Pine Tar Question(s)

[Bicycle808]

Hello.

Standard overly defensive disclaimer: Yes, I am aware that ppl have posted about Pine Tar soap on here before. Yes, I conducted a search. (Maybe like 50 searches.) Yes, I still have questions. (I also have my doubts about this board's search function n stuff...)

For those of you who make pine tar soap, what brand of pine tar do you like best? I've been looking at the Bickmore, and "the one with the yellow horseshoe on the can", but the tales told of the liniment odor of the bickmore, coupled with the low-viscosity descriptions, make me worry that there's stuff in there other than pine tar. Haven't found a lot of testimonials to the yellow horseshoe brand...

Short version here: which brand of pine tar do you use in your recipe, and why?

Thanks!
Rob

 

[lsg]

Summer Bee Meadow has a pine tar.

http://summerbeemeadow.com/content/pine-tar

 

[Bicycle808]

the summerbeemeadow link, and in fact the entire summerbeemeadow site, appears to be dead. Just as well, as it sounds expensive. I'm lookin' to pay cowboy prices, not cutesy prices. :shock:

Is there anyone on the CP forum who has made pine tar that can recommend a brand?

Thanks

 

[judymoody]

Southern Soapers has a nice pine tar that I have used and it works well, for pine tar that is. It is only listed in small quantities - you could email them and see if they offer a bulk price.

 

[Bicycle808]

Thanks for the lead.

At $6 for 4oz, that is crazy expensive. I think you hit the nail on the head by saying "works well, for pine tar". I'm a bit nervous about using pine tar, as I understand it can get pretty solid pretty quickly, but I've got too many folks asking for it, so I've got to try.

It's just hard to justify paying $6 for 4 oz when the tractor supply stores sell the stuff at $7.50/quart.

Incidentally, the Summer Bee Meadow site is up now; the pine tar they're selling is the bickmore stuff. They want $12.68 for 8oz. Wow. Same brand is available everywhere else for $8/quart or less.

I thought alot of us soapers were cheapskates; why do so many soapers' supply outfits seem to be marking things up so dramatically?

Regardless, the Bickmore is being sold by a presumably reputable soapers' supplier, so maybe I'll give it a go at Tractor store prices. The pourability must be nice, but I'm a bit worried about the actual contents and the odor....

-rob

 

[Bicycle808]

Did some more poking around in the horsemen/boaters' corners of the internet, and this stuff is s'posed to be the "real deal":
[url="http://www.tarsmell.com/tar.html"]http://www.tarsmell.com/tar.html[/url]

Still a bit $pendy, but it's organic, imported from Sweden, and comes highly recommended as the "real deal", whereas the interweb generally reports that the Bickmore is thinned with something other than pine tar...

-rob

 

[Lindy]

Okay let's go back to basics here shall we? I use Pine Tar on a regular basis, I have 2 products that are made with them. For your best value go to your local farm supply house, ask for pine tar, it is in a tin that says it is not for human use, buy it and then take it home and use it in your soap. I use it at 4%, a little goes a very long way. Then blend fragrances/essential oils that are going to compliment the scent of the pine tar. Add some fresh, outdoor, even foresty types of fragrances.

Take that jump and start experimenting Rob.

 

[Bicycle808]

I'm all about the basics, Lindy. But some of the commonly available "pine tar" is not very "basic" at all, if it contains thinners and additives that would be unwelcome in my soap. Hence, the questions I was asking above. I think when it's all said and done, I'm gonna go with the Farnham stuff, available at the tractor/farm supply store. (The stuff with the yellow horseshoe on the label.) They got the Bickmore stuff, too, but there's a lot of evidence that there are other substances in that tin along with the pine tar. Thanks for your suggestions about sticking with the cheap stuff available locally.

My only follow-up question is: is 4% pine tar even worth it? My research suggests that the therapeutic benefits don't kick in at anything less than 20%. I've run my recipe thru the calculator with a 20% value b/c of this oft-repeated recommendation, but I have to admit that I am nervous about how pine tar behaves between the pot and the mold.

But, like you said, it's prolly time for me to shut up and start experimenting. I just gotta wait for some oils that i've ordered...

-rob

Okay let's go back to basics here shall we? I use Pine Tar on a regular basis, I have 2 products that are made with them. For your best value go to your local farm supply house, ask for pine tar, it is in a tin that says it is not for human use, buy it and then take it home and use it in your soap. I use it at 4%, a little goes a very long way. Then blend fragrances/essential oils that are going to compliment the scent of the pine tar. Add some fresh, outdoor, even foresty types of fragrances.

Take that jump and start experimenting Rob.

 

[RDak]

I use both........they both work fine.

ETA: I also make most at 4 percent pine tar.

But do make a batch now and then with 20 percent pine tar for a stronger action of the pine tar.

But both Bickmore and Farnham work fine.

 

[Dennis]

For your best value go to your local farm supply house, ask for pine tar, it is in a tin that says it is not for human use, buy it and then take it home and use it in your soap. I use it at 4%, a little goes a very long way. Then blend fragrances/essential oils that are going to compliment the scent of the pine tar. Add some fresh, outdoor, even foresty types of fragrances.

Well, shucks, guess I'm off to my friendly local feed store this morning and see if they have the pine tar in tins. If not, Tractor Supply is close by and this will be my next batch of soap. I used Dr. Bronner's once and liked it. Seems I'm the only one that does other than the dog. She curled up next to me when I used it. Not concerned about therapeutics; I like the stinky good pine tar smell. Pics and stories will follow.

 

[lsg]

the summerbeemeadow link, and in fact the entire summerbeemeadow site, appears to be dead. Just as well, as it sounds expensive. I'm lookin' to pay cowboy prices, not cutesy prices. :shock:

Is there anyone on the CP forum who has made pine tar that can recommend a brand?

Thanks

Well rob, you ask for suggestions and you got them. Just remember, don't bite the hand that feeds you, meaning if you don't like our suggestions, do some research on your own. :wink:

 

[Dennis]

I'm baaaaack. It was a successful shopping jaunt. Stopped by the feed store, found the pine tar. 32oz for $8.99. Then went to Tractor Supply down the street and they had a 12oz can for $9.99. It had a prettier label but I opted for the one at the feed store. I have a LOT of pine tar.
Leaving the feed store I looked across the street and saw a big sign on the front of another store that said:

BASIC CHEMICALS

Hey, maybe lye is available there! The lady in the store didn't blink an eye when I asked for lye. "Yessir, we have it. $74.67 for a 50lb bag. That's all we have." A bit large for me, but there are probably some enterprising, wild eyed, chemists that would be interested. Still mail ordering for now.

Never having used pine tar I have a question or two. Using soapcalc it says "for lye calc only - contains no FA." Ok, but is the percentage of pine tar used considered a part of the 100% oils necessary for calculation? Should I change superfat per cent? I generally use 5%. That's about it. Now I have to figure what color to use. I like the tan color of Bronner's so will see if I come up with something like that.
Mysterious far eastern sometimes soap assistant, mother of my children and my hand model in training daughter really liked the smell in the house yesterday when the Blue Spruce fo filled the house. Wonder what they'll have to say when they get home today. :twisted:

Share that cow hoof. It sure stinks good!
Just cause you're old doesn't mean you get to hog the goodies!

 

[Bicycle808]

the summerbeemeadow link, and in fact the entire summerbeemeadow site, appears to be dead. Just as well, as it sounds expensive. I'm lookin' to pay cowboy prices, not cutesy prices. :shock:

Is there anyone on the CP forum who has made pine tar that can recommend a brand?

Thanks

Well rob, you ask for suggestions and you got them. Just remember, don't bite the hand that feeds you, meaning if you don't like our suggestions, do some research on your own. :wink:

Fair enough. I wasn't trying to bite any hands; I'd done a bunch of searches, with little specifics as to what pine tar is good for soap.

As it turns out, summerbeemeadows carried the one pine tar that has been specifically singled out as possibly not being just pine tar (Bickmore), and at harshly inflated prices (roughly triple the price for the same product from different vendors). But yes, you're right; I should've mentioned that I was a discerning cheap$kate in my initial post. (I'd just thought that EVERYbody was...)

-rob

 

[DragonQueenHHP]

Rob I got my Pine Tar at Rural King farm store in the horse area
I love it
brand is Horse Health Products
sorry I don't remember the cost I can say it was way way cheaper then online ones

 

[RDak]

Rob: FWIW, I consider the pine tar as part of the oils and have used the recommended amounts of lye and water suggested in SoapCalc when inputting my recipe for the resulting SoapCalc recommendations.

I use their standard 5 percent SF and it comes out fine.

Bickmore results in a darker bar than Farnham. The Farnham is a lighter brown.

It traces very fast with either one for me.

I double boiler hot process all my soaps so I can't comment on CP results but I don't see why it wouldn't be basically the same. Others will have to comment though because I do not CP soap.

ETA: Just to note, none of my friends or I have noticed any irritation with either the Bickmore or Farnham pine tar soaps. In fact just the opposite.

 

[AngelMomma]

Wondering if anyone has seen any reviews or purity info on Hawthorne Pine Tar?

I can't seem to find any review type info on this brand at all.

 

[AngelMomma]

No one? My daughter has eczema and dry skin problems. We saw some of the Grandpas(I think) Pine Tar soap at a store. Thought we would make some of our own. So I picked up some Hawthorne Pine Tar when I was at the feed store. But wondered if anyone had tried that kind. I still haven't decided what formula to use though......pondering still :roll: