wood boiling tank question?

[bob goeckel]

i'm building a tank to boil cedar ribs for a canoe project. during the cold michigan winter is there anything i can add to the water to keep it from freezing instead of having to drain and refill it each time. i am wondering if windshield washer fluid added to it would harm the cedar or restrict me from heating the water or would something else work.the tank will be sitting in an unheated shop much of the time.thanks

[ 09-15-2003, 07:56 PM: Message edited by: bob goeckel ]

[Donn]

How about salt?

[Frank Wentzel]

Bob

Windshield washer antifreeze use various alcohols to drop the freezing temperature. (Or at least it did when I used it 25 years ago in New Jersey.) The alcohols would boil out rather quickly when you heat the mixture and leave you with plain water. Of course by then you probably wouldn't care!

/// Frank ///

[Dave Fleming]

Boiling what the hell is boiling boat ribs/frames??????????????????

[Mrleft8]

Originally posted by Dave Fleming:
Boiling what the hell is boiling boat ribs/frames??????????????????Boat soup?

[Fitz]

Bob,

Sure you don't want to build a steam box? Easily done and 2 gallons of water in a pot will cook a mess of ribs.

Yum

smile.gif

[Bruce Hooke]

Originally posted by Dave Fleming:
Boiling what the hell is boiling boat ribs/frames??????????????????For reasons that I don't recall at the moment, this is common practice for some aspects of canoe building. That said, under the circumstances I wonder if steaming might not be an easier way to go.

[Gerald]

As often happens ....... you ask a simple question and some of us try to talk you into doing something else! However, I once steamed ribs for a canoe with a steam box made from PVC and it worked well. I added a pitcock to a pressure cooker and ran a hose from the pitcock to a fitting in a pc. of capped 4" PVC. About 40 seconds after opening the pitcock and you could tie a knot in a cedar strip. The cedar also dries fast with steam.
Sorry but can't help with the real question ........ cuz it never gets that cold here. hee hee
Gerald Niffenegger

[Art Read]

I tried "boiling" the fashion pieces for my transom when I wasn't having much luck steaming 'em the usual way. That didn't work either. They wound up being the only "laminated" work on the boat. It works pretty good for model making though... (I got the idea while cooking spaggetti one night... ;) )

[ 09-16-2003, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Art Read ]

[bob goeckel]

i have a steambox, just planned on building the canoe the most accepted way. didn't cost anything. the salt idea might work, some one else suggested a water trough heater or gutter heater. apparently cedar ribs become and stay very flexible with this method. thanks everyone!