# Gathering pine sap for pitch



## wilber85 (Jul 24, 2011)

Will this work?  I bent the tin can to conform to the tree and nailed it up.


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## Vernon Holt (Jul 24, 2011)

Depends on the species of the pine tree.  I am unable to tell species from just looking at the bark.

Slash Pine and Longleaf will produce gum very well when the weather is hot like present time.  If it is Loblolly, you are not likely to catch any gum.  If the tree is at Milton, in Fulton County, it is almost certain to be Loblolly Pine.

If you produce enough gum to run down the injury, you are likely to lose as much gum as you catch in your container.  You might consider devising some type gutter on both sides of your can so as to divert any gum into the can.

There is an alternative approach to obtaining pine tar.  This involves obtaining a supply of fat pine, more appropriately known as "lightard".

Split the lightard wood into very small pieces just as though you were using it for kindling to build a fire.  You would probably need about a peck of the splinters to make a pint of pine tar.

I will describe the method that I have seen my Dad utilize when I was growing up on the farm.  Screw Worms in the 1930's were a threat to livestock.  Pine tar was the wound dressing commonly used to prevent Screw Worm infestation.

he would dig a depression in the ground about a square yard in dimension and about 12 inches deep.  He would place a piece of sheet metal large enough to cover the depression (or pit).

He would then place the lightard splinters on the tin and spread evenly, keeping them well centered on the tin.  Place splinters in such a way as to cause them to be aligned closely with little air space in between.

Then place another piece of sheet metal on top of the layer of splinters.

Next step is to build a fire in the pit under the splinters and start the process of "cooking" the lightard splinters.  The idea is to get the splinters hot enough to melt the pine tar out of the fat splinters.

Caution:  It is important to keep the splinters isolated from the flame, otherwise you have fire that would be tough to extinguish.

After a few minutes of "cooking" the tar will be starting to slowly flow from the splinters.

I failed to mention earlier that the bottom layer of sheet metal should be tilted in such a way as to cause the tar to all flow in one direction so that it can be caught as it drips off the edge.

Keep the fire small enough so as to concentrate the heat directly under the splinters.  You must keep the heat away from the dripping tar.

This may sound like a project, but after you have done it once you will see that it is really rather simple.

If you can locate a piece of used corrugated roofing tin for the bottom piece of metal it will serve you well.  The corrugations will help concentrate the flow of the tar.

This process is essentially the same as used by the "tar heels" of NC in the early 1700's when they initiated the Naval Stores Industry.


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## Whiteeagle (Jul 24, 2011)

Wilber85 if you are collecting sap for making glue, I collect from trees that have broken places and skinned places in the bark and the sap has hardened. It is easy to collect and doesn't further harm the tree. I melt in in a tin can over a coleman stove outside. I make a couple of batches a year, but collect resin every day or so, any where I find storm or construction damaged pine trees. Send a pm and i will share my recipes and other info.     Doug


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## wilber85 (Jul 24, 2011)

Vernon Holt said:


> Depends on the species of the pine tree.  I am unable to tell species from just looking at the bark.
> 
> Slash Pine and Longleaf will produce gum very well when the weather is hot like present time.  If it is Loblolly, you are not likely to catch any gum.  If the tree is at Milton, in Fulton County, it is almost certain to be Loblolly Pine.
> 
> ...



This will work on Loblolly as well?  How thick does the original piece of wood need to be that I will make the splinters out of?

It has been several hours and so far I am seeing very little sap collecting.  It has not even reached the tin cup.



Whiteeagle said:


> Wilber85 if you are collecting sap for making glue, I collect from trees that have broken places and skinned places in the bark and the sap has hardened. It is easy to collect and doesn't further harm the tree. I melt in in a tin can over a coleman stove outside. I make a couple of batches a year, but collect resin every day or so, any where I find storm or construction damaged pine trees. Send a pm and i will share my recipes and other info.     Doug



I would prefer this way, but I only have a few pine trees on my property.  My land is essentially a corner of a horse pasture.  I have 3 large oaks and 3 large pines and that is all.  Sadly all of the pines are in fairly good shape with no injuries to speak of.

I may try this same process on some other trees near Covington where I hunt.  Hopefully those types of pines will yield more sap.  I am wanting this for arrows and I would like to stay primitive as possible.


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## sharpeblades (Jul 25, 2011)

Jas. Townsend & Sons sells it & a lot of other neat stuff also  #1-800-338-1665


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## dm/wolfskin (Jul 25, 2011)

A lot of history in Naval Stores here in U.S. I showed my boy last year how to get rosin out of the tree so we could make a rosin bag for baseball. It needs to be harden for a baseball bag of rosin. Best to look for injured trees that have big clumps in the scar of the tree. Most people have never heard of a Naval Store for the production of pine tar and turpentine for the ship building industry way back. Mike


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## chehawknapper (Jul 25, 2011)

Longleaf and slash will provide the greatest amount of sap but you can get what you need from any specie. Trees that are in drought stress are going to give very little sap. Cutting into the cambium layer on a pine tree is going to attract bark beetles that can kill the tree and possibly then build up the population to attack other healthy trees. If you can locate a tree that has been attacked and killed by beetles, you can gather the sap from the pitch tubes. If the pitch is soft, just melt it and add ground charcoal or crushed rabbit/deer droppings. Do NOTboil it or you will make it brittle. If the pitch has already hardened then all of the turpentine has evaporated off and any glue you produce will be brittle and crack very easily. You can add turpentine to the melted pitch and proceed as normal. Adding some sweetgum to the concoction will allow greater working time.


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## wilber85 (Jul 26, 2011)

I checked the tin can last night and no sap had collected in the can.  I see one small stream of sap but it missed my can.  In any case I don't think the tree is yielding much sap at all.   We are in a slight drought here, but I did expect a higher yield.

I am going towait a few days to see if any will harden on the outside of the tree.


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## deersled (Jul 27, 2011)

you check that tree next year and I bet you'll have a good bit. Takes a while.


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## jabb06 (Sep 3, 2011)

i have a tree service & i could get buckets of tar from the cut logs & from the stumps.it just pours out.check with a tree service in your area or a logger & see if they will let you come by & scoop the tar that has puddled on the stumps


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