Making Pine-Pitch Adhesive

A short video showing my method for making pine-pitch adhesive (a natural hot-melt glue using dry/solidified pine sap as its main ingredient).

Pine-pitch adhesive and other similar plant sap adhesives were used by our human ancestors for thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years.

Following this video is another demonstrating the use of pine-pitch adhesive to secure two stone points to wood shafts (and arrowhead and an atlatl dart point). "Hafting" is the term used to describe the process of affixing stone points in this fashion.

Thanks for watching. If you're interested in prehistoric technology, come visit the vibrant on-line community we have at PaleoPlanet.net

Please excuse the "low budget" quality video!

Tom Mills
Pasadena, CA

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Pine
• Pitch
• Adhesive
• Stone
• points
• spear
• atlatl
• arrow
• arrowhead
• paleoplanet

[specioss]

can u use the big ( 3 cm diameter) globs of pine resin found on the exteriur of the tree?

[Paleoaleo]

@specioss - Yes, definitely! That's pretty much what I'm using. The resin I usually collect is fairly hard and dry and not overly sticky. I pry it off with a stick and catch it in a bag. Tom

[dbmcmillan1]

Thank you for the great video!! I just finished my first obsidian/antler knife this morning and it is rock solid thanks to your video. I can see the benefit of using manure and plan on it once this batch is used up. THANKS AGAIN

[Paleoaleo]

Awesome! If you find a good recipie let us know!

[scrumptiousvittles]

k, paleoaleo, i've got a couple good ones now, should you choose to tackle them. how was this done before metal containers? and... could you give me a good rough volume ratio of sap to charcoal to manure/dried grass to start experimenting with?

these videos are amazingly helpful. particularly with these kinds of skills i find you can learn more in 1 minute of mere youtube video than in 50 pages of reading.

[Paleoaleo]

Good question (about the containers)! The answer is probably different for different geographic locations, with different resources. In coastal areas, shells could have/would have been used. I've used both large clam shells and abalone shells. Also, soapstone was used in lieu of pottery in many places in the world. Here in California tribes made wide use of soapstone for cooking vessels . I'd also think that this can be done on a flat rock sitting on some hot coals - haven't tried it though.

[torisdad1]

I used marijauna resin and forgot what the hell I was doing...

[C24B9]

@CountryBoy32695 slash the tree diagonally (shallow slant...less than 30 degrees); don't go more than 1/3 or so of the way around the tree, to avoid damaging it permanently. Quarter-inch thick slash. Also, find a large source of trees; after tapping one, let it rest a year or two before returning to it. But, all this varies, depending on the species of the tree. Go conservatively at first, and see what you get. Here in New England, my pines can be tapped more each time, but less often. Cheers!

[ZmajSnoshaj]

@scrumptiousvittles

Here in Oklahoma it was done in a firepit... a bowl made from the Earth itself.

[xJbrandx]

now light the arrows on fire before you shoot them :) pine resin is extremely flamable

[CoachTomPasLax]

@cekinxxx You don't! I just use an old pot from a garage sale or maybe just an aluminum soup can or something like that.

[cekinxxx]

how do you clean the pots afterwards?

[defuzed28]

@torisdad1 lol thats funny

[defuzed28]

Subscribed to you. I really liked this video. My deepest gratitudes to you for making this video. Thanks :)

[GreenPlatypusBaby]

does it have to be pine, can it be spruce or some other tree for example?

[TheSonofgun666]

Can you use regular dried crushed up grass? my mum has an issues w/ using manuer (i'm a minor, so don't judge me)

[MrMetallicious]

Would this work as a good wood to wood glue?