From: Christina Z. Anderson (zphoto@montana.net)
Date: 09/02/02-07:48:10 PM Z
Yes, resin as I know it is Damar; it is under the varnish section in Daniel
Smith, listed as Gum Damar Crystals: "Damar is a natural resin tapped from
the damar fir tree. When dissolved in pure gum turpentine, it yields a
varnish which can be used as a final picture varnish or thinned with more
turpentine and stand oil to make a glazing medium". 1 lb of the crystals
are $9. Under the recipe for making your own damar varnish, you mix 1 part
damar crystals and 1 part pure gum turpentine--equal parts by volume. It
says to place in a tightly capped bottle and agitate daily until the resin
has dissolved. It may take several days to reach the desired thick,
honey-like consistency. This is page 47 of the 2000-2001 catalog, the
biggie one.
I am assuming the resin hardens the beeswax and makes it less meltable.
I know that encaustic paints that you buy are also mixed with resin a bit to
make them more stable. Now, whether you could just buy some liquid damar
from the art store and mix in beeswax, might be something to consider.
Chris
> Resin is AFAIK a generic term -- I think even gum arabic is "resin" tho
> possibly at the time that meant 'Canada balsam,' which I now forget the
> composition of. I'd beware, though, of something that's mostly turpentine,
> I'm told one of the two most allergenic substances to humans (the other
> being chrome, as in dichromate). However being ever interested in "resin"
> as I seek a varnish for gum, I checked DS catalog for resin -- not listed
> in index. Any recollection of what/where?
>
> It does seem, meanwhile, that this "transparentizer" is largely wax. The
> melting with heat works very well without the volatile solvent, at least
> IME. However, and here's a wild guess, sticking my neck out -- reason for
> the "resin" may be that beeswax is on the soft side. We've had very good
> results with parrafin and hot iron. The parrafin is hard when cold.
>
> J.
>
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