Used with author's permission
Weiland has also experimented with a period protection for bows and arrows against water. Instead of using linseed oil or different kinds of wax one could use a mixture of resin and embalming turpentine (well, its a direct translation from Swedish; you use it to mix with linseed oil). This has been documented from England where the bowyers guild bought resin from a local supplier and mixed it with wine. The wine was probably a dry white wine, not something sweet like sherry. If you use the later you probably will end up with a serious case of "sticking to your bow."
It will probably take considerable less time to make the brew if you use the turpentine instead of wine. It will take some months to make this but Weiland liked it very much and is now applying it to all his bows and arrows. It also smells wonderful.
You take your resin and dry it. To shorten the drying time you could freeze the resin and crush it when it's frozen. Spread out the resin on a paper after that and let it dry. When it's dry you put it in a glass jar. Make a mark on the jar where the surface of the resin is and add the turpentine so that you get the double volume. Make a new mark on the jar where the surface of the turpentine is. You will get more more turpentine than resin. Let it stand until the resin has dissolved and filter it through an ordinary coffee filter. Let it stand in the jar again until it's a clear liquid. Filter it again carefully so that what's settled stays on the bottom. Remove the sediment and pour the solution back into the original jar. Add some turpentine so you get the same volume as you had when you had added turpentine the first time. It's ready to use. When applied you should brush the surface with a rough linen cloth or similar. Apply at least three layers.
Well, have fun with this. I will try it out next year.
