Rendering Birch Oil

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Stay in the Woods,
Dan

[@threeriversforge1997]

Birch oil, aka Russian Oil, used to be pretty standard as a leather preservative and waterproofer. It's several thousand years old and well worth the cost of making your own. One tip -- it doesn't take a big fire. The greater the heat, the greater the risk of burning your bark or the end product. Try for a small fire that warms the bark up and allows the oil to flow out of it before the bark combusts and turns into that charcoal. A little does go a long way, but I highly recommend anyone making it try to make as large a batch as possible simply so you don't run out any time soon. Also, check out Mikko Snellman's video on making Stockholm Tar and Russian Oil for more ideas.

[@matthewgoetzka8855]

Thank you

[@pro2a89]

does it contain gasoline or dissel

[@threeriversforge1997]

@@pro2a89 Neither. It's just the sap from the tree.

[@pro2a89]

@@threeriversforge1997 oh alright

[@TheYoungandaspiringmales]

@@pro2a89gasoline and diesel is refined into its not natural

[@Caintuckee64]

Birch oil for leather?New to me THANKS Dan!

[@FelixImmler]

Thanks a lot for this interesting Video. Greetings from Switzerland Felix

[@robertfleming387]

👋😀

[@jasonw.perkins3490]

Nice that you can use that oil for everything. Thanks for sharing.

[@chrisblack5795]

Left over charcoal can be used in the garden...fabulous video!

[@toha1057]

One of the things I most enjoy about your videos is that they are short. I love to learn but you keep it concise and pertinent. Thank you for taking the time it takes to put out good content!

[@hiker2742]

Excellent video! We use birch oil for cracks in dry skin and for rashes. Again, excellent video.

[@hiker2742]

@Becca Yes it also works well for us for any skin itching or rash.

[@jeffclarkofclarklesparkle3103]

Really huh? I should add some to my spruce resin ointment i make (spruce or pine resin + beeswax + lanolin if not allergic + coconut oil again watch allergy + eucalyptus oil)

[@jeffclarkofclarklesparkle3103]

@Becca you too huh? Lol

[@danielmart7940]

Thank you. Great stuff to know

[@adaptablesurvival]

I'm going to have to try this. I've been looking for an oil to use on my Mora Garberg Carbon that was natural and non-toxic. Great video Dan!

[@robertstratton7117]

I have the same knife and was thinking this while I watched it. Genius!

[@mrMacGoover]

I like that a lot of you videos are short, sweet and to the point, great for people with short attention span issues, thank you!

[@magicdaveable]

I use an old worn out stainless steel pressure cooker. I drilled and tapped a hole in the bottom I screwed in a 1/4" pipe to collect the oil. Packed really tightly the pot yields almost a pint. I have a giant size set up for harvesting pine tar in a similar fashion. My large "distiller" is made from a 55 gallon drum with a 30 gallon drum plumbed inside.

[@jstevens69n1]

I will have to remember and try this! Always nice to learn something new like this that has multiple uses!

[@1noryb]

The bush gasifier! Great hack, and so simple. Next camping trip Ill have to try that. if campfire restrictions are lifted. Last time I bought some pine oil for treating leather a) cost a small fortune, b) it was 'watered down' with mineral spirits and stuff so I had to use a lot of it to treat my boots.

[@paulevans-u2o]

great video dan id love to come on one of your bushcraft courses but id never come back .to the uk

[@LGSkywalker82]

Seems much easier and cheaper than making fixin wax. Sucks I don’t have much birch here in Oklahoma... dagnabit!

[@BigHat83]

Check down by the river for river birch. Also, you'll sometimes see it as an ornamental tree in parking lots...

[@LGSkywalker82]

BigHat thanks!

[@T4nkcommander]

I'm assuming this technique can be extended to render oil from other woods and plants as well? As always, love your concise but insightful videos.

[@Immevds9372]

No

[@escapetherace1943]

ignore the no, this is the exact technique you use to get pine tar too.

