Two questions: Pitch Glue, & Gut String

[Tracker]

Hey, I have a couple of questions, wonder if anyone has had experiance here. First is pine pitch glue, "wilderness epoxy". I made and shot my first arrow a couple of days ago.(Super great, it shot beautifully!) I wanted to use a bit of pitch glue on the fletch and point. So melted it in a container over a candle and mixed a little white wood ash with it. But it hardens in half a second, won't stick to anything but the binding, and is so brittle just pressing on it will break it. What am I doing wrong?

I have heard that gut has been used for bow string, that bear gut is particularly good. I took squirrel gut and hosed it out, stretched a little, and let it dry. It was too brittle to even bend without breaking. I have since read that squirrel guts were used, doubled, for bows. So what am I doing wrong with this?

Appreciate any tips, thanks guys!

[gutpile]

As for the pitch..you might of got some old brittle pitch to start with...if so..you need to mix in some beeswax or canuba to soften..I generally like to get soft pitch for hafting..the kind you can squeeze...I then heat it up next to a fire no direct heat ..it can easily catch on fire...I use a clay pot my daughter and I made...I'll mix in some hardwood ash with beeswax also..that keeps it from getting to brittle...hard to give you a recipe without seeing a feeling what you got so you need to experiment with it.I generally don't use the pitch as a glue but it will work..I like to hide glue my heads in and sinew wrap then pitch for waterproofing....also helps with the transition from point to shaft smooth transition.as for gut strings never done that..I use either sinew or yucca plant...which is what is available to me...hope this helps...gut

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[Tracker]

Thanks so much, Gut, the pitch was soft when I got it, but I may have heated it to much when I melted it to strain it. I will try a bit of beeswax. Those arrows of yours are incredible, good work. And neat that you and your daughter made your clay pot, I have made some and love working clay. I don't have sinew right now, so I was using yucca to wrap the point and fletch, that is why I needed a bit of glue, no shrinkage, you know. I will gather some more sap and try again.

Tracker

[Hillbilly]

Pine pitch is pretty variable. The more volatile oils you boil out, the more brittle it gets too unless you add more stuff to it. I use pitch as a mastic for hafting stone points, for that I usually mix about half-and-half pitch and finely ground charcoal. The charcoal keeps it from being too brittle. For an actual glue-type mixture, equal parts pitch, charcoal, and beeswax/tallow usually works good. Every batch of pitch is different, so you just have to experiment and add a pinch of this and a bit of that until it has the consistancy you want.

[Pat B]

I prefer for pitch to be hard and brittle for pitch glue. If it isn't, I cook it until the volatile oils have evaporated and it is brittle. I usually add equal parts of bees wax and finely ground charcoal to make pitch glue. For pitch varnish , the brittle stuff is the best because when the alcohol evaporates the pitch is cured. If gooey pitch is used the finished varnish will be gooey until the volatile oils evaporate. I have read about primitives using pitch right from the tree(gooey) to glue down fletchings. I would rather wrap fletching or use hide glue to attach fletching.      Pat

[JackCrafty]

I've used brewer's pitch to glue on a couple points.  It gets soft in warm weather, so I don't like using it.  Brewer's pitch is gooey...but easy to get in large quantities.  I've tried using it as a paint binder but it has to be heated when applying it.  It's one heck of a challenge.

I've broken rawhide (cow) and gut (pig) when testing the strength for bowstrings.  I don't like 'em.  However, I recently made a successful rawhide bowstring from a deer hide I processed myself.  I think that if you're careful, rawhide makes a good string.  I wouldn't trust gut unless it was thick.  Sinew strings are the way to go, IMO.

[Pat B]

Patrick, what is brewers pitch and where can I get some?  Sounds like it would be good to mix with bees wax for bow string wax.   

[JackCrafty]

Pat, brewer's pitch was used to make wooden containers water tight (or beer tight) in times past.  I get mine from---http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?cPath=26&products_id=373.  (It's expensive)  It's processed pine pitch....but don't ask me what the process is.  I think most of the oils have been taken out, though.

You can also get similar stuff from soap making suppliers.....but it's getting harder to find cheap sources.  I think these guys are still in business---http://cranberrylane.stores.yahoo.net/gumrosin.html.

[Pat B]

Thanks.

[Tracker]

Say, that sounds like it might work good in making leather water bottles. Here is a good link to making leather flasks.

http://www.geocities.com/baldurstrand/bottle/waterbottle.html

[Tshank]

From what I have been told about gut, you have to soak it, trim any fat and cut down one side to make it a strip.  Afterword, stretch and twist to remove some moisture.  I saw someone do it with elk intestine.  You will want a bigger animal and probably start with 3 ply or better.