Using Spruce Gum

[Digital Caveman]

I just cooked down and strained a small batch of spruce gum today.  It is very hard and brittle.  It's mostly black, but with some amber streaks.  How should I turn this into a bow finish or something I can haft points with?

Thanks,

[Pappy]

Never done any spruce before but bet you can do it just like pine pitch, a little bees wax and some filler at least that's what I would try.
 Pappy

[Digital Caveman]

Ok, I sometimes blur the difference between them.

Is there a way to find a reasonable amount of either?  I can only occasionally find blobs of resin or gum on a tree.

[Pat B]

Do a bit of experimentation. For hafting pitch glue melt some of the hard pitch and add maybe 20% beeswax and let it cool.(I never measure) It shouldn't be brittle but not soft either. Once you get to this point add finely ground charcoal or totally dry rabbit or deer pellets. These add body and some strength.
 For a finish or sinew wrap seal I just dissolve hard, brittle pitch in denatured alcohol(moonshine works too) to make pitch varnish. I use like this but it's not a true varnish because it doesn't have an oil in it. I guess you can add a little bees wax or animal fat to keep it from being too brittle. 

[Digital Caveman]

I'll give them both a go. 

I usually use Spar urethane for finishing bows, but I want something I can apply inside when it is to cold outside.  I would also feel more comfortable retempering a bow that had a natural finish.

I must say though that a mixture of alcohol, spruce gum, and oil sounds a bit like a molov cocktail.

[Pat B]

It will still have to be warm enough for the alcohol to evaporate.

[Digital Caveman]

The basement is warm enough, especially with a space heater, but it is not well ventilated enough for urethane.