Making a Glue Stick using primitive methods

In this article, Patrick McGlinchey of the Backwoods Survival School based in Scotland guides us through making a glue stick, a primitive method of creating and then storing resin based glue.

There are a few ways of producing a glue stick; this is but one. There are also other ingredients you can use to make the pitch. Experiment yourselves it’s good fun. Cut a piece of elder and remove bark and pith, this will leave you with a hollow tube. Cut two small hazel plugs to fit.

Grind down some charcoal with a rounded stone.

Ideally, the charcoal should be reduced to a fine powder.

Gather up some pine resin using coltsfoot instead of your pockets! Place the flat rock on the fire stones, once warmed add the resin. (Be careful in your selection of rock as they might explode) My favorite rock had a bowl shape hammered out of it, but it grew legs on a course last year and went walkabout. Once the resin starts to melt down scrape it into a heap and add a little beeswax. Any impurities should be scraped to one side. Now add some charcoal powder and mix. Gather and push into elder tube. Make enough pitch to fill the chamber and cap it with the other plug. It’s a great way of carrying the pitch in your kit bag. When you need to use it simply heat over the fire and spread.

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Many thanks to Patrick of Backwoods Survival School and Bushcraft UK for supplying this article.

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