SCHILBACH Amber Cracked | Pyrogenic | for amber varnish

Pyrogenic Amber Cracked get used similar to rosin, boiled with linseed oil, make your violin or amber varnish.

Pre-dissolved, pyrogenic amber cracked for the best violin varnishes

This Amber Cracked is intended for the production of amber varnish. It allows a quicker amber varnish production and a much easier handling for the best violin varnish.

These brown, brittle amber resin crystals are used for the production of amber varnish and, like rosin, boiled with linseed oil can be used for the production of violin varnish.

Pyrogenic amber

This amber is "pre-cracked" in a complex pressure-distillation process. It is freed from impurities and a uniform pyrogenic amber "crystal" is created.

In its original state, amber has a melting temperature of 290° C to 300° C and decomposes in the process. These high temperatures normally have to be reached in the manufacture of amber varnish, but must not be exceeded in order for it to form a compound with the oil. At the same time, turpentine oil, which is also used in this process, has a low flash point of only 50° C. This manufacturing process can lead to dangerous deflagration.

Handling for your amber varnish

Due to its pretreatment, Amber Cracked has a significantly lower melting range than the original amber.

This allows a much faster and simpler manufacturing process, easier dissolving in the oil and reduces the risk of deflagration.

Linseed oil produces small bubbles at around 200°C - 220°C. This is the time when linseed oil and amber cracked can be mixed well.

To add turpentine oil, the mixture must be cooled further to approx. 70°C, while the turpentine oil must also be heated to 70°C in a water bath. Then you can bring both substances together so that a homogeneous mass is created.

How to make amber varnish?

For the proportions between resin and oil, the question is what kind of character you want the varnish to have. Do you want a nice soft varnish, which at the same time is durable, or you want to have a more brittle varnish that chips off more easily? It also already depends on the hardness of the resin itself which result you will have. And since we are working with natural products, every batch can give different results. I would work with a 50/50 ratio for softer varnishes and 40/60 to even 35/65 ratio for more brittle varnish ( less oil, more resin). Than do some tests and see if the hardness of the varnish is to your liking. You can always change proportions again.
Turpentine oil can be used as a thinner, to make the varnish more liquid and make application easier. Also here it is hard to give clear ratios. depending on the ration of the oil/resin, the varnish will already be thicker, so more thinner might be needed with the more brittle varnish compared to the softer varnish. 1/3 for the soft varnish and more 1/5 for the brittle varnish might be a good starting point. But in the end you can always finetune the viscosity when you start applying the varnish. When it seems to thick, you can always add thinner, when it seems to liquid, you can heath up the varnish to evaporate the thinner. The viscosity of varnish is something very personal. Also it depends how you want to apply the varnish: with the brush, by hand, with sponges, etc.
Washed and precooked linseed oil is recommended.
(by Maarten De Keukeleire)

• Original baltic amber
• Made in Germany