Asphaltum

[Ryan McNabb]

I think I've found a very good source for asphaltum that looks to me like it will make a capital stock stain.  I bought a can of this from Dick Blick:

http://www.dickblick.com/products/asphaltum-liquid/?wmcp=google&wmcid=products&wmckw=45205-1006

It's extremely thick - about like sorghum - and is coal black in color.  I know it will dry hard because there is some around the neck of the cap that is dried on and can be chipped of with effort.  Rubbed onto scrap curly maple, it's a rich chocolate brown with great depth and clarity in the finish.  You can't rub on too much - it won't darken past a certain point with repeated applications.  Rubbed hard with a cloth it gets glossy and feels dry to the touch in minutes.  I'm going to see what it looks like with various finishes (oil, varnish, wax) over the next few days.

The color is definitely coffee-chocolate in nature, and not a reddish brown like nitric, so this has to be taken into account.  Photos of Gary's fine rifles stained with asphaltum show this characteristic. 

Hope this helps someone.  I'm finishing up a rifle now and will be staining it in a couple of weeks and will post pix.

Cheers
Ryan

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Can't wait to see....... this sounds like a good alternative.  Wonder what it would do on black walnut??

[Ryan McNabb]

I'll check it out.  Should make it darkity dark dark. 

[Roger B]

Can you "blush" it with a little red? 
Roger B.

[Ryan McNabb]

Dunno.  I have stained several stocks with AF that had this same color quality - they don't all turn out reddish.  It's a nice color, and would probably redden up with oil or varnish over top.  Wax/turpentine would be pretty transparent.

[Bill of the 45th]

Ryan, love your blog site.  Ya get the red from having an oops with a sharp chisel.

Bill

[Birddog6]

Seems like there was a Jaeger at Friendship a few year back, done by Ron Elhert or Ron Scott ?  Was that the brass barreled one or a dif. one ?

Keith Lisle

[smylee grouch]

It sounds like this Asphaltum would fill the pores in walnut, is that the case?     Gary

[Ryan McNabb]

It sounds like this Asphaltum would fill the pores in walnut, is that the case?     Gary

Not sure I'd want to use it on walnut, and I don't think it's stiff enough to fill the pores.  Although it's thick, it rubs right in.  I think walnut (personally) is at its best with a clearer finish - filled pores are great, but I've never felt the need to darken it up.  This stuff is dark - I rubbed some on a walnut blank today and it was very dark.  It'd wind up being - I'm afraid - a big mess.

Incidentally, I put some BLO on the piece I tested (on maple) and couldn't tell that it darkened it at all, which was a strange thing.  I'm used to oils and varnishes darkening whatever is there, but not with this.  

Here's a photo of some on a piece of scrap.  The photo makes it look much duller than real life - it's actually quite glossy.



I keep waiting for Flintriflesmith to chime in...

[rsells]

I am not sure what asphaltum is, but I use asphalt from the edges of paved roads dissolved into kerosene to put on curly maple on top of my stain to enhance the curl.  It will bring out the figure in wood in maple as walnut.  It puts a dull dark black layer of finish on top of the wood and I use steel wool to bring the wood back to the color I am looking for on the finished product.  Then I apply my finish.
                                                                    Roger Sells

[LURCHWV@BJS]

   YEEEEHHAAAAAA,   This is exactly the color I've been looking for.   Man that looks nice.

Thanx for that pic

   Rich

[Acer Saccharum]

Asphaltum is an ingredient in pitch, used in engraving and jewelry to hold odd shaped objects while working the metal.

I can maybe remember what makes pitch: Asphaltum, rosin, beeswax and plaster of paris. Mix in various proportions to get the right amount of give/support and stickiness.

[Ryan McNabb]

That's correct - and asphaltum is of course historically part of asphalt (or bitumen) road surfacing, but I would not feel comfortable putting modern asphalt on a stock.  Who knows what sort of weirdness is mixed in with it these days?

[winemaker]

Modern Asphalt has no weird things added to it. It's what's left over from gasoline production or coke production. We make 180,000 gallons a day at work. Ours is from crude coke oven tar. It's actually as thin as water before it's distilled to asphalt. If anyone wants some to try just let me know. Before distillation it does contain, benzene, naphthalene, and 2 cuts of creosote. It does stink to high heaven!

[Acer Saccharum]

Vaguely related to this thread:
What is the the 'tar' in the LaBrea Tar Pits? Is that oil that has had most of the solvents dissipated?

[LURCHWV@BJS]

  I have to wonder if it is the begining stage of a natural Asphalt mine.  There are Two Naturaly occuring Asphalt mines that I know of in the world.  One is in Africa, the other is the Ritchie County Mine in West Virgina.  I believe it was discovered by George Washington as he surveyed the area.  It would be neat if some of the stains use by "The Masters" was made from the Asphalt from this Mine.

     Rich

[bluenoser]

I have used asphalt dissolved in turpentine on a couple of stocks with great results.  Deep and dark finish with excellent contrast (highlighted curl) and an irridescence I have not achieved with any other finish.  I do apply BLO over it.  It is definitely my finish of choice if I want a dark finish.

BTW, there are other older threads on this subject.

Laurie

[Ryan McNabb]

Modern Asphalt has no weird things added to it. It's what's left over from gasoline production or coke production. We make 180,000 gallons a day at work. Ours is from crude coke oven tar. It's actually as thin as water before it's distilled to asphalt. If anyone wants some to try just let me know. Before distillation it does contain, benzene, naphthalene, and 2 cuts of creosote. It does stink to high heaven!

Thanks for this - I had no idea.  I assumed it would be "improved" with all sorts of things to make the surface harder, last longer, etc. 

[keweenaw]

If one wants to be correct use a natural asphaltum.  Here's a link to the history, etc. http://www.naturalpigments.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=462-10B

Tom

[LURCHWV@BJS]

  I stopped down to the Woodcraft shop Friday afternoon and asked about Asphaltum.  One of the Gentlemen was quite helpful on the subject.  He informed me that it can be made by tearing tarpaper into tiny pieces putting the into a jar and pour Turpintine over it.  So I went home and did just that.  After only abouttwo hrs the mixture was quite dark.  I've kept adding tarpaper to it and it just keeps getting thicker.  I tried it on a piece of scrap this is my result.




      Rich

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

Received can from Dick Blick today. Will try it on some scrap tomorrow.

[Ryan McNabb]

  I stopped down to the Woodcraft shop Friday afternoon and asked about Asphaltum.  One of the Gentlemen was quite helpful on the subject.  He informed me that it can be made by tearing tarpaper into tiny pieces putting the into a jar and pour Turpintine over it.  So I went home and did just that.  After only abouttwo hrs the mixture was quite dark.  I've kept adding tarpaper to it and it just keeps getting thicker.  I tried it on a piece of scrap this is my result.
      Rich

 
(slaps forehead)  Why didn't I think of that?  That's awesome Rich.  Thanks.  "Tar paper."  Makes all the sense in the world. 

[Clark Badgett]

Is this the modern kind you can find at Lowes and Home Depot?

[LURCHWV@BJS]

 

 Yes Sir,


    Rich

[hyltoto]

prettiest rifle I ever made was stained with purple crystal (potassium permangenate) i got from my culligan water treatment system and asphatum. I was managing a built-up roofing project at the time, so I just took home a nice chunk of roofing tar into a bottle of turpentine. Both were ideas from a little phamphlet about historical stains sold at Golden Age Arms in the 80's. I topped it off with BLO.