Enkaustikos Damar Resin in Bulk - 10 Pounds

Enkaustikos uses Damar resin to produce a harder, more durable paint film. Damar, in combination with beeswax produces a paint film with a higher index of refraction. This is why encaustic colors appear so luminous. Enkaustikos uses No. 1 Singapore Damar Resin, which is harvested from trees which grow in the East Indies. We are often asked, What is damar resin". At one time or another, when we were children we have all climbed a pine tree or peach tree and ended up with a sticky sap on our hands. Well, Damar Resin is also a sticky sap that oozes from trees found in the East Indies. As the sap dries and solidifies it captures bugs, dried leaves and tree bark. Damar Resin arrives to us in crystal form along with all of these imbedded impurities. This must be filtered out to make a usable product. Damar Resin is a very people and earth friendly ingredient. Damar resin is approved by the FDA for coating fruit and vegetable crates. The next time that you visit a grocery store if you check out the produce aisle you may notice that the fruits and vegetables are being restocked from cardboard boxes that appear to a a glossy glaze coating. Yep, that's probably a coating of damar. Many encaustic recipes incorrectly suggest that an artist should use damar varnish. This is not a good idea because damar varnish is made with turpentine. We would like to emphasize that our wax paints are made with damar resin and not damar varnish. We do not recommend working with damar varnish because it contains turpentine which is not only flammable but also gives off unhealthy fumes."