The Forestry Forum

I am looking for sol-u-bor  or Tim-bor to buy locally, but i can't find it.  Who sells it?   

Also what are the limits for using it?  Such as can you use it for ground contact?  or just for for just preventing bugs? 

Also if there is another product that is out there cheaper and easier to get let me know, so far I am only finding stuff online in Cloumbus Ga. 

We use 60% Borax and 40% Boric Acid, which gives the maximum solubility of borates in water. Mix about 1lb of the (combined) powder into a gallon of water for a 10% solution. It can take a while to dissolve... or use hot water to speed that.

From there we either spray it on as a general keep everything away in the stacks, dip the timber block stack and cover for a month, or leave in a cold dip for 2 weeks or a hot dip for 24HRS. It's important to understand that for borax to diffuse into the timber it needs moisture to do that. Borax sprayed on dry timber will stop soaking into the wood as soon as the water dries, and borax applied to drying timber will not penetrate far. Mostly for our cabinetry woods we spray on as we strip out to dry ie: it's only a surface coat to keep bugs from the stack, though we tend to block stack our structual stuff to retard drying so there is some diffusion happening there.

Borax is a generally useful timber preservative. Retards fire, keeps bugs out, keeps fungal attacks out. But it will leach out in the ground or if the timber is wet. For that reason it's generally regarded as a not in ground contact treatment. However proper treatment with borax followed by a sealer to prevent leaching should/would work

You can order Solubor from an Ag fertilizer supply company.  It is used as a boron micronutrient fertilizer additive.  If you cannot get it there, you can get it in Hawkinsville, GA.  Solubor costs less than half of Timbor.  Same active ingredient and same concentration.  Just a different label.  Solubor as a fertilizer supplement, Timbor as an insecticide.  Check the Agricultural chemical supply places in your area.  There is another product called Beau-Ron D.  Also sold as a fertilizer supplement.  Exactly the same stuff.  It is Disodium Octaborate Tetrahydrate with 20.5% boron.   You can Google the labels.

Thanks, guys 
I was never all the good at the chem stuff.  I am way more smarter now!