Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

The art of making cuts in pine trees to extract sap for paints and varnishes and pine resin is almost forgotten. Below are the basic steps if you would like to try to get some pine juice. It is necessary to approach this matter very carefully and responsibly, as this can damage the health of the tree and expose it to various diseases.

Steps

1. 1 Find some mature pine trees in your area. You will need to obtain permission from the landowner and explain to him what you are going to do. Pine sap harvesting will not harm the trees if done correctly, but it will degrade the quality of the wood if it is going to be used later.
2. 2 Determine the best pine species for your purpose. Since different types of pine trees have the same appearance, you may need the help of someone familiar with the pine trees in your area. Southern pines that are best for notching include:
   • Southern yellow pine
   • Black pine
   • Dense pine
   • Improved pine waste
3. 3 Collect the necessary equipment to collect the juice. You will need a bark cutter, a bowl, and a container to collect the sap.If you will be using a plastic container to collect juice, you will also need a light sheet of metal to organize the funnel so that no drops of juice are shed. Here's a list of the basic tools and materials you'll need.
   • Hacker. It is a machete-like tool for cutting the bark and sapwood of a tree. A special tool usually made by local blacksmiths. It can be replaced with a small ax, sharp machete, or other large knife.
   • Turpentine pots. These pots were made from tinned steel or terracotta ceramic and are simply not found today. Their two unique features were that they were both thin with curved headbands, and had a hole in the bottom for hanging from the curved headbands. You can make these pots yourself from food containers or large metal cans. Just gently peel off the top, bend one side, and drill a 0.6 centimeter hole.
   • Pulling bucket. This is not a technical name, just buckets like this are used to pour juice from a pot to collect or sell it as raw material.
   • Hammer and pegs. Any hammer will work for hammering nails into wood, and if you don't have a large wooden peg, you can simply use a large nail to hang the collection pot over it. It is safer to use parquet pegs, as the nail or pin can damage the sawmill equipment later on.
   • Turpentine distiller. This is a rather complicated equipment to assemble, the installation of which will not be given here. Pine juice (resin) is distilled to obtain turpentine for the manufacture of paints and varnishes and cleaning solvents.
4. 4 Choose the right tree. Choose a large tree with tight bark, otherwise it will be difficult for you to firmly set the collection bucket.
5. 5 Separate the bark from the tree about 1 meter above the ground, and about 25 cm wide, by grinding it with your machete or ax. Scrape off the bark to expose a section of sapwood about 15 centimeters high.
6. 6 Set the collection bucket tightly against the sapwood, so that when the juice starts to seep, it will drain straight into it. If you are using a bucket that cannot take the shape of a tree. Use a sheet of metal and roll a funnel out of it.
7. 7 Make an incision in a "V" shape, the base of the letter should be directly above the center of the bucket.
8. 8 Leave the bucket attached to the tree until the juice begins to seep and run into the bucket. Rainwater will not affect the juice as it is waterproof. But change a clean container with a tight-fitting lid every few days to avoid getting debris. Make cuts in other places, if the juice becomes less, it may begin to crystallize or create a plaque, which will stop the movement of the juice.
9. 9 After you finish collecting the sap, remove all nails, other metal clasps, and pots from the tree. Leave the wooden pegs in the tree to avoid insects or disease.

Tips

• Despite the fact that pine trees are evergreen, the sap from them runs better in warm weather - in early autumn or early spring. In cold weather, the juice will thicken and may not flow at all.

Warnings

• Pine sap contains a natural solvent called turpentine, which can irritate the skin, eyes or mucous membranes.
• Pine sap, turpentine and other by-products are flammable.

What do you need

• Buckets
• Machete or ax
• Hammer and nail