Making Tar from birch bark

I had a go at making tar from birch bark.
So what is this tar good for? Glue, for gluing in arrow tips into the shaft; and it is an antiseptic; but I wanted to extract for waterproofing and preserving wood.
If you have ever burnt the bark you will know it burns very well with lots of black smoke. In bush-craft circles it is known as natures fire lighter. When walking in birch woods you will see fallen trees, the old ones are nothing more than the bark holding a soft sponge of decayed wood. The bark can last for years but the wood can rot out within a year. The bark contains all sorts of tars, oils and resins which are extremely resistant to decay. It is these that I wanted to extract, and so I made a small kiln from a tin with a small hole punched in the bottom.













This tin was placed on a paving slab and metal sheets on blocks so I could put a collecting tin underneath the hole in the bigger tin.














The kiln-tin was filled with birch bark, some of which was rolled up and put in end-on, most of it just stuffed in. In future I will roll all of it up, and place end up in the kiln, as horizontal layers can stop the tar from running out of the hole. The lid must then be placed on the kiln.



















Pile lots of wood and shavings around and over the kiln and set light to it. Add more wood when necessary. Looking at the photo above you can see lots of smoke coming out of the hole. I think I am wasting lots of tar as this smoke stains black, anything it comes into contact with, and is sticky.



















As you can see I have a problem. The smoke and gases coming out of the hole have ignited, and this has also ignited all the collected tar in the tin. This happened a few times, so the next time I will bury the collecting tin in earth to stop air getting to the gasses and smoke, so hopefully no ignition.
The kiln was not very air tight, and as the fire burned down the kiln drew air in through the hole in the bottom. You can see in the photo, a few flames around the tin lid. The bark inside the tin was now obviously alight. I did get some big blobs of tar falling out.















All in all I think that I failed as all I got was a cube centimetre blob of tar. I think I should have got far more.



Stockholm Tar

I would like to try and make Stockholm tar one day. This is extracted from pine tree roots, and Sweden was Europe's most important exporters of this tar. Stockholm tar kept the British Navy afloat by waterproofing the wood on the ships as well as rope and steel. It is still used for treating cuts on animals, and also for soaps for skin ailments.

If anyone knows any more about 'the destructive distillation' of wood, please let me know. Do any charcoal producers set up their kilns so they can also extract the tars? I have only heard of this happening in industrial factory production.

Fan bird video

A Video of me at the Bodgers Ball making fan birds, filmed by Stuart King

The Contemporary Craft Fair
















The Contemporary Craft Fair is the best show I do in terms of the range and quality of crafts on sale. Everyone is selected and for that reason it is the best craft show in the South West.
As some of you know I have a foot in various camps, yes that's right I have 5 feet! My first love and passion is green woodwork, followed by making and designing seating, then comes sculpture, photography, and the list continues. I have been demonstrating at this show for some years now and I appreciate that it has demonstrations of traditional crafts whilst showing contemporary crafts.













I love demonstrating and passing-on my knowledge. This year I was not only worked on the pole-lathe and made spoons, I was also showed how to make fan birds. It rained all day on Saturday and I did not have much custom in the way of sales or people watching my demonstrations, so I managed to make up plenty of blanks for Sundays demonstrations. It is fine to do a half hour plus demo at the Bodgers Ball but most people at other shows tend to wander off half way through, so in great Blue Peter fashion I have birds in various states of completion. Fan bird demonstrating is a bit like the never ending story: as new people turn up I have to go back and explain how I start the birds.



















I met Chris Nangle for the first time at the show, I have been seeing his work all over the internet for some years now, and have much admired his outdoor seating. Chris gave me one one of his oak bowls. I am sorry about the quality of the photos, I could not have done worse if I tried

































The DevonFurniture Makers stand was next near my stand this year. Here is Allen, in front of his elm mirror.

The Craft fair has a very large children's workshop tent where all sorts of things are made whilst parents can have a good look around or relax and have a drink. There is plenty of entertainment as well with Punch and Judy, choirs, singers and comedians.














