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Pitch glue recipe for arrows
wally:
Hi
wallynosocks from england here. I've used pine pitch a bit and I'm not saying this is the best method or the only,- but I first melt down the pine resin, (I also use spruce resin), then add hardwood charcoal ground fine, about a third. Then I add bone filings, any old bone, sometimes my dogs lend me some of theirs - when they're not watching them. This has worked very well, not too brittle, but sometimes on sunny days (when we get them in England!) it gets a bit soft. Do any of you use it to hold feathers on or do you use modern glues?
I was at Compton and Cloverdale last year and had a blast. You yanks are great people, very friendly, and I learnt a lot from the bowhunters there.
Papa Matt:
Wallynocks, welcome. Do you mean you grind up the bone into powder?
Also, a question to any brother who uses pine pitch. How does a person go about getting it? Do you have to tap into the trunk of the tree or is there a season, like spring, when it just comes oosing out and then you collect it??
Thanks,
Papa Matt
Pat B:
Matt, I collect pitch from damaged trees. Look for trees that have physical and insect damage. I prefer to use pitch that is hard and brittle. The oozy stuff will stay sticky until the volatile oils evaporate unless you cook it until they evaporate. Do this outside! :o
When using the pitch glue recipe I have I drip hot glue into the prefitted slot for the arrow head, heat the head some and set it in place. I give it a minute to set and do a spin test on my finger with the arrow. If it doesn't spin true I reheat and adjust and spin it again. Even later after it has been hafted and wrapped with sinew it can be adjusted by reheating and adjusting.
Wally, Native Americans and other primitives used pitch to hold feathers down. I believe they used it either fresh and somewhat oozy or melted hard pitch. I have not tried that. Lately I have been just tying the front and back of the fletching with sinew. Pat
Papa Matt:
Pat B, is there a best season to collect or is it year round? When you heat the hard and brittle pitch, how runny does it get or how runny should you let it get, which is really 2 different questions?
Otoe Bow:
That's how I collected mine too. We had a bad ice storm last winter with a lot of broken limbs. I also have some trees with insect damage as well. When I picked it off the trees, it reminded me of sugar candy. Kind of Hard and Crumbly.
My trees are ornamental ones that I planted 12-15 years back. To be honest with you, I don't even know what they are. To us Okies, all evergreens are just "pine" trees or cedars. ;D
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