[@monojitchatterjee3185]

​@@Immevds9372kya hai be

[@lydiahilles31]

@@escapetherace1943tar does not make an oil!…that being said the process is the same…

[@cnone3785]

I wondering about something like ceeder or layland cypress or what ever the name is. How that sap/oil would work for different things. Think I'll try it out later & find out

[@tomm2812]

Very good to know. Well demonstrated. Best

[@douglasmaccullagh7865]

Dan, I just checked with an expert on local trees. The variety of birch in our area is River Birch. I know we have tulip poplar on our land, so once I learn to identify River Birch, I should have access to some pretty useful trees. (Most of what we have is loblolly pine and water oak, with invasive Chinese Tallow.)

[@cmargheimable]

Excellent, thanks Dan

[@lauraweiss7875]

Ha!! Talk about a timely video! I’m headed to a white birch forest on Sunday. Definitely going to be trying this one out.

[@elijahboesche6663]

Made some yesterday and its made my axe and knife handles look great. Plus it smells amazing

[@coinoath]

Very good idea about the catch container. I've always just cooked it down and separated the two. Thank you.

[@stevenkeil7869]

I'm giving this a try this weekend, while camping in the woods. wish me luck and thanks for making a short sweet how to video!!!

[@GG-fz7st]

I've wanted to make some birch oil for a long time, but you know.. it's one of those things in a to-do-list. It's good to see that it can be done this easily. I read from somewhere that some guy used birch oil and ashes as the only glue in his hand-made knife and that's what I'd like to try. This stuff is of course legendary in waterproofing leather, but it has also been used traditionally in mending broken pottery, so I'm rather interested in trying it myself.

[@christopherbusch1933]

Mix that left over carbon into that oil to make birch glue. It's super strong. Apparently ancient Neanderthals used to to glue their weapons together.

[@demonshiro]

Recently found your channel and it really motivated me to set up my own camp etc, thanks dude! Love the way you deliver your knowledge, one can tell you teach classes and such! Keep it up!

[@Jason-vn5xj]

Gonna try this when I go out in January; tons of birch in that area. Thanks for the video. I have so many uses for it and no birch oil! This will be great. I'm going to try using a steel mason jar and coupling the lid to an inverted smaller lid for a small glass jar. Then it will (hopefully) distill from the steel jar right into the glass jar. When it's done, I can just unscrew them and screw a storage lid on the glass jar and boom -- no need to pour anything and very low risk of dirt contamination. I'll let you know how it works.

[@Hotdog_pimpin]

Thank you for not giving up on the channel. It’s great

[@douglasmaccullagh7865]

Thanks, Dan!

[@higheststandards3344]

I'm glad you decided to remake this video. Good job

[@BerserkerGang2019]

Really cool. I use this oil and Burch tar allot at my viking camp.

[@froggyman9588]

Very cool!

[@PenntuckytheCrag]

awesome Dan thx

[@happygardener28]

the carbon would be good added to a compost pile. the start of some terra preta.

[@robertfleming387]

Awesome...gonna try this as soon as it stops raining....ty

[@davidbarnhart6228]

I gotta try That!

[@matthewgoetzka8855]

Thanks for explaining. When I try this out I am considering making ink or paint from the leftover bark char

[@colinyoung3685]

Interesting, what are you planning on using as a binder?

[@robertalexander9931]

I will have to try this. Thanks for the video.

[@cnone3785]

I use deer fat for the exact same things. Only bad thing is critters love deer fat so that is not good. Can use as bait in traps but if left in camp u may return & find a big mess.

[@lorensmarkiz5176]

thank you!

[@joeorta3713]

Wow! Great stuff!! Keep them coming!

[@jeffbriggs3449]

Nice, thank you

[@WELSBYROOTS]

Make some bug dope as well, Great video brother!

[@davemoulton8051]

Just learned something new

[@ThueyOutdoors]

This is pretty badass! I'm going to have to try it!

[@edithemerson7278]

You can make a muscle relaxers oils massage as well.

[@AlessandroLongo-p9h]

Oh boy, you look like you could use some freedom!🦅🇺🇸

[@genewentz9906]

Good information and video

[@thetribesman8658]

That's awesome... I assume you could use that for an oil lamp as well?

[@ophirdude4342]

Excellent question, and I have another along those lines: how does it work as an accelerant on tinder to start a fire?

[@3nertia]

Go find out! Let us know! ;)

[@jdlflagstone6980]

Yes and yes. (Oil lamp and tinder accelerant It's also good for skin issues like psoriasis, it can be boiled down into a tar that can be made into good glue, it can be used to preserve wood and metal, beard oil, antiseptic on scraps or cuts, and a looong list of other uses. ✌️

[@zippocrow]

Great mesquite repellent as well. Edit: as long as youre not allergic.

