Pine tar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pine tar is a sticky material produced by the high temperature carbonization of pine wood in anoxic conditions (dry distillation or destructive distillation). The wood is rapidly decomposed by applying heat and pressure in a closed container; the primary resulting products are charcoal and pine tar.
Pine tar consists primarily of aromatic hydrocarbons, tar acids and tar bases. Components of tar vary according to the pyrolytic process (e.g. method, duration, temperature) and origin of the wood (e.g. age of pine trees, type of soil and moisture conditions during tree growth). The choice of wood, design of kiln, burning and collection of the tar can vary. Only pine stumps and roots are used in the traditional production of pine tar.
Pine tar has a long history as a wood preservative, as a wood sealant for maritime use, in soaps, in roofing construction and maintenance, and in the treatment of skin diseases.
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[edit] Use of pine tar in baseball
An additional, minor use of pine tar is as the sticky substance baseball players use on their bats to improve grip. Pine tar is applied liberally to Major League Baseball bats every season in the United States of America. Because of its texture, pine tar improves a batter's grip on the bat and prevents the bat from slipping out of his hands during hard swings.
Rule 1.10(c) of the 2002 Official Rules of Major League Baseball states that batters may apply pine tar only from the handle of the bat extending up for 18 inches.
Pine tar is also sometimes used by pitchers in baseball to improve grip on the ball in cold weather, although it is questionable whether it gives a pitcher any competitive advantage. However, the application of any foreign substance to a ball is expressly prohibited by 8.02 of the MLB Official Rules[1], and, if caught, results in an automatic ten-game suspension.
In the 2006 World Series, Kenny Rogers was accused of placing pine tar on hand.
[edit] General use
Pine tar has long been used in Scandinavian nations as a preservative for wood which may be exposed to harsh conditions, including outdoor furniture and ship decking and rigging. The high-grade pine tar used in this application is often called "Stockholm Tar" after the company which for many years had a monopoly on its production in Sweden. It can be mixed with boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and a drying agent to create "Old Down East" wood finish. The Finnish army used dark pine tar to coat the stocks of its firearms during the Winter War and subsequent conflicts. This both protected the wood and acted as an early form of camouflage.
Pine tar is widely used as a veterinary care product. It's a traditional antiseptic and hoof care product for horses and cattle. Pine tar has also been used to make medicinal soap for people with skin ailments.
[edit] Pine Tar and the preservation of vintage and classic wooden vessels.
Whether it is a sailing ship from 1815 or a more recent boat like the 1940s designs of Edwin Monk Sr. and Morris Shain, 700 centuries or more of maritime history pivot on the usage of pine tar to preserve and maintain wooden boats. A contributor is currently working on a vessel(Ahu Mana). This consists primarily of coating the interior sole of the boat with the mixture of pine tar, gum turpentine and boiled linseed oil. Doing so entails first making a thinner mixture by adding a greater volume of turpentine. Using a thinner first batch allows it to permeate deeper into the oakum and fibre of alaskan yellow cedar (or any other wood) and both the old and fresh white oak blocks. Another benefit of doing the first batch thinner is that it lets the tar seap into any pinholes and larger gaps that might be in the planks. The tar weeps out to the exterior and indicates where the boat needs the most attention. Having the solution in place and the repairs complete, the vessel is ready for the thicker standard mix to set the put in. Pine tar is also efficacious for properly saturating lead or standard oakum so that the endurance of the sealing capacity is optimal.
