspinner

Thanks for the reply's. 
This is the first time I will be dealing with this wood. So y'all experience is valuable to me. 
Cabindoc, I have not used the PC only have seen reviews on the internet. So it's good to hear you think it will work for this job.  And thanks for the other tips. I think a clear seal coat would be a nice touch. 

I'm going over today to get a look at the situation and talk about the details with the owner. 

Another use of the brush tool could be barrel stave projects. I have been building a few things with staves lately and they can be dirty. So I have another need for a good cleaning tool and process. 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Crusarius

Can almost guarantee there will still be nails in it. proceed with caution.

metalspinner

Crusarious

This will have to be part of my cost projection. 
I have the SawStop table saw and I will need to run the saw in "bypass" mode. Not just because of a missed nail. But the rust left behind by pulled nails could trigger the brake. 
I will need to remember to bypass every time I turn on the saw! It's easy to forget. One forgetful cut can cost me up to up to $175 in a ruined blade and new cartridge. 
Aside from that, the dirt will just kill my blades. We are without a local saw sharpening service right now. The guy I used retired and I haven't been able to find someone else, yet My blades are piling up!
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

metalspinner

It sounds like I'm being negative about the job. But I'm not. Just trying to think through all the issues and expenses that are "hidden" costs. 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

kantuckid

After de-nailing I always used a wooden handled SS wire brush on any wood that went through my planer. I've torn down several old barns & houses so we are talking lots of wood. I'd then blow it off with high pressure air. Over many boards you WILL miss some nails and tacks or remnants of them. Never tried that 3m Brushlon but I've used the coated abrasive brushes trying to save time on hand (whack a gouge style ) carved bowls. Most of that type stuff is pricey though. A simple round wire wheel works well but an eyeball accident waiting to happen as they fly all over the place. 
Depends some on the species and what look that ladies after? 
 
Kan=Kansas;tuck=Kentucky;kid=what I'm not

doc henderson

I think @tule peak timber made a machine to do this although I think it was to add interest to some of his artistic foe creations.  
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

GeneWengert-WoodDoc

Be very careful with a power washer as on old barn wood, the surface fivers, and several hundredths of an inch deeper,  are weaker than normal, so they will fuzz easily.  The resulting surface will be very fuzzy with lots of loose fibers.  The appearance may not be acceptable to a customer.  If you take all these fibers off, the "barn wood appearance. Will be lost.
Gene - Author of articles in Sawmill & Woodlot and books: Drying Hardwood Lumber; VA Tech Solar Kiln; Sawing Edging & Trimming Hardwood Lumber. And more

Hilltop366

If you are just cutting thin boards on a regular table saw you can switch the blade out with a 7¼ circular saw blade, cheap to replace after hitting nails. I would recommend a good face shield though.

Not sure if this is possible with a SawStop saw.

A stiff scrub brush on a broom handle and a garden hose would be safer for the wood finish than a pressure washer.

petefrom bearswamp

Did my weathered WRC Adirondack chairs with my pressure washer set on the lowest setting with no issues.
My goal was to remove the gray patina and stain.
Had no issues but sounds like you want the weathered appearance.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

metalspinner

Hilltop366

The Sawstop must use a 10" blade. There is a .070" gap between the blade and the brake cartridge that must be maintained for the system to work. 
I could just by the cheapest 10" blade available. 

I've ordered this and will see what it does this week. 



 

But will use this brush wheel



 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

metalspinner

The polisher and wheel came in and I gave them a test drive on these three materials... an old, dry wine barrel stave, a piece of spalted log, and a very weathered piece of barn wood. 
The plastic wire wheel is labeled as 120 grit. 


 
And here are the results. I know it will be tough to see the real difference in these pics. Aside from the look, the feel of the polished material is very nice.


The left side is untouched  the right side is polished...

 

 

 


 

Before...



 

After...



 

This 120 grit wheel removed the lose stuff well and polished the splinters just fine. It did not remove any wood or texture, which is what I am after. 

And this was just a quick 10 second pass on each piece. I angled the sander in the corners and crevices,too, to see what would happen. I don't notice any change in shape of the material. Just smoothness to the texture. 

This tool is pretty well balanced and feels good to work with. It's definitely an outside tool. Maybe even with a fan blowing across the work. It isnt terribly loud or high pitched. 

But this was just 2 minutes of playing with it. We'll see what I think after handling it a while. 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

farmfromkansas

I had some old barn sheeting, and a buddy wanted it to line his daughter's store.  He took a sander and sanded the boards just enough to make them somewhat smooth, but leave the saw marks.  The sander cleaned up the boards as well, and instead of getting splinters if you get up against the wall, it feels smooth.
Most everything I enjoy doing turns out to be work

metalspinner

Well, I landed this installation job. The wood is in very good condition and was already 90% denailed. 

I gave it a once over with a wire brush and air compressor and pulled the remaining nails. 



 



 



 



 



 

After sorting it and counting, there's about 300sqft. There is plenty more 8/4 boards in case I need to add some later. But this should be close. 

These boards are fairly straight so getting dimensional pieces from them should be easy enough. 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

Joe Hillmann

I have a sandrite b12 brush sander.    I originally used 60 grit paper but now use 40 grit.

Grizzly makes a similar machine.  Although it probably isnt worth buying one for a single job.

metalspinner

I finally got around to installing this barn wood. Mostly, anyway. Need to go back today to finish the job.

This was all sent through the edger at Teenswingers place. This stuff was amazingly flat all things considered.

The customer wanted as much "character" included  so I didn't plane anything. With all the boards at 5 1/2", little height differences help make the wall a bit more 3-D.

Also, no T&G. So I used trim head screws to attach to the wall. The screws are able to pull the boards flat against the sheet rock.

Each step has to be coped.


 



 

The tread lights and switches need box extenders. I trimmed the doorway out with 8/4.



 



 

And I walked 3.5 miles between the mitersaw, table and up/down the steps yesterday.

Oh, and only 36 steps between the bed and coffee pot this morning. 😂


 



I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

btulloh

Looks good.  Nice work. That's a lot of coping. 
HM126

samandothers

Looks like the polisher and sanding wheel did a good job!  Though a lot of walking you coped very well. ;D

WDH

Chris, 

That wall and trim detail is fantastic!!
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

metalspinner

Thanks for the kind words. 
I was able to finish up the woodwork yesterday with just  2.5 miles walked. 😆
I need to go back once more to re hang the railing. The customer is still deciding about a finish. I believe a satin water based seal coat will deepen the colors and smooth out the  the wood texture a bit. I'll make up a couple of samples for her to help decide. 

It's amazing how much texture is in this material. It really is a beautiful material to look at. Definitely worth the extra time and expense of working with it, IMO. 



 


 


 


 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

doc henderson

I agree.  it looks like the burnisher/sander worked well, but for the wall cap, you know people are gong to slide their hand along the cap.  a little finsh will help encase that wood and any little fiber that might wind up in a finger as the wood continues to dry out.  nice work.   :)
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

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