Pine Pitch "Varnish" Question

[bowtarist]

I found me a big old gob of hard dry pine pitch and am wanting to make some "varnish" to seal the sinew on my prim arrows.  Do I use denatured alcohol or isopropal?  I use the isopropal for the stuff I make w/ propolis. 

Also I found some other pitch that was more soft.  Is there any way I can get this to dry faster?

Thanks for your input, dpgratz

[Pat B]

Derik, either alcohol will work. I use denatured but I have it for degreasing anyway.
  The softer pitch can be cooked to evaporate the volatile oils out and that will make it brittle. Be very careful while cooking the pitch. It is very volatile and will combust if it gets too hot.
 

[criveraville]

Pat thanks for the warning, but that would be cool to see.

Cipriano

[Pat B]

Do it outside cipriano!!! 

[bowtarist]

Thanks Pat.  You ever cooked it down to dry it?  I've made the glue w/wax and charcoal, cooked it in a tuna can and a soup can.  Seems like I'd want somethin' flatter to try and dry it.  Any ideas?  Tuna can was pretty flat.  How do you think I'll know when it's done?  gonna be like making candy?    derik

[Pat B]

I cook pitch on my wood stove. When it begins to boil I remove and let it cool. Then I test it. If it is brittle I go from there to either pitch glue or varnish. If it is still "soft" I'll cook it again. I do this until it is the consistancy I want. I use a soup can also.
    You can leave pitch alone and eventually it will harden after the volatile oils evaproate on their own.  That's how Mother Nature does it. All I am doing with the heat is to speed up this evaporation process.

[jonathan creason]

You can also use grain alcohol if you'd like.  I know a few guys that do it that way because they don't want to handle chemicals.  I just finished up a knife that I sealed with pitch varnish and I love the grip.

[Pat B]

Jonathan, a few years ago someone brought some pretty bad tasting white lightning to the Classic. I brought the remainder of it home and used it for pitch varnish. 

[stringstretcher]

Now Pat?  Is that your story and you sticking to it???

[Pat B]

This stuff was bad. If it didn't get drunk at the Classic it had to be bad! 

[mullet]

I make mine by soaking it in Turpentine till it desolves.

[Pat B]

Eddie, I use that mixture on tempered bow bellies similar to what Marc does.

[mullet]

Smells good, don't it. I've used turpentine and water in a spray bottle for cover scent, also.

[Pat B]

Thats the piney woods rooters in both of us. Southern pine forest habitats. 
  I remember driving on Hwy 17 through Brunswick GA and going by the Herculese plant that made gun powder I think. They had piles of terpentine tree lighter stumps 5 stories high. You could smell that pine smell going down the highway.