Brewers Pitch, Pine Tar, Gum Rosin, Etc

[Bos'n Cross]

nope nope nope thatll do fine sir, i think youv done enough work on my account! Thank you!

[MadL]

*hmm, be'r late than early I always says*

Glad ye all clear'd up th' TAR vs PITCH part! Drink'n from a tarred vessel I do naught thinks would taste so goodz!

Fer th' drink'n vessel; I have had me leather Tudor Rose tankard fer nearly three year and have found that bee's wax (just th' cakes ye gets from a fine tailor supply) does right fine - AND when freshly coated it taints th' grog with a nicely not too sweet honey effect too!

Using a good hot gun it easily blends right in with th' original PITCH in th' tankard.

....however, me leather rose tankard now be TANKARD NAPP'D by some cur off th' Star Of India.

Now as fer TAR; aye, American Rope & Tar be bought th' last and only place t' procure th' Real Deal - TarStockholm Tar

I have used both their Tarred Hemp Marline (all sizes) as well as th' fine tar itself they offer in pints even!

Th' tarred marline be grand fer arts and other such stuff and maintains a fine smell fer a long long time (I Love Th' Smell O' Tar In Th' Morn!!)

The raw tar be grand fer coat'n stuff too as well, and fer make'n stains upon yer clothes 'n gear; and then they ALL smell good!

I have even used th' tar t' coat me leather goods! Aye, me leather goods, it darkens it up a bit and adds a nice 'slightly-aged' look - I have tarred both me leather sword sheaths, me dagger sheath, as well as me leather Dice Cups! Th' leather will soak up th' tar in no time and it dries t' th' touch in just a couple days (weather permitt'n I suppose).

Th' rope work here (on me sword and dagger handles, and th' dagger sheath) are all done with hemp marline from American Rope & Tar:

Others done with tarred hemp can be found here: Mad L's knotty stuff

I have also since done several braided 'belt charm' holders using th' line as well as a braided tankard holder (I hate them 'latched' types what keep unlatche'n them self!)

I have search'd far and wide fer other resources, none can either supply nor compare; however there is another so-called "tarred hemp" line out there, it be black in color and th' line is not truely "hemp" but jute instead.

There also be one other source o' pine tar fer sail ships, can't recall where and I never got from them after reading comments in a boater's forum from those who have actually used both on their true ship - currently thar be ONLY ONE source fer th' real Stockholm Tar!

But fer hemp sail line I found one other - claims to have 'tarred' as well as un-tarred but so far I have only been able to obtain an un-tarred ball o' line from him - Good stuff! But ye must call him, no online ordering available:

R&W Knots & Decorative Lines

good source, very helpful when ye calls him!

My other attempts:

http://www.sailrite.com/Marline-Tarred-Hemp-Thin-590-Feet?sc=2&category=7316

http://www.greenboatstuff.com/tahema.html

http://www.marlinespike.com/tools.html (fine, and EXPENSIVE riggers gear!)

http://compostablegoods.com/index.php?cPath=22_33

http://www.duckworksbbs.com/sailmaking/sailtwine5/index.htm

http://www.hempemporium.com/

http://www.rope-hq.com/

http://hempbasics.com/

http://briontoss.com/catalog/tools.html

....now, back t' rope'n me new - NOT leather 'n NOT tarred - tankard...bloody heavy piece o' tin!!!

[Dutchman]

so i took a looksee at adams horse hoof tar. Its a little thinner than stockholm, but I like to thin it down to about that consistency to penetrate fibers anyhow. It doesn't smell the same, more of a leather smell would be a good description. Otherwise it walks like a duck and talks like a duck and seems to do the job.

[jendobyns]

*hmm, be'r late than early I always says*

Glad ye all clear'd up th' TAR vs PITCH part! Drink'n from a tarred vessel I do naught thinks would taste so goodz!

Fer th' drink'n vessel; I have had me leather Tudor Rose tankard fer nearly three year and have found that bee's wax (just th' cakes ye gets from a fine tailor supply) does right fine - AND when freshly coated it taints th' grog with a nicely not too sweet honey effect too!

Using a good hot gun it easily blends right in with th' original PITCH in th' tankard.

...>snip<

So, you have me rather curious now. How did you get the bee's wax into the hot glue gun? I have a leather jack from Buzzard's Nest that needs repairs, the pitch is cracked. This sounds like a good way to go, kind of like caulking a seam.

