Prolonging the life of a Hurdle.
When hurdles leave the farm they are freshly woven and supple, to increase their life it is advisable to erect them as soon as possible, and not to leave in a flat pile for more than three weeks. If they are to be stored for longer they should be left upright, to allow the air to circulate. It is also important to erect them solidly. As the hurdles dry with age they become less supple. The better they are erected the longer they will last.
The hurdle is simply nailed on to the rails. This arrangement keeps the hurdles very rigid.
In order for the willow to be supple enough to weave it has either been soaked in water for 5 days or is used green, and is therefore completely saturated. For this reason we are unable to treat the hurdles with any preservative as none will be absorbed. Some people prefer to allow the hurdles to age naturally, the hurdles age to a silver grey colour, and therefore do not treat the hurdles. If you wish, can use a preservative to extend the life of the hurdle, this should be painted on after the hurdle has had time to dry, depending on weather conditions a few weeks to a few months. here are three types of preservative that can be used, a light coloured creosote which has a harsher action and is not plant friendly, or a water based preservative which is plant friendly but not as effective. Alternatively the traditional method of preserving willow is to lightly paint a mixture of boiled linseed oil and traditional turpentine 50/50.
An additional way of preserving hurdles is to allow larger leaf varieties of ivy to grow over the hurdle (we have been told of a willow fence preserved from the 1960s with Ivy over it).
Nailing the hurdle through the upright sticks on to the stake is the easiest way of erecting a hurdle. Simply drill a small hole in the stick and use a galvanised nail.
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