[@kevinbowen8192]

I love rendering birch oil and tar. We have to use mostly paper birch around here though. I've done some hawk handles heavily stained with this and they look great. Bit of a smokey smell for a bit though. It is reported to have great medicinal properties as well but II have not tried it yet. Great video!!!

[@PaulSchortemeyer]

I see a lot of these videos are making a very dark "tar-like" substance. Do you know how to purify it to just the oil? Have any experience with that?

[@kevinbowen8192]

Having less time in the fire seems to be the trick to have it less "runny".

[@quinntheeskimooutdoors6234]

I have to make me some of that. I have a lot of axes to use it on. Thanks and take care.

[@askewedchimp]

I live in Colorado. We don't have birch. It appears to be the most popular bushcraft tree, though.

[@CoyoteRidge]

Nice video , subbed

[@cillaloves2fish688]

Wish we had birch...

[@zulu5oscar765]

Very cool info!

[@linklesstennessee2078]

Good stuff

[@davidclark7584]

Actually that left over bark would probably act like activated charcoal. Could use it for water filtration.

[@jeffnotti9932]

wow what a great product... the pine tar process with birch... very very cool.. have you ever tired filtering it???

[@TheGiveittomeall]

Whaaaaa?? Now that's cool!!!

[@KC1VT]

Thank you for teaching me how to redender birch oil. I would think the ash could be used to make a carpenters' chalk line, like ground charcoal is often used. is would just save another step and resource.

[@theeditorofyt5282]

WHAT THE F*CK IS A KILOMETER!!🦅🦅🦅🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

[@undertrakeryayayay2012]

3:43 asmr

[@kirklunsford7530]

That's the same way you make Birch oil for medicinal salves

[@williammills936]

I live in Lubbock, TX. So there isn't a birch tree within a 100 miles.

[@celtgunn9775]

I'm so glad you made this video over again. The quality of video is much better Dan. 😉 I'm very sad that we don't have much for Birch here where I live. Prairie living doesn't really provide much variation in the way of trees. If I want Birch, I'd have to drive 200+ miles to the Black Hills forest of SD. Do you plan to redo any of the other videos Dan? 🤔

[@MisterKisk]

Mix that ash into a farm plot, it's good for the soil.

[@GetUrPhil]

Biochar is what your talking about.

[@kennethweldon5153]

Dan...love your videos. Thanks. Have you or would you do a video on making pine tar?

[@vikmoj2426]

Cool video, thanks! Is it please sticky when dry? Does it melt on Sun? Is it possible to use a sandpaper to polish it, make it shiny?

[@johnruckman2320]

I'll have to look to see if there are birch tree in northern California. There is of course linseed oil. I'll have to look up linseed to see what it is. I heard that linseed oil can go rancid. Where does Tung Oil come from?

[@dustindewind3210]

Hey! Fellow instructors !! Gauntlet has been thrown down !! Find that birch oil !! Heh heh !

[@phukyerpheefees]

A possible addition to this method would be using a container with a wire handle. You could use the handle to secure your catch container.

[@phukyerpheefees]

@Becca I specified it as a POSSIBLE addition. Before dismissing the idea as laughable, maybe try it first. Don't be a dick about suggested potential improvements.

[@phukyerpheefees]

@Becca Or, as I had originally thought, use a capture container that fits snugly and requires a light stretching of the wire handle in order for it to fit.

[@phukyerpheefees]

@Becca Also, heat softens metal, not cooling. Things would loosen up while it was in the fire, but with his method it's buried and stable, negating that loosening.

[@phukyerpheefees]

@Becca My apologies for the snippy response earlier. Your first reply came across as unconstructive and dismissive.

[@kithid]

What makes the oil dark? Soot particles? If so can it be filtered out if you want a clearer oil?

[@markwray8614]

I live in Florida, the only places where I been have cedar, I wonder, can the same process be used and for the same idea?

[@woodspirit98]

I have alot of sweet birch. I wonder if that works as well.

[@johnruckman2320]

OK, that's the down and dirty in the woods method. How would you do it the clean at home method?

[@decolonizeEverywhere]

That is so simple. Great info. I wonder if that oil can be used for food surfaces like cutting boards and wood counters or cooking utensils?

