Slightly higher melting temperature than German red pitch-and harder than the red pitch when set
When comparing pitch pricing don't be fooled by lower cost package pricing-Our German Natural Black Pine Pitch starts at only $10.00 @ Pound ($44.00 for a 4.4 lb container).
Natural Black German Pine Pitch is nothing like the smelly tar like asphaltum or bitumen based substance that is generally despised in the industry. Natural Black German Pine Pitch is used when you need a harder pitch for holding work very securely for planishing, while the red pitch varieties on the market, both German and now American made, are better for general purpose work and deep forming. Natural Black German Pine Pitch has a slightly higher melting temperature than the red, but still has all the good characteristics of a well-made natural pine based pitch as that is what it is.
Sold in a 2-kilo (4.4 pound) tub.
To use, place the pitch in a suitable pitch bowl and heat in an 250 to 300 degree F oven.
There are many postings on the web and youtube on how to use pitch. Below are just a couple we have found:
Here is a great posting on using pitch and pitch bowls from Brian Meek.
And another posting from Charles Lewton-Brain on pitch in general
Books on the subject include Moving Metal by Adoph Steines and Chasing and Repousse' by Nancy Megan Cogwin.
An excerpt from Charles Lewton-Brain's posting:
"I was offered some German black pitch for evaluation......I approached it with some skepticism because I liked my red forming pitch so much. Well, after messing around with it for a while I must say I have now found a significant addition to my pitch options. It melts a little higher than the red pitch. It has a low melting temperature, but not enough to be dangerous. The heat transfers through it well and a hair dryer or heat gun could be used to soften it. It is handleable when soft and can be shaped and pressed into areas with the fingers (preferably dipped into water before touching it). It heated quickly and I could cool the metal stuck onto it and the pitch as well almost instantly by using a plant mister and spritzing it with water.
It is very hard when set, so hard that I could quickly stick a piece of silver sheet onto it, use a hammer and chisel to cut a long groove for scoring and bending and not have the metal push into the pitch anywhere while cutting the groove. (Well, maybe my workshop was a little cool that day as well). This is pretty resilient stuff, good for slight forming, planishing, excellent for flat chasing, chiseling and engraving. It has an excellent grip, really superb adhesion. There was no way I could chip or pry my metal off the pitch.
My judgment: this is a great pitch, perfect for certain jobs, fairly safe to use. It does things no other pitch does and it does them well."
Charles Lewton-Brain
