Stockholm Tar, Do you like the smell?

[Eyore]

I absolutely love the smell of Stockholm Tar and even leave a jam jar of the stuff open when I leave the boat. Sad or what

 

[sarabande]

wonderful stuff. It's still used for putting a dab on the back of lambs' necks to prevent foxes from eating them. (I must add, so I've been told, as that is an illegal practice because it poisons foxes...)


If you work a bit into a small hemp fender, it will act as a room freshener at home as well

 

[chinita]

Love it.

 

[jerrytug]

Yes love it, and also the strong smell in the Gypsy Moth when it was in dry dock in Greenwich. They didn't sanitise everything like today and it reeked of paraffin, bilgewater, sick, burned electrical contacts and a hint of sour Watneys.
In fact it smelt like it had been thrashed round the world, then parked up. Which it had. Ambrosia!

 

[dur]

Yes I jolly well do like the smell. I like to slosh a bit in linseed oil and chuck it in the bilge, paint the shrouds with it, prime before varnishing etc. If I had a beard, I would dip that in it too.

Some folk like to fuss about the definition of a classic boat. For my money it would be any boat that smells of this stuff!

 

[MinorSwing]

Useful for sheeps' feet.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I reckon it's probably addictive. I wonder when it will either get taxed or get banned?

 

[Simes]

Love it, love it, love it. One of the best smells ever. Even my wife short of likes it.

Simes

 

[johnalison]

I once thought that I ought to market a spray-can of mainly Stockholm tar and label it "Old Gaffer", for use to improve the ambience of our plastic boats.

 

[NUTMEG]

Anyone remember 'Varnol', a sort of oil-varnish that smells mainly of Stockholm Tar. Anyway, it's no longer made so I did a bit of research and have a recipe that seems to perform just as well (poorly). The point it it smells wonderful. Now I have a plastic boat I keep looking for wooden parts I can treat with my home made Varnol substitute, mainly for the smell.

Linseed oil
Balsam pine turpentine
Kiln burnt Stockholm tar
sikative dryer

I have the proportions somewhere if anyone fancies some alchemy

Steve

 

[Leighb]

Useful for sheeps' feet.

And horse's

 

[Poignard]

Anyone remember 'Varnol', a sort of oil-varnish that smells mainly of Stockholm Tar. Anyway, it's no longer made so I did a bit of research and have a recipe that seems to perform just as well (poorly). The point it it smells wonderful.

And it turns your woodwork black

 

[NUTMEG]

Not noticed that yet. Over what timescale did it turn your wood black? Only asking as I have just put a first coat on the bulwarks. I used it as a base coat on my gaffers mast, gave the spruce a lovely golden colour with 7 coats of Schooner Gold on top. Also used it on the rubbing strake of my dear old westerly and come to think of it the wood did look rather dark.

 

[westernman]

And horse's

The only place you can buy it down here is in the horse section of Decathlon (a sports goods shop).

 

[Keith 66]

Yes love it, and also the strong smell in the Gypsy Moth when it was in dry dock in Greenwich. They didn't sanitise everything like today and it reeked of paraffin, bilgewater, sick, burned electrical contacts and a hint of sour Watneys.
In fact it smelt like it had been thrashed round the world, then parked up. Which it had. Ambrosia!

And dry rot.

 

[Gordonmc]

I used ST to make up a goop to dress galvanised wire rope rigging. Equal parts of ST, boiled linseed oil, any old paint and hardener.
Eyes were dressed with canvas slathered in the stuff. The rigging was laid in a length of old guttering to steep for a day or so, then hung up a tree to go off.
What a mess.
However, I still have a few hundred fathoms of manila line which is dressed in ST. It gives the store room a nice smell and likely keeps all kinds of critters at bay.