Below is a photo of Sarah James, the show's organiser. This photo is taken at about 6.30 pm on Sunday as I was breaking down the stand. As I turned up on Sunday morning I saw Sarah spread straw in the car park over the churned up mud, a consequence of Saturdays rain. I have never seen a show organiser take such an active role as Sarah, so well done to her and her team. This fair is one of the best and well organised shows I have been to. It is a shame that so many organizers at other fairs are not as conscientious.

More knives

I have just bought a few knife blanks from a firm in Germany to bulk up an order of food grade cold pressed linseed oil.

I have now made a handle from a small birch burl and the sheath is made from ash plank off-cuts

This is a Brusletto blade from Norway in a gorgeous brown burr oak handle. I am yet to make a sheath for it and I think I will make the back of the sheath longer.
I have posted these pictures on the British Blades forum and have found out that I have made and fitted the handles in the wrong way. These Scandinavian blades all have long tangs, so you drill a long hole into the wooden handle and glue the tang in. I made the handles in two halves hollowing out the space for the tang and gluing together. Oh well, live and learn.

The stone above is a natural mineral, cut from a layer of sedimentary sandstone in the Slovakian Mala Fatra Mountains which are known for their fine, uniform grit and high resistance to wear. A great stone for finishing and polishing, used with water and at a very very good price of 9.90 Euro.
The web site I got these from is http://www.dick.biz/dick/page/homepage/detail.jsf














I made this last year using a Frosts blade I bought for £20, and used yew scales with brass rod to hold it together with. The textile sheath has a wood sheath inside it so the knife will not cut the stitching. This textile is not leather but plastic, left over from a time when I used it to make the flexible spine for wooden books. It is the same stuff they use for vegan shoes and is very strong, but does not have the same properties as leather, of course. I like this knife very much and it is one of my favourites.

Kiln dried burr oak

I have known Anton and Alison Coaker for many years now. They are farmers whose land is bang in the middle of Dartmoor. Anton diversified into saw milling some years ago, and has built this side of the business into a large and thriving concern. We also buy lamb from them every now and again and it is some of the best meat we eat. If you are local to Dartmoor do check out their website for more info on meat, hide rugs and wood.
I know this is not really green woodworking, but it is green in many other ways. For one, Anton sources his wood locally. Also, he is local to me and is an interesting bloke who cares a lot for farming and the land. I love my visits up there even though I spend too much, I am just like a little boy in a big sweet shop.

Last year I asked Anton to select a nice burr oak stick to saw up into one inch thick planks and to kiln dry it for me. I have just collected it and am now making up stock for galleries and the shows I sell at. For more info on green wood, air and kiln dried wood click here for a short article I have written.















Anton on the left carrying a brown oak plank, I was not allowed to buy any as it is all going up to Yorkshire for a floor.




















Some of the burr oak in my workshop. I do not know how much I am to pay for it yet - all the measurements of how much wood I bought was written onto a plank of wood in big crayon - yet to be transferred into the invoice book. No problem; I trust Anton and know that he is a very fair bloke to do business with. By the way this is not normal practice, and as I joked, Anton has not just learned to write.














The first mirror frame to be glued up can be seen in the photo above. When sanded and oiled up they look fantastic. I think it is very important that I know the people who processed the wood, that they can tell me where the tree came from, and they are local. This way we are supporting our local businesses and keeping money circulating in the local economy instead of it going out the the area, or abroad, and paying shareholders in huge business that do not give a jot about anything apart from profit. I do also buy wood from the large timber merchants if necessary, but my aim is to buy locally as much as I can. Made and grown on Dartmoor or, and as they say in Devon: "proper job".
I have seen many people make mirrors over the years and especially at wood fairs so it can be a difficult market to make a living with, but worth it if you find your niche. The only way you can buy a mirror from me is by seeing me at a show or visiting me at my workshop, I do not send them via couriers and each one is unique.