To those that don't paint their equipment...

contactme_11 · October 22, 2009, 07:00:40 PM

I don't know how you guys do it. Over the pass spring and summer I made a lot of woodenwares out of necessity and didn't have time to paint it with anything before putting it into use. I figured it wouldn't matter, some people don't do anything to preserve their stuff anyway. All I can say is "wow". As I get ready for winter I'm cleaning up stuff around my yards and everything I left unpainted is so dry it's scary and some stuff was cracking pretty bad after just a few months. So now I'm painting everything I put away with whatever paint I want to get rid of. It looks like a rainbow in my yard, it's kind of fun. :-D

PeeVee · October 22, 2009, 08:06:19 PM

Ah, to paint or not to paint - that is the question!

I painted the hive furniture that I purchased in the spring - two deeps and two mediums. The boxes I made myself I have not painted. One hive is in service housing a feral colony. The material is Eastern White Pine from a tree from my back yard. Although there is that attachment, I don't plan on painting. I also don't plan on spending the time to paint the furniture I'm currently constructing. I guess I'll report back in a few years on this plan.

hardwood · October 22, 2009, 08:58:19 PM

Wow, ya'll have it made in your climate(s). If you didn't paint or otherwise protect your woodenware here in Central Fl, you'd be lucky to get a season out of it (unless of course you're making out of teak, ipe, jatoba or some other resinous hardwood @ 4x the cost).

Let me know how it works for you...I'm really interested :)

Scott

Jack · October 22, 2009, 08:59:09 PM

Some lumber is more likely to peel out with the grain than others. I have built many boxes from eastern white pine and never painted any. I have one or two with a grain separation but for the most part all have weathered well. The corners must be well made and interlocking. As part of my job I had to machine some cypress the other day. I was surprised at how the grain raised between the growth rings. I considered that even though the wood has a good weather resilience, this grain separation could outweigh that benefit.

If approached from an environmental standpoint I feel no paint also the best option.

John Schwartz · October 22, 2009, 09:03:09 PM

I had good success with Linseed Oil/Beeswax mix on some topbar hives I made a couple years back. Withstood our damp/rainy climate here well.

PeeVee · October 22, 2009, 09:26:45 PM

Quote from: Jack on October 22, 2009, 08:59:09 PM
Some lumber is more likely to peel out with the grain than others. I have built many boxes from eastern white pine and never painted any. I have one or two with a grain separation but for the most part all have weathered well. The corners must be well made and interlocking. As part of my job I had to machine some cypress the other day. I was surprised at how the grain raised between the growth rings. I considered that even though the wood has a good weather resilience, this grain separation could outweigh that benefit.

If approached from an environmental standpoint I feel no paint also the best option.

The boxes I make with "lock miter" joints. Very strong and pretty much self squaring (if the router is set right ;-) )

sarafina · October 24, 2009, 01:41:10 AM

Quote from: hardwood on October 22, 2009, 08:58:19 PM
Wow, ya'll have it made in your climate(s). If you didn't paint or otherwise protect your woodenware here in Central Fl, you'd be lucky to get a season out of it (unless of course you're making out of teak, ipe, jatoba or some other resinous hardwood @ 4x the cost).

Let me know how it works for you...I'm really interested :)

Scott

I would like to know, too....... since I live on the Gulf Coast with humidities in the +90's for most of the Summer (yes, that is humidity and not temp although it is hard to tell them apart sometimes LOL) and half of the Fall......