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Making natural varnishes

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WillS:
Do any of you guys know much about varnishes?

I'm working towards completing a set of historically accurate Mary Rose replica arrows, and one thing that I've been stuck on for ages is the final coating of verdigris compound over the fletch bindings. 

I've narrowed down most of the ingredients to the compound, but I'm having a nightmare trying to get it to set hard and durable - it always ends up too waxy and soft.

The basic ingredients are:

Verdigris powder (not important to the recipe but will be added once the mix is right)
Beeswax
Pine resin / colophony (Damar resin has been suggested for the same purpose but it's not historically correct for Europe in the Middle Ages)
Natural gum turpentine

I keep trying various mixtures suggested by all sorts of varnish making forums, from 50/50 mixtures of resin/turps to 30/70 etc and nothing seems to be working.  Adding the wax just makes it softer and more waxy, so I'm not sure why it's always included in the mixtures.

The end result needs to be fairly clear, easily brushable, but dry very hard and durable.

Any ideas would be most appreciated, as I'm running out of my own!

Pat B:
I make a pitch varnish(not a true varnish) by dissolving hard, brittle pine pitch in denatured alcohol. I never use a recipe so amounts are hard to suggest. The hard, brittle varnish dries hard and clear(yellowish though) once the alcohol evaporates. I use this varnish on primitive arrows and sinew wraps.
 Years ago, in an old PA Magazine there was an article about making varnish using fruit tree sap. I just don't remember which issue.

DC:

--- Quote from: WillS on June 06, 2016, 01:51:06 pm ---Do any of you guys know much about varnishes?

I'm working towards completing a set of historically accurate Mary Rose replica arrows, and one thing that I've been stuck on for ages is the final coating of verdigris compound over the fletch bindings. 

I've narrowed down most of the ingredients to the compound, but I'm having a nightmare trying to get it to set hard and durable - it always ends up too waxy and soft.

The basic ingredients are:

Verdigris powder (not important to the recipe but will be added once the mix is right)
Beeswax
Pine resin / colophony (Damar resin has been suggested for the same purpose but it's not historically correct for Europe in the Middle Ages)
Natural gum turpentine

I keep trying various mixtures suggested by all sorts of varnish making forums, from 50/50 mixtures of resin/turps to 30/70 etc and nothing seems to be working.  Adding the wax just makes it softer and more waxy, so I'm not sure why it's always included in the mixtures.

The end result needs to be fairly clear, easily brushable, but dry very hard and durable.

Any ideas would be most appreciated, as I'm running out of my own!

--- End quote ---

What are you using for resin? Like Pat says it has to be hard dry resin. If it's fresh it will never(well almost never) dry.

WillS:
I'm using hard resin.  It's colophony, so it's like glass but really brittle.  It dissolves easily in natural turps, but is far too thin like that to be right.  It needs to end up quite thick and strong as its both fixing the bindings in place as well as adding the verdigris and waterproof layer all in one go.

DC:
That's all I've got. Oh, I do use lacquer thinner instead of turps. Dries a bit faster.

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