How to Process Pine Sap Into Varnish

Pine sap--also referred to as rosin, resin or colophony--has been used for years as a varnish base. Produce your own varnish from pine sap by adding a few extra ingredients. Take precautions when making varnish; wear protective clothing to avoid burns from splashing hot oil, and keep a fire extinguisher on hand. Work outside or in a well-ventilated area while producing the varnish.

250 g pine sap
125 g aloe powder
500 ml sun-thickened linseed oil
Hot plate
Wooden stick
Enamel or stainless steel saucepan
Candy thermometer
Medium-weave cloth
Glass jar
100 ml gum turpentine

Instructions

- 1
  Pour 500 ml of linseed oil into an enamel or stainless steel saucepan and place it on a hot plate. Heat the oil to 536 F and keep the oil at that temperature for five minutes, monitoring it with a candy thermometer.
- 2
  Add 250 g of pine sap to the oil slowly, mixing it in with a wooden stick.
- 3
  Slowly mix 125 g of aloe powder into the pan while continuing to stir.
- 4
  Raise the heat back to 482 F; it will have dropped as a result of adding the ingredients. Keep the mixture at that temperature for five minutes, continuing to stir. Char the aloe in the hot oil.
- 5
  Turn off the hot plate and allow the charred mixture to cool. Any aloe that was not integrated into the oil will float to the surface as a black residue and form a crust. Allow the crust to cool and harden.
- 6
  Poke a hole in the crust before the mixture is completely cooled. Pour out the varnish that is underneath the crust, filtering it through a medium-weave cloth. If the varnish has a muddy or cloudy appearance, return it to the hotplate and start over from the beginning; a muddy or cloudy appearance signals that the varnish was not heated enough.
- 7
  Thin your finished varnish to the desired consistency with roughly 100 ml of gum turpentine.
- 8
  Bottle the varnish. Allow it to sit for about a month before using it.

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