pine/turpentine varnish

[radius]

marc st lous writes that we have to use this during the heat treating process, and so today i started to make some.  I collected a bunch of pitch from what i think is lodgepole pine, and filled the container with turpentine...

what do i do next?  Just strain it and use it?  How long should it sit?  Am i fooling myself?  Is this even gonna work? 

[sailordad]

wouldnt that make a sealant?
 why would "have" to use it during heat treating?

[radius]

not sure, but the man who wrote the book on this technique says that's what he does, so i figure good to try it.  Maybe you just use it because the wood will be so hot that the resins will sink right in?

[Pat B]

I make pitch varnish with pitch and alcohol. Once dissolve just strain it and use it. I like hard, brittle pitch because it dries hard. Soft pitch will take longer to dry hard.  I have never used turpentine but I have heard of others using it. It probably takes longer to dry but for what Marc is using it for might be different than what I use it for. I seal my primitive arrows and sinew wraps with it.

[radius]

yeah, Pat, not sure, but i think it's supposed to actually penetrate, rather than just seal...seems like it's gonna be pretty runny, is that normal? 

I'm gonna put all of this in a larger bottle when i get home and try to break up the pieces more, get more surface area exposed to the turpentine...

[Pat B]

You are diluting the pitch with what was taken from pitch; turpentine. It might take a while for it to dissolve. Just shake it every time you think about it. That will help it dissolve quicker. 

[radius]

sure but are we talking a month?  a week?  a few months?

i wanna use this stuff while heat treating these oak holmegaards i'm making...but i can just tiller them all first and then heat treat them after...if that's what i have to do...

[Pat B]

For that application you had better PM Marc for info.   When I dissolve pitch in alcohol it takes a few hours to a day. I have never tried turpentine.

[radius]

thanks...have you tried making varnish oils by heating linseed oil and dissolving the pitch in there?

[Pat B]

Haven't tried that either. I would like to experiment with pitch finishes though. Maybe even try fruit tree sap or other sap for varnish.

[dragonman]

Pat, what kind of alcohol do you use? what strength? 40% like vodka or does it have to be pure spirit?

[Pat B]

Dragonman, I generally use denatured alcohol from the hardware store but have used rubbing alcohol and moonshine.   All work well. Vodka should work too but it is a shame to waste it. The moonshine I used was not very good drinking stuff.

[TBod]

If the moonshine is bad I usally add whiskey essens.

[islandpiper]

In the violin business we make our own varnishes.  Lots of formulas available, some easy and cheap, some difficult and costly.  I'm happy to correspond with serious questioners....

Best advice is to proceed very carefully and OUTDOORS. 

piper

[radius]

thanks piper...i'll try using what i have so far....








it's just a bunch of pitch from the chinese hard pine steeped for a few hours in turpentine...