Description
Copal, Dammar resin Premium grade.
Though often called Dammar Gum, Dammar is not a gum at all but a pure oleoresin since it contains no water-soluble gum.
Dammar is collected from a wide variety of trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family.
In Sumatra, where this resin is sourced, it is gathered from trees of the Shorea genera.
Dammar resin is sold extensively on the international market as Copal, Copal Oro, or white Copal.
For this reason, often unknown to us, much of the Copal we purchase online is from Malasia/Indonesia and Sumatra, Not South