Pine resin glue?

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Sundowner

Full Member
Jan 21, 2013
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My newly carved kuksa has cracked and I'd luke to glue it, or just fill the crack. Pine resin mixed with ash ok for that task?
TIA for your help!!
 

Toddy

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Jan 21, 2005
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May I ask what wood you've used ? because some of them just don't stop.

Pine resin's safe enough but it will soften with any heat, even with ash added, and think on what hot liquid will do to a crack in timber.
I know that a newly turned spindle whorl..a large sort of cupped one... cracked, and nothing stopped it. In the end I filled it with pure pine resin (Himself spent ages refining it) that looks like amber. It's a lovely repair, but I don't know if it'd hold with hot liquid. Might do with cold.

Interested to hear your, and others, solutions :)
 

Sundowner

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Jan 21, 2013
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It's birch Toddy. I was also thinking of boiling up skin and bone glue but that would dry glassy hard. For some reason pine glue keeps coming back into my head.
 

Robson Valley

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Nov 24, 2014
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McBride, BC
JBWELD, A&B mix Epoxy. Has powdered limestone in it. I use the regular "blend" for mounting crooked knife blades.
Swear up and down that you filled the crack with dirty grey clay. We can keep this a secret, right?

Work cold because it has a short open time before it begins to polymerize.
Then, you bring the work into some place nice and warm for a couple of days.
 

TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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Vantaa, Finland
My newly carved kuksa has cracked and I'd luke to glue it, or just fill the crack.
So you did not treat it with salt?

The traditional tar glue is made from birch bark. It even has the lovely name "tökötti" in Finnish. Pine resin mixed with something that prevents flowing might work for filling.
 

Broch

Life Member
Jan 18, 2009
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www.mont-hmg.co.uk
I've only used pine resin mixed with powdered charcoal. It's very strong, will stop leaks and will withstand reasonably hot fluids but, as Toddy said, it does soften a bit if you added boiling water to it. I have used it to fill the cracks in end grain before polishing it and it looks every bit as good as modern epoxy resin finishes in my opinion. It probably doesn't go quite as hard so won't polish to quite the shine though.
 

Dogoak

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Jan 24, 2009
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Cairngorms
Whatever you decide to use, it's a good idea to drill a small hole at the base of the crack to help stop it going any further. I did repair one years ago and after drilling I used epoxy, it's still ok.
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
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1,643
Vantaa, Finland
Stop holes work very well in metals, glass and plastics. In anisotropic materials like wood it is just so-and so. Specifically in near transversely isotropic materials like wood it helps a little but it is much better to take away the original reason for cracking, in this case uneven drying.
 

Sundowner

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Jan 21, 2013
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Ok, I've decided to use pine resin and charcoal. Extremely valid points made throughout this thread, so, thank you everyone who replied!!!
 

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