Mistress Dobyns

[adam cyphers]

mistress dobyns... unless im mistaken madl meant a heat gun kinda like an industrial hair dryer...used to remove paint etc...or heat stuff up... not a hot glue gun...i could be mistaken though

Edited June 22, 2010 by adam cyphers

[capn'rob]

so i took a looksee at adams horse hoof tar. Its a little thinner than stockholm, but I like to thin it down to about that consistency to penetrate fibers anyhow. It doesn't smell the same, more of a leather smell would be a good description. Otherwise it walks like a duck and talks like a duck and seems to do the job.

Aye, Master Dutch, I thinks ye touched the major point, "it don't smell like a Duck!" On my long passage I tried an old sailoring trick of puttin a ball o' tarred marline in me clothes stowage to keep off the mildew. It worked! Could it have anything to do wi' the smell? A.G.A.Correa, makers of expensive gold knotwork jewelery used to sell a men's cologne called "Marlinespike". It had just the hint o' Stockholm Tar about it. Some folks love the smell. Even the webpage for American Rope and Tar is www.tarsmell.com So I guess this horse hoof stuff would serve a farmer well or them what's ain't bound for sea!

[Tar Bucket Bill]

If I recall correctly from looking online a few years ago, alot of leather jacks and wooden tankards and mugs and such in England were often pitched with pitch made from boiled Birch tree sap --- only the interiors of course, not the outsides. I think heating the Birch sap to melt it turned it black. I don't think Pine sap turns black when you heat it to melt it.

And I thought maybe I saw Birch tree sap or resin for sale online in England at one point in time. I don't remember where though. But it seems like it was rare to find, and expensive if you found it.

And it also seems like I was finding differing opinions whether it was foodsafe or not, so I do not know if it is or not.

By the way, what kind of pitch was used to pitch a tent? /;^)

-Tar Bucket Bill

Edited July 19, 2010 by Tar Bucket Bill

[Dutchman]

was gifted a little knot book by Des Pawson- never heard of him. anyhoo he makes the following comment on stockholm tar "this can still be obtained from tack shops and veterinary sources, where it is still used on the hooves of animals." nothing new, but confirms that some folks from the knot teyers guild do use the stuff. now back to your regularly scheduled net surfing........

[Nighthawk]

Well, it might not be as traditional, but the method I use starts the same... But has one more step. Once coated, put the item in an oven on it's lowest heat setting for 10 to 20 minutes (time varies by thickness of pitch, heat setting of oven, and other random factors, you just gotta feel it out).. Anyways, the pitch melts into the leather, and the fused pitch/leather is both firm, hard and water proof, but not brittle. Sometimes, I may add an additional coating of pitch inside after doing the first melt into the leather if I think the item needs it.

Give that a try and let me know if it works better for you (if you have any of the Townsend pitch left to try it with).

Thanks for that information! I had a friend teaching me, and I was planning on making a mug, using Townsend's pitch, but my friend can no longer help me, so I appreciate you posting the details on the method you use.

[Matthias]

I use a mix ( 1part bees wax 3 parts Townsend "Brewers Pitch") for pitching mugs, tankards, Flasks.... the wax helps the viscosity and keeps it a bit more flexible in colder weather.

I started with just wax when I lived and worked in cooler places... flasks did not stay water tight in hotter places so I went with straight pitch...then that cracked when i was back up north... the blend has worked well.

[Graye Fox]

If I may be permitted to revive an old topic here. I have researched this subject for a long time for historical accuracy as I am a craft demonstrator. I use pine pitch all the time in waterproofing my "bottels", I mix it with beeswax. If the stuff you are referring to from Jas Townsend is too brittle then it is probably dried out with much moisture gone, though I think you may be judging this based on its appearance from the bag. When melted down and resolidified it is quite pliable.

As far as "black" pitch is concerned being used for jackware, historically there were several methods. First, common yellow beeswax was used in early vessels going back to the Roman times up through the Middle Ages. There are other references to birch sap when boiled turning black though I do not know of its historical uses. At one point in English history supposedly bitumen pitch which is rendered from coal tar was used, but this is highly carcinogenic.

The real black pitch you are seeking is just regular pine pitch but rendered down over a roaring fire so that it became contaminated with soot to turn it black, I do not know if the process gave it any superiority. You can replicate it by purchasing Jas Townsend's "powdered ink" which they admit is just lampblack (pure carbon soot) and adding it to the melted pitch. Chemically it would be the same thing. By the way, the surviving bottels and costrels from the wreck of the Mary Rose 1535 were laboratory analyzed and determined to have been lined in this pitch.