Feedback on ..."How to Mend a Barbed Wire Fence"

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A run of new wire should be tight enough to "sing" when tapped anywhere along its length with a wooden hammer handle. Old barb, however, may be so weak that it can be stretched only from post to post.

[14] When all broken posts and wire have been repaired, a barbed wire fence can often best be tightened and made stock-proof by the addition of extra vertical posts called "floaters" (since they are not set into the ground). Two should always be added between regular posts on each new fence, to prevent livestock from spreading the wires apart.

Fasten each floater with staples or galvanized wire so that it can't slip. You can even hold small ones in place with the soft, smooth galvanized wire that is sometimes thrown away in great quantities from vegetable packing sheds. Lace every floating post down through the horizontal strands of wire (in front of the first, behind the second, etc.). This will tighten the fence so that it can't sag, which will help it last many more years than is normal. If enough floaters are woven into the strands, you'll have almost a netting effect.

If you don't have a ready source of wooden or iron pipe floaters, you should know that fencing supply dealers frequently sell "ready-mades" fabricated from twisted wire. They're easily installed merely by "twisting them on" to your horizontal strands of barbed wire (as is often done along many railroad and highway fences).

Whatever kind of floaters you use, you should keep in mind another strong point in their favor: They make breaks in the horizontal strands of fencing easier to repair. Often a replacement piece of barb can be installed with no need for splices at all: Just run it from one floater to another. Likewise, a broken main strand on a floater-equipped fence sometimes doesn't even have to be replaced if its loose ends are merely bent back around the nearest floater on each side of the break and securely twisted to the uprights.

[15] Never apply whitewash to a wire fence, or anywhere near it. The "preservative" causes almost instant rust. For the same reason, use only galvanized barb and staples. Contact with ungalvanized metal will start rust even in good wire.

As I said before, building fences and repairing them really isn't difficult. Just follow a few simple rules and take the time to do a good job. Even old fencelines, properly maintained, will serve you well for many years.

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