31-08-2004, 02:25 PM
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(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:ch1g0a$a4q$1
@pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:
| We are a maritime nation after all: most of our history wouldn't have
| happened if wood became instantly unuseable when slightly damp!
That Does Not Follow. Many woods last a lot better when wet than
when damp, and the algae that cause them to become slippery (inland)
are killed by sea water.
Sea water does a fine job of making things slippery and/or rotten. So does
fresh water. This I can vouch for from personal experience, having owned
and used a number of wooden boats. Plus, boats are sort of hollow? This
causes them to fill up with rainwater and go green inside...
Nonetheless, Britain is riddled with freshwater lakes, rivers and canals,
and surrounded by sea, much of it populated by people cheerily walking on
wooden surfaces that intermittently get drenched in both fresh and salt
water. A bit of sand in your varnish can do wonders.
Whenever decking is mentioned we always hear this chorus of 'slippery when
wet', yet this never happens when someone asks about lawns. My lawn is
definitely the slipperiest thing in my garden, as it slopes at a steep
angle, and what's more, it's slippery when it's dry too.
Incidentally, talking about unsuitable surfaces, how come we never hear
that slate makes unsuitable paving because it gets so damn hot in the sun?
I burnt my feet on slate paving stones a few weeks ago!
Victoria
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