A Forgotten, But Yet Useful Wood Treatment

Really interesting !!

I'm amazed no one has figured out how to mix it with oil for applications where, for example, it might be damp, but not so wet it would wash it off.

Decades back, I read articles about it. It's used to treat wood to make termites and carpenter ants disinterested in it.

The article, erroneously, gives the impression it can be used in place of poly. It can't, where rain and such would flush it out.

Not mentioned in the article is, it acts differently in wood than it does in concrete. It reacts chemically in concrete to, essentially, or somewhat, make it more like bastard granite. However, it's said there are better concrete treatments now days. Still, it has its value and uses.

A PERPLEXITY SEARCH:

Question:  "what happens when I treat concrete with sodium silicate"

Answere:  "Treating concrete with sodium silicate (“water glass”) causes a chemical reaction that densifies and hardens the surface, reduces porosity and dusting, and slightly improves water resistance, but it can also create a very tight, sometimes coating‑resistant surface if overdone.

What chemically happens

When you apply sodium silicate to cured concrete, it soaks into the pores and capillaries and reacts with free lime (calcium hydroxide) in the cement paste to form calcium silicate hydrate (CSH), the same binding gel that gives concrete its basic strength. This new CSH fills and narrows the pores near the surface, leaving a denser, harder matrix and consuming some of the loose lime that would otherwise contribute to dusting."

Only made it about 30 seconds in to the video (I have a hard time watching/supporting AI generated everything), but it did pique my interest.  This article was interesting: https://research.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/33696

First I’ve heard of this.
Wish I’d known about it sooner.

Anyone know how this treatment reacts against Galvalume?

Doubt that it would be as valuable as paint in most applications.  Aside chemical reactions that make it an integral part of what it's applied to, like concrete, anything it's put on and then exposed to water see it washed off.

Kelly
I was thinking of projects such as our new pole barn wherein the purlins can’t be pressure treated because those chemicals break down the metal.
However, the wood doesn’t get wet unless there’s a circular wind with uplift while it’s raining. It’d take a lot to get them more than damp.

Is this somewhat related to N3 Nano and The Carbon Method?

Is sounds like they work similarly. 

What are those, Petey?  

I assume the carbon is the flame treating of the wood.