Hello and Welcome to Bearfort Lodge. I hope that you enjoy your visit and find the information you seek. Please feel free to leave a comment. -- Bearfort
In many previous posts I discuss the use of boric acid during the process of replacing chinking, repairing logs and have identified several other uses where boric acid should be used as well as methods of application.
Boric acid works as a wood preservative — it kills mold, mildew as well insects and is very useful to have around any home - not just log homes.
I have received numerous emails and questions as to where to find boric acid. In fact more than one reader has emailed saying that they found boric acid at a local pharmacy which was both very small amounts and at an astronomical cost.
Boric acid is not very expensive and a little goes a long way.
I have placed in the side bar a link to the best source for boric acid they carry boric acid (PeneTreat) in the perfect sized quantities for most applications at a very attractive price.
Over a period of time I will be sharing my sources for materials as I have chosen them very carefully. I do not take such relationships lightly. Service and quality are chief concerns. I could easily load up on links to various suppliers of materials yet I refuse to do so. Links to such are chosen very carefully and only after extensive conversations.
Please follow the above link and should you wish to call them, ask for Mike Carey. He is a wealth of information. Tell him that Bearfort Lodge says hello.
While the snow is falling outside I’m working on repairing chinking inside the lodge.
Most of the chinking throughout the lodge is in great shape however there are a few spots here and there that are in need of attention. Some areas are simply cosmetic repairs and other areas are in need of being completely re-chinked. As you can see in the photos there has been damage to the chinking along the fireplace and chimney.
I’ve been gone for quite some time and have been working with a few people as to incorporating video into the website to provide how-to videos of some of the projects that are happening around here.
In an effort to provide better information as to the restoration progress around Bearfort Lodge and improved instructions and demonstrations of some of the projects this first video is simply an introduction.
A reader of Bearfort Lodge recently sent me this wonderful email and photos of their beautiful work - Stunning! - Here is their email and photos.
Hi there! Using your mortar mix suggestions and simple steps, laid back attitude, and easy tofollow article - we have finally re-chinked the logs under our porch!
Thanks to you - after two years of researching methods and what to use and how to do - yours was the simplest and best.
In the last installment of Replacing a Rotted Log I left off where the log had been fitted and wrestled into position.
My next step was to fine tune the position and spike the log to the adjoining standing logs. I used galvanized spikes and drove them through the new log at an angle near each cheek at both the top and the bottom of the log positioned so that the head of the spike will be covered by the chinking. My crude diagram here shows the placement of the spikes from a few different views.
Since the log is being inserted to an existing log wall I am very limited as to the placement of the spikes and the size of the spike as I am having to attack the spiking from very awkward positions. I spike from two positions at each end and have drilled a tight pilot hole in the new log so that I do not run the risk of splitting.
Perched atop a a 40′ ladder is not my idea of fun when it comes to chinking but you do what you have to do. Im not afraid of heights by any means - its just an awkward place to work.
A section of chinking was found to be loose way atop the north face. The 100 year old chinking had begun to give way and needed to be replaced. Had it been at eye level that would be fine but this was a foot below the roof line along the chimney. Oh well.
One of the many tasks on the list here at the lodge is to replace a railing that had been removed yearsago on the second floor deck.
The 16′x16′ deck also serves as the roof for the master bedroom below.
The previous owners had removed the railing most likely at a time when they resurfaced the roof with a rubber membrane probably in an effort to waterproof.
The rubber roofing had eventually deteriorated, cracked and failed and I resurfaced it but this time with an asphalt material.
In the last post on Replacing a Rotted Log - I had removed a log that was rotted and weakened by wood boring insects.
Now that the old log has been removed I have to focus on prepping the new log that will be inserted and spiked in its place.
Using a large blunt masonry chisel I scrape and peel away all of the bark. The log is still a bit green which makes bark removal relatively easy. Removing bark from a seasoned log goes much faster.
If this were a larger log I would use a spud. A spud is a long handled tool sort of like a garden hoe but with a wide flat and blunt end. A blunt end ensures that you do not cut into the wood as the idea is to remove only the bark. A sharp tool would bite into the wood.
