shoemakers wax?

Chef Niloc

Chef Niloc

Well-Known Member
Any of you have a good recipe for making the stuff? I know Chuck makes his own. Heres the only recipe I could find on line

4oz pitch 1oz resin 1/4 oz tallow
Also were can I get pine pitch ? Is it the same as pine tar?
 
Probably the quickest and least expensive solution was a recommendation a few years ago by 'nthe10thring' (I believe he makes bows and does a little leather work also) for String Maker's Wax. Here is a link for the source: http://www.3riversarchery.com/Strin...g+Wax+Maker's+_c40_s2_p271_i4192_product.html

Nice and sticky, locks the thread, smells good and I didn't have to buy materials that would take a life time to use up. That little 1 ounce block of wax will last about a dozen more years.
 
Here's my approximate recipe for what is traditionally known as coad or hand wax
60% pine pitch, 39% beeswax, 1% Olive oil - extra virgin

Pitch: I usually collect my own but you can buy it cleaned an ready to use here - a pound goes a LOOOOONG way:
http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?products_id=373

I use an old crock pot to heat mine up:
1) melt the pitch first since it takes more heat, add your wax, and oil.
2) Pour off into old yogurt containers or something else that can handle the heat like an ice cube tray - you can use ice water to keep the tray/containers cool. I pour just enough into the containers to make a nice sized ball. Or you can let the mix cool a bit and then pour into a deep bowl of cold water. Then pull it like taffey to form your balls of wax/pitch.
The folks over at the Crispin Colloquy - a shoemakers site - discuss variations on the idea.
http://www.thehcc.org/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
 
Last edited:
ChuckBurrows said:
Here's my approximate recipe for what is traditionally known as coad or hand wax
60% pine pitch, 39% beeswax, 1% Olive oil - extra virgin

Pitch: I usually collect my own but you can buy it cleaned an ready to use here - a pound goes a LOOOOONG way:
http://jas-townsend.com/product_info.php?products_id=373

I use an old crock pot to heat mine up:
1) melt the pitch first since it takes more heat, add your wax, and oil.
2) Pour off into old yogurt containers or something else that can handle the heat like an ice cube tray - you can use ice water to keep the tray/containers cool. I pour just enough into the containers to make a nice sized ball. Or you can let the mix cool a bit and then pour into a deep bowl of cold water. Then pull it like taffey to form your balls of wax/pitch.
The folks over at the Crispin Colloquy - a shoemakers site - discuss variations on the idea.
http://www.thehcc.org/cgi-bin/discus/discus.cgi
Click to expand...

Chuck, Could you share the way you collect and clean your pine pitch?
I am interested in doing this as I have pines everywhere around me.
 
Ernie -
I go around to the trees that have been damaged a bit and scrape off the pitch - I like the older dried stuff when I can get it but the softer is good too you just have to cook off the moisture longer.
I clean off as much junk as possible but don't get radical about. Melt it down and then pour into a tall and as narrow a possible plastic or wax board container (one qt plastic milk bottles or wax cartons work good or the taller sour cream containers.)
Set the container in a pan of cold water and hold it there (be sure and wear a glove just in case of splatters - hot pitch is like napalm!) Pour the melted wax in and let cool completely. All of the garbage will sink to the bottom as it cools. Once cool cut/tear off the container and then cut off the chunk with the garbage in it - cut off a piece of the clean stuff as needed to make your wax ball.
If over cooked the pitch will be on the brittle side - this usually isn't a problem when mixing with the wax, but if too brittle, remelt and add some soft pitch or even tap a tree and add some straight sap.
 
One part I'm a little confused on after reading that thread you listed from the crispen bored, is it pine sap, pitch, reson, or rosin we want to use? I did some reading and they are all a little different. the stuff you are getting from the trees is sap. Pitch is a byproduct of making charcoal, it's made by dry distilling pine wood. Rosin is a byproduct of making turpentine. Pine sap is heated and the turpentine is cooked off and collected in a still. It sounds like this is what you are making Chuck by boiling the sap, your just not collecting the turpentine. But resin is petrified sap, this could be also what your using as you sad you like the dry stuff better? Amber is resin that has been compressed with time & heat, like a diamond.

As for the waxed container I have a idea for those that might try this is smaller batches. I have made sharpening compound before and pored it into the paper tube that's in the center of a roll of plastic wrap. It's waxed and thicker then the ones found in toilet paper.
 
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