[@AppalachianChaplin]

Yes it can!!!

[@SouthernPatriot1]

I gotta learn to spot it out...mostly see are oak & maple...plenty of pine and cedar...is that just as good to use?

[@eamoncrawford]

I understand the whole purpose is "do it yourself", self reliance, bushcraft, etc. Is this product produced and retailed in any hardware, building/home improvement store or online through a website or retailer? Thanks for any information anyone can offer. (I ask because I have seen the NESMUK BUGDOPE, Pine pitch, fixin wax, etc. available retailed online.)

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

Its good stuff! I even use is as bug dope in the spring. And the smell is just out of this world.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

@Becca Said I with tongue planted in cheek. I do find it special, though and not as offensive as many do. It smells of the woods in a way.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

@Becca Me too. All the seasons bring on new smells even winter. Fresh air!

[@ophirdude4342]

Just curious: what does "And the smell is just out of this world" mean? Does it smell pleasant or not so pleasant? I am assuming pleasant ...

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

@@ophirdude4342 It is hard to describe, I have had people just repelled by it and others find it just fine. It has a tar kind of smell but not like a petroleum type of tar. Its earthy for sure. Well so is fossil fuel but different.

[@downeastprimitiveskills7688]

@Becca I use some birch oil on a birch axe handle series I did, its in a play list. glad you found my content worth it. its good feed back.

[@drblmt]

Have you ever done an experiment to compare live bark to dead dark for yield of oil? Do you think Birch oil would work better then boiled linseed oil with bees wax?

[@samstewart4444]

I do not have birch trees where I live so I am going to try using fat wood shavings. I am looking for some hydrocarbons I can burn in a lamp, use as an accelerant for fire starting, a preservative for wood, and possibly as a mosquito repellent.

[@samstewart4444]

@Becca yes, it has different properties, it is more like turpentine, which should work as a wood perservative. As far as fueling a dish style lamp (with a wick) it may be too viscous, unless it is heated up. For use as an insect repellent, it is my understanding that it provides some protection to the tree from insects, unfortunately with some notable exceptions. Of course, it's stickiness will make it an excellent adhesive. My main question is whether something useful can be extracted using the same kind of setup. I am sure there is a volatile component for two reasons, fat wood has a distinctive odor and when I burn it, it flares up.

[@colinyoung3685]

With regard to the ash, could it be used to boil amadou from hoof fungus?

[@cnone3785]

Does maple work the same ?? Mean guess ya can get any oil from bark of any tree just prob not as good & the birch is nontoxic but different trees could be. Im guessing.

[@zchuss1]

I used to buy this year's ago... it was not bloody cheap either.... think I will be making my own.... what is the best time of year to do this.

[@kpw1010]

What other types of trees can this be done with?

[@T4nkcommander]

And plants for that matter

[@UNITED.STATES.ARMY.1]

OIL

[@Chels_Efraen]

Can u use saw dust? And other types of woods?

[@JayMorrisonOutdoors]

Can you use the birch oil on carved spoons and kuksa as well?

[@thelongroad9750]

You can make Buscraft baking soda with this method.. But we're not supposed to remember that..

[@daygrindmike8913]

How

[@dennisryckman5210]

Can you use Birch oil as a flame source. In a small canister instead of an alcohol burner?

[@whengrapespop5728]

Good question, I’m curious as well. Did you try it out?

[@macdermesser]

Does there bark need to be "green" or can dry bark from dead wood be used?

[@garybaldy2907]

I'm wondering in what condition the birch bark has to be in for this process. The most amount of birch bark around where I live and that's available, would be from fallen birch. Pretty harsh bark that is almost impossible to separate from the dark brown thick inner bark. Could such be of any use for this purpose? I'd just have to try I guess.

[@centralwashingtonmodernbus9456]

Does the birch bark need to be green, or can it be from any bark, even dry for a year or so? Thnx in advance.

[@jeffclarkofclarklesparkle3103]

Do you think white birch would work also?

[@spider5001]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@auldashy]

Can you use the birch oil to make birch beer?

[@elusive7815]

So how would that do on a canvas tarp?

[@thebaron_8033]

Could this be done with river birch?

[@tango_oscar]

Can you use this to fuel an oil lamp?