Fe-Wood Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I am wondering if anyone has ever tried to use Pine Pitch as a finish for metal. I was out collecting Pine Nuts the other day and realized I have a plentiful source for Pitch. I'd be interested in formulas or ideas on how to make the pitch dry or harden so it isn't sticky to the touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Even a failure would make the shop smell nice.....Turpentine might work well with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
divermike Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 I use it on small flesh burns because it is antiseptic and a sealant, but never thought about using it that way, try some turpentine and lindseed oil with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son_of_bluegrass Posted January 3, 2012 Share Posted January 3, 2012 Somewhere I have a few recipes for wood finishes with pine pitch, I may be able to dig them up in a couple of days if someone else doesn't chime in first. Since these are wood work finished, I don't know how well they'll work on metal. ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Save enough of it up and mix it with plaster of paris and you can make chasing pitch but I have no ideas for a wood finish. If you want I'll look in one of my books for the chasing pitch recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 4, 2012 Author Share Posted January 4, 2012 Thats what I was thinking Macbruce. Son of bluegrass, Please do look up your recipes. I'm looking for a way to harden the finish and a woodworking recipe might work or help in the learning process. bentiron- that would be great! Looks like I can come up with plenty of pitch... Hope to get more suggestions.... Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 I might be wrong, but believe that in the Tom Brown survival books it is boiled up with ground charcoal to make glue for fastening stone arrowheads, but I can't remember his recipe for it. That and those books are someplace else right now. My Traditional Bowyers Bible says to just boil it enough that when cooled it is firm but not brittle. Old hard rosin can be softened by melting and adding new rosin or beeswax. To increase strength up to 10% powdered charcoal can be added to melted rosin. Charcoal can be pressed into the surface to reduce stickiness. Plant fibres can be pressed in as well increasing strength and flexibility. The strength scale puts pitch 6lb commercial casien 18lbs 5 min epoxy 28lb yellow glue 38lb for whatever it's worth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Might want to look up recipes for cutler's pitch as a way to use it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
son_of_bluegrass Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 What I have is largely from http://www.kramers.org/finishes.htm and http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17935 I haven't look through recently to pick out specific recipes. Various resins are used in the recipes and some may apply to pine resin (pitch). It may need some processing first. Usually processing involves heating and there is the risk of fire. ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The formula was rather vague but here goes anyway: Pitch(crude) 8 to 10 parts resin(powdered) 1 part Plaster of Paris, brick dust or whiting 7 parts Tallow or bees wax 1 1/2 to 2 cakes Plaster of Paris etc. hardens or tallow/bees wax soften add more P of P or tallow depending on weather. More P of P for summer and more tallow for winter. Just what a cake of tallow or bees wax is, well your guess is a good as mine but I would add a small amount of bees wax at a time until I had it just soft enough to knead in my hand after a few minuets but not so soft that it would be that I didn't need to apply any heat to it to get my metal set in it or free from it. You don't want it so hard that it chips but gives under the tooling as you are working your design into the metal. When you buy pitch it usually comes in two basic hardness's, soft and hard. I like the soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Great references and suggestions! Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Thanks Bentiron! I have a hard pitch pot so I'll make a soft one... But first, I'm going to try the pitch as a finish. PS, I think a cake of bees wax is about 3" round and about 1" thick. Like you used to get at the hardware store for lubing screws and such... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Stockholm tar is pine tar as is used as a finish for wooden boats. There are a number of recipes for different purposes, but I am not finding my bookmarks for some...maybe I am on the wrong computer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_tar has some information, but the article is thin. A mixture as described or pine tar, turpentine and boiled linseed oil was also used for coating the serving on iron rigging. I think I need to reread "Rigger's apprentice" by Brian Toss http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Riggers-Apprentice-Techniques-Traditional/dp/0070648409 Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 Just sitting here and without using search engines, pine pitch is the material that oozes from some pine trees, as FeWood pointed out. In New Mexico, it comes from our "piñon" trees, which do bear the edible pine nuts. My wife is Native American and she has used pitch as a glue, straight from the tree...no mixture. On the other hand, pine tar is black, is a bit viscous, but is pourable. I formerly purchased it by the sealed tin can full, and I would use it with oakum as a hoof packing between a foot pad and the sole of the horse's foot. Sorry I don't have any input about pitch as an iron finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raybart Passmore Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I am wondering if anyone has ever tried to use Pine Pitch as a finish for metal. I was out collecting Pine Nuts the other day and realized I have a plentiful source for Pitch. I'd be interested in formulas or ideas on how to make the pitch dry or harden so it isn't sticky to the touch. I know how to make hardened pine glue. It's best to just experiment with it, but melt some pine sap and mix in some softwood ashes. It may take a few try's to get it to the perfect mixture of not too hard and not too soft Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Pack rat that I am, I still have the remains of a cake of bees wax that I bought in '73 for waxing heavy thread for sewing leather. Pretty hard now, but still smells good. Like Fe-Wood said, about the size of a small biscuit, maybe 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Red hot it would just burn, you would want it hot but not extremely hot. Also read the finishes suggested by Theophilus in "Divers Arts" like the stinky to apply burnt on feathers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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