Collecting pitch ?

[Hawkdancer]

Had to remove some large limbs from my pine trees to rescue a compost bin, question is - Is it worth is to hang a bucket or can to catch the pitch from the cuts or will the cuts seal quickly?  Another tree in the row took a big hit this summer and the pitch seems to have sealed slowly and is drying.  Hate to waste the pitch if I can retrieve it.  Also, can pine tar be further reduced by boiling?  Thanks for the input.
Hawkdancer

[paulc]

I've tried exactly that with a soup can nailed to the tree beneath damage.  My can filled with rain a lot faster than with sap...I poured off the water but never got much more than perhaps 1/4" in bottom of sap along with some bugs and general crud. 

I wonder if you could take the bark/wood just beneath the bark and distill that in a paint can?  Ought to have sap/pitch running just under the bark.

I have done both pine and birch distilling in paint can.  Once the pitch runs and collects in the soup can I rearrange the fire and try to just simmer the pitch a while.  I've only done it successfully twice now but it worked well I think...fwiw.

Paul

[Hawkdancer]

I checked the scar on the damaged tree, and it seems to be hardening some.  I think I will rescrape it to get what has leaked and let it seep some more. 
Hawkdancer

[DC]

Since pitch takes so long to dry I think your time would be better spent looking for dry pitch.

[Allyn T]

Don't you want gooey sap so you can make it straight into pitch?

[Pat B]

Gooey sap makes gooey pitch glue.
 Jerry, look for old scars on pines(spruce, fir, etc.) with hard, brittle pitch on it. The turps have naturally flashed off leaving the hard stuff.

[Hawkdancer]

I did collect a bunch of dry, hard stuff during JW's Turkey Hunt a couple years ago, that gets made into glue this winter, I hope.  Let nature do the dangerous work, I guess.  We moved away from the Front Range, and I have to find the old pines, besides the ones on my place.  Big fires don't help much, either.  One of our friends lost his place in the Cameron Peak fire. 
Hawkdancer

[Allyn T]

So if you get dry sap do you still melt it down and add charcoal?

[Pat B]

Yes, and bees wax. The bees wax makes hard, brittle pitch malleable without being sticky unless heated. The finely ground charcoal adds body to the mix. 

[Allyn T]

Two questions one can I substitute beeswax with tallow and two I can use this to glue on points and fletching?

[Pat B]

 1) yes if it's been rendered.   2) points for sure, fletching possibly but I've never done that.

[Hawkdancer]

Not sure but I think most fletching was wrapped down with sinew or thread, depending on where it was done, i.e. What culture.  Should work though.
Hawkdancer

[Allyn T]

I ment using the pitch glue and then wrapping the ends

[Pat B]

Either pitch or hide glue for fletching.