Pine pitch

[Pappy]

I gathered some pitch while at a shoot in MI. last week.The last I tried turned out[well not to good] I know it is on here somewhere but I can seem to find it.Has someone got a good recipe for making it up.I know it needs some kind of filler and I think some even put in some amount of bees wax. Just need a  thought on how much to use ,how hot to get it and how much to use by volume of pitch.The last I made was very brittle.
   Pappy

[Parnell]

Hi Pappy,

I made some about a year ago, and it turned out fine, actually, it's still sticky and working fine if rolled a bit or slightly heated.
I did 5:1:1

Pitch to filler to fat.  When I made mine I simply used super ground wood char and Crisco.

Good Luck,

Parnell

[Pat B]

Pappy, If you start out with hard pitch you can melt it down, remove the trash and add bees wax and finely ground charcoal. The charcoal in the fire pit will work fine.     I'm not sure of the ratios but it is mostly pitch. Maybe 2 parts pitch, one part each charcoal and bees wax. You'll just have to play with it.
  If the pitch is sticky or runny you will have to cook out the turps first or it won't harden. Be careful when you cook it because it is quite volatile and will ignite if you get it too hot.

[sailordad]

i do like Pat does
melt the pitch down,boil out the turpentine if its fresh pitch
i add ground up rabbit poop and wood charcoal as a filler and i like to add beeswax
i play with the amounts untill i get the consistancy i want
i love making pitch,the smell is the bees knees 

[Pappy]

Thanks guys ,this is fresh,I will give it a try this weekend if I get the chance.
   Pappy

[Pappy]

One more question,do you just heat it on low heat,kind of let it simmer,or bring it up to a boil 
   Pappy

[Timo]

I think I went with a 2-1 ratio on my last batch. It will boil if left alone Pappy, you need to babysit the stuff.I use a small ss bowl and remove it from the heat as needed.

Also I made some small molds out of 1/2" pvc pipe by ripping them down the middle,giving them a light coat of oil, then poured my mix in them and let them set.Then I just gave them a twist,like and ice cube tray, and popped out my lil glue sticks. Worked great.

[Pappy]

2 pitch 1 filler,did you use bees wax.
   Pappy

[HoBow]

Pappy- If you boil it to hard, it will get brittle.

[Pappy]

Thats what I thought. Thanks.
   pappy

[_Jon_]

I'm going to visit ya this weekend Pappy and want to see how you do this.  I'll stand at a good distance however. 

I always wanted to learn how to make this stuff!

Oh yeah and I got you a new knife I made out of that Saw Mill blade Greg gave me.

John

[walkabout]

just trying my hand at making some pitch today for the first time, harvested sap from a few pines near the girlfriends parents, made some charcoal from hickory sawdust, still trying to figure out what else to use as filler though. i read somewhere sawdust will work, im guessing the finer the better. one question though, ive left my sap sit on a warmer for awhile, trying to evaporate out the turpentines as you guys said here. when its cooled a little the surface isnt very sticky, you have to press into it to get anything sticky. does this seem like its been boiled off enough?also a lil tip i found that cheapo candle warmers are just about the right temp for this, it will simmer it a little if you stir a lot but wont make it smoke off.

[Timo]

Pappy, I tried the bees wax once, but didn't really see the need. What I make may be a bit brittle for most,but it's really just there to help set the point/adjust for straightness, and fill the voids.A good sinew wrap does most of the work.

[Pat B]

Pappy, you want the pitch to get hard and brittle after cooking. If you don't it will stay tacky.  The bees wax will make it less brittle and the charcoal(dried deer or rabbit poop) adds body.
  I usually cook mine in the winter in a can on the wood stove. Like Timo said it will boil so you have to keep an eye on it and remove it from the heat if it gets too hot. It will ignite if it gets too hot.
  I don't know how long to cook the raw pitch but cook it for a while then let it cool. If it is hard when cool then it is ready to mix the other ingredients. If not heat it again and let it cook for a while then let it cool and check. This is why I like to find and use hard pitch that the turps have already evaporated.

[Pappy]

This may be in between,I got it off of some big pines that the limbs had been cut last year,it was hard enough to pack into a ball but still pretty sticky but not runny. I'll give it a try and see what happens. I have a ball about the size of my fist. 
   Pappy