birch tar [WTS] Birch Tar, Oil, and Pitch

[mikesc]

I agree with you :) ..But he is definitely selling his Birch Bark products ( his home brewed ones ) to leather workers here and elsewhere, not looking ( AFAICT ) to buy anyone else's Birch Bark products or Pine tar / oil products either for his own use or for redistribution..Perhaps he'll post again ..

He was trying to get some Birch Bark oil from Russia ( to compare ) because it is way cheaper than he is selling his for..

Edited September 30, 2019 by mikesc
typo

[Otzi]

I use the term Birch Tar Oil as that is what it is commonly called in the circles where it is made, or discussed. There is already enough confusion with people between the tar and oil, now if I start calling it birch bark oil they will be even more confused. The times I have seen Birch bark oil was always referring to essential oil, which is another confusion point for people.

[Otzi]

Things have been going well! Interest has picked up and have some fairly regular buyers now. Mostly those that make sheaths for knives and guns, a gunsmith that uses it on his rifle stocks and a traditional mongol bow maker. Very interesting people to talk to and get to know.

My boots that I treated with tar on August 20 still completely waterproof even after months of work in the bush, and not a sweaty foot in sight  

 

Can see my post where I detail treating those boots here:

https://otzispouch.ca/leather-waterproofing-with-birch-tar/

 

If you look closely at the header picture you can see the leather looks much better on the treated boot. As I have said before I am not knowledgeable in the way of leather, I just go by what I see and feel I use what I preach so to speak.

Edited November 19, 2019 by Otzi
spelling

[Otzi]

I have scaled up substantially thanks to some agreements with local companies. I also have new and better ways to distill which means a better end product.

This means a substantial price drop, I am also changing the measurement which it is sold by, from ounces to ml/cc. New pricing is $10CAD per 100ml. A few other things that the oil does when used on leather or wood:

 

- Repels insects, bugs, and worms

- Highly resistant to molds, fungus, and bacteria

- Increases resistance to damage from salt water

- Excellent water repel

On wood it leaves a very durable and tough finish with a beautiful patina, many of the traditional Puukko makers use it on their handles.

 

Other Uses

It contains antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, and antiparasitic qualities and has long been used by farmers and ranchers to treat a wide array of afflictions on livestock, especially skin and hooves. Handy thing to have in your pack when your in the bush as it can be used for so many different things. With a little heat you can easily refine it down and use it to repair boots, clothes, tent, seal seams, or even as a high strength glue which does not get brittle at cold temperatures. I have tested it down to -25C and it stays flexible, even mores if you mix in some fibers while it is hot.

[Otzi]

This post goes into how you can create your own powerful antiseptic which is Birch tar oil but distilled in a bit of a different way to retain as much of the phenol and derivatives as possible. It is an extremely strong antiseptic.

 

https://otzispouch.ca/birch-tar-oil-a-powerful-antiseptic/ 

[Otzi]

I have been experimenting for the last 6-7 months on mixing birch tar oil and beeswax and finally have a process that really works well and am super excited about it. The wax seems to further stabilize the oil ad on test pieces I am not seeing oxidization where the birch tar oil itself will oxidize some after around 8 months (much less then animal based products such as neatsfoot, mink oil etc). The tar oil maintains its properties such as repelling bugs, insects, worms, and the leather is very resistant to mold and fungus.

This product will launch under a sister company names birchees.ca.

[Otzi]

I documented a simple way to make your own birch tar oil as well as some of its uses and how to refine it further for specific uses, hope some of you find it useful.

https://otzispouch.ca/how-to-make-birch-tar-oil/