string wax?

[Buckeyehunter]

I have access to pure beeswax and was wondering if this would be good to use on my strings?  I currently use "a specialty blend of beeswax" from 3 rivers.

[shamus]

sure, why not?

[Pat B]

I think that bees wax was probably the first bow string wax. Now days, blends are used. I have read about using 50/50 bees wax and toilet seal ring, melted together and poured into cupcake cups. I read somewhere else that a bees wax and pine pitch mixture makes a good string wax.
  I am also in any recipes for string wax that anyone has to offer.

[The Gopher]

i use a blend of beeswax and pine tar.

[Pat B]

Gopher, do you have a recipe for your mixture?

[The Gopher]

Sure thing Pat, for regular string wax i use 3 parts beeswax to 1 part pine tar. For string makers wax i use equal parts of each to make it softer and even stickier. i get the pine tar from fleet farm but any farm supply store should have it in the horse section. it is used to pack horses hooves if they are cut or something. The finished product will be dark brown instead of yellow which can discolor some strings, it doesn't bother me and i think it smells good too.

[Pat B]

Thanks, Gopher. That's a simple enough recipe.   I have a pretty good supply of pine pitch. I use it for pitch glue for hafting and pitch varnish for sealing. A friend just bought a large block(5#?)of pure bees wax and has promised me a good portion. A new source of pitch is always welcomed!
   I'll give it a try.

[The Gopher]

Pat, pine tar and pine pitch are different things. pine tar is a product of burning pine stumps ect, the sludge that doesn't burn is the pine tar, it is a thick, goopy and very sticky almost black colored stuff, similar to coal tar. Pine pitch is what oozes from a scar. i guess the two are related, but i don't think there's anyway i would use pine tar for hafting and things like that where you use pitch. I'm actually looking for some pine pitch myself for hafting and i haven't collected any before. do you just go out to the woods and scrape off the oozing globs of it? thanks, Dan.

[Pat B]

Dan, that's what I do. Look for damaged pines. Other evergreens also. Down south we have pine beetles that bore into trees and that is a good source. Logging scars on live trees or lightning or fire scars are some areas to look. The pitch is protecting the tree from infection.
I prefer to find the hard brittle stuff. I can melt it to separate the debris from the pitch then add beeswax and powdered charcoal for hafting glue or dissolve in alcohol for pitch varnish. If it is oozy it need to be cooked for a while to evaporate off the volatile oils. This can be dangerous because it is very volatile at this point.
  I guess I've never seen pine tar. I'll check a local tack shop for it.