Does anyone have any experience with different natural kinds of pitch/tar?
I know pine resin birch bark tar are particularly mentioned. And I know they get mixed and processed to make glue, sealant, firestarters, and different coatings. But there isn't a list anywhere...
Of course these are natural product that vary wildly, but a bit of a recipe would be great. Like which glue lasts decades, or which remains flexible. Which sealant works well for seals that are permanently under water, and does it differ for salt water?
I get that unlike industrial products, there is a range of applications and trial and error are certainly part of the process. But I also know that there are Millennia of experience with these materials, and someone ought to have written something down somewhere. I'm just looking for a good place to start my research. I don't care if it's Mesopotamian alchemy, 16th Century ship carpenter's notes, or Ray Mears' guide to primitive cultures and crafts.
Ingredients I have seen so far include wood ash, charcoal, bee's wax, different plant and tree saps, distilled spirits, honey, starches, sawdust, and lard. I don't want to reinvent the wheel here.
Even a brief description of what happens to resin at different temperatures would be helpful. Does it polymerize? Does it harden? Which solvents work?
>>579498I have maybe 5 projects planned for making and playing primitive instruments. There are a bunch of folk songs everyone knows which I intend to learn to play (like a child with a recorder), but then add some movie and game soundtracks for some sneaky anachronism in the right mood. You know, like Zelda music or the songs from Ronja Rövardotter, maybe Concerning Hobbits even?
