jl88 Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Hi there, This is a rookie question but I'd like to know exactly what red gum is. I have purchased it commercially and it works a treat, but it simply looked like powder tree (RED GUM) I have read plenty of posts about it and they all say its the resin of the tree, or sap, but no hard and fast answers. The reason I ask is because I have access to vast quantities of red gum (hardwood tree) particles. It is the dust left over from chainsawing lengths of old dry red gum posts. So if this is the right stuff, I would love to just chop it up in the coffee grinder and use it. Please let me know so that I don't potentially ruin a batch of stars trying it out! Thanks all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 It's ground up resin that comes from a tree, not the wood itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedrill Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 it is sap from black boys jl88 those from overseas call it Accroides Resin and call the plant a part of the Xanthorrhoea genus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jl88 Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Thanks guys, lol I feel like a dick but I thought it best to ask. Seemed too good to be true. Anyone need a sack of red gum wood shavings lol? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedrill Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 haha will probs make awesome tiger tail if you cook it up id suggest saving it is great to try different wood for charcoal stars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSM Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 I wonder, if you soak those wood chips in denatured ethanol, would you get any "red gum" dissolved into it? If you try it, let us know what happens. WSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jl88 Posted March 20, 2014 Author Share Posted March 20, 2014 Hey guys, thanks for the quick answers. Mumbles, when you say resin, is that the same as the sap you can see oozing out of the trees? If so I may just pop some off and use that (from live trees) I may try soaking the wood in alcohol but I will definitely turn some of them to charcoal for stars. Would be interesting to see how they go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schroedinger Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yes the resin is the same as the sap, but should be cleaned up of big debris (if you are lucky ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobosan Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Wonder if it could be cooked like maple syrup to sieve the debris out? I just screened a pound of some "airfloat" red gum to get rid of debris. Man! that stuff is messy to work with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schroedinger Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 May, but propably easier to dissolve it in boiling ethanol and sieve that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 May, but propably easier to dissolve it in boiling ethanol and sieve that Sure, if you only want a few hundred grams and don't mind dealing with tars afterwards. Most resins are quite difficult to return to powders once being dissolved. You might be able to crash it out with water, but again, you're only looking at this being feasible on a few hundred grams at most. Group buys are always good ways to save money. Here's one of the major suppliers. http://www.users.on.net/~yakilo/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maserface Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I know this is about red gum, but Vinsol Resin is a good substitute for Red Gum, AFAIK it can be used 1:1 in all applications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobosan Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 I know this is about red gum, but Vinsol Resin is a good substitute for Red Gum, AFAIK it can be used 1:1 in all applications. I think you are right on that 1:1 sub. Same for shellac and I have plenty of that on hand. See - http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/9357-making-stars-red-gumdextrin-or-parlon-binder/?hl=%2Bshellac+%2Bfor+%2Bred+%2Bgum&do=findComment&comment=122052 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mumbles Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Shellac is not really a 1:1 substitute for red gum in all instances. They're similar, but not always interchangeable. Vinsol however is basically interchangeable. This is one of those supply issues though. Vinsol is primarily produced and used in the US, while red gum is primarily produced in Australia and surrounding regions. Given that the original poster is from Aus, this may not be a suitable solution for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobosan Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 Thanks Mumbles, missed the OP's location on the red gum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedrill Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 also i think you mis understand my first post in the thread ji88 red gum is not from red gums i.e. the type of eucalyptus it is from a black boy plant and they are an endangered species for those who dont have it in their country if you want one in your garden ect ect you have to have it registered and have a little silver tag displayed to say you have not pillaged it from the national parks or elsewhere they grow very very slowly some species in aust. that are 5 to 6m tall can be about 500 to 600 years old { so very slow growers } http://exoticplantsnursery.com/product/black-boy-50/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jl88 Posted March 21, 2014 Author Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) I definitely did misunderstand you lol thanks for letting me know. In that case soaking the sawdust in ethanol will accomplish nothing so thanks. Well looks like I may be sticking to commercially produced red gum. Thanks leedrill. Edited March 21, 2014 by jl88 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leedrill Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 i will say though id love to know the process that they use to extract it if it is as simple as soaking it in ethanol the plant is a really sappy plant but i wonder if they just mill it and then soak it or something Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrW Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 As a guess I would say when looking at the grass trees, they have solid gum/sap balls out of the side of their trunk (similar to the redgum tree sap), and that may be what they harvest. If you look at them after a bush fire, or during a fire they actually have a burst of long hot flames when these balls burn. We have heaps (of grass trees) where I live, and and the ones I have tried crushing look similar, but have heard that this dust is really nasty to the health. My $0.05 worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSM Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) As to red gum and Vinsol being a 1:1 swap, not with chlorate. Vinsol is acidic and a poor choice for compositions with chlorates (unless buffered with an alkali compound such as bicarbonate). WSM Edited March 21, 2014 by WSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSM Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 As a guess I would say when looking at the grass trees, they have solid gum/sap balls out of the side of their trunk (similar to the redgum tree sap), and that may be what they harvest. If you look at them after a bush fire, or during a fire they actually have a burst of long hot flames when these balls burn. We have heaps (of grass trees) where I live, and and the ones I have tried crushing look similar, but have heard that this dust is really nasty to the health. My $0.05 worth. Hi MrW, How so? I wonder if this is a fact or someone's opinion? If you find the answer, please let us know. WSM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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