The Armour Archive

Kay.. I've found a source.. and I'ma make a bottel.. (and probably line a couple of cups and such, as well, so they are water proof, rather than really inefficient collanders).

So.. when using it on leather bottels.. does it "soak through" like beeswax does? Or does it merely line, and stop?

Also, how do you guys "heat" the bottles before lining them?

THANKS!

I use a room temp leather bottle between 70-80 and brewers pitch mixed with wax about 50/50 by volume.

losthelm wrote:I use a room temp leather bottle between 70-80 and brewers pitch mixed with wax about 50/50 by volume.

Kay.. that's good to know. Does it "seep through" like pure beeswax does? Townsend's tutorial reccomends _one_ coat.. Is that enough?

I cut my pitch with beeswax until its not sticky anymore when dry (around 50/50) and use it on room temp bottles.

On thin bottles, the wax mix will soak through quite rapidly. I intentionally soak it through, let it cool, then recoat the interior. I find this helps build up a layer of wax inside, as opposed to the wax just running out of the leather. After it cools again, I do a third pass, focusing on the seams to ensure they are sealed as well. After that I will leak test them. With this method, I have never had a bottle fail a leak test.

If I need to heat a bottle for some reason, I put my oven on warm, ~150 degrees, and place a piece of plywood inside. The wood keeps the metal from scorching the leather and catches wax as well.

Cheers,

I find the pitch soaks into dry leather very well. As I don't care for the smell of honey in my drinking vessels, I don't use beeswax. If the pitch is hot enough to flow like water, it coats evenly and pours off without excessive build up. A pound of pitch goes a long way.