I killed some time camping by cutting dried pitch off some pine trees so I could refine it. I've never made my own so it was interesting. Here's what I came home with.

Next, I transferred it into a metal container and heated it on a camp stove.

I boiled it until it fully melted.

And strained out the bark and dirt through aluminum screen.

I left it to dry in an foil lined bowl. I hated to sacrifice my favorite tinfoil hat but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

I was left with about a quarter pound of resin. It feels like plastic. Not sticky at all. I stuck it in a ziplock. All my traps a waxed already but at least I have it. Something to do on a Sunday afternoon.

It burns like gasoline even when wet.

X2

You wax your traps with the resin? That's a great idea

No, just put a very small amount in the regular wax

Good glue also if you didnt get it too hot. I used to do the same but I made sure it got super hot and crunchy when it dried. Is crush it up and use the powder to rosen my bull rope. What can I say, im a cheapo. Lol. It does make good glue for primitive projects. I use it binding stone blades to wood and antler handles.(thanks vermonster) if it gets too hot it will be brittle though. Sounds like you got it just right though.....shane

Always learning on T-Man!

Thanks for sharing badgerman a lot of uses for pitch , I can tell un-pitched trap wax from pitched good stuff.

sweet thanks.

I usually throw a piece of bark with a lot of sap in the dye

Badgerman,
How much of that do you add to a pound of wax? Or 10 pounds or whatever?

Now that is too coo. Be another cool project with the kids.

10bands, the old Hawbacker book calls for a pea or bean sized piece but others use up to an ounce per 10 lbs. I personally have never used it. What got me interested was when I bought a dozen traps from Mason Jarr, he told me that he added an ounce to his ten pounds. His traps were already waxed but the wax adhered better than any of mine and seemed markedly tougher. He bought his rosin at the bowling alley. I knew rosin is just pine resin with the turpentine evaporated off during the melting process. I figured it wouldn't be hard to make, and it isn't. Flammable as all get out but not difficult.

Great how to post Archive bound once it has run it's course...thank you. Tom

I had a sawmill guy scrape of the ends of my pine logs before he cut them. He said he heats it in a microwave and uses it to waterproof leather pac boots . He swears its the best waterproofing.

I use a small piece when I wax too, I have at least 10lbs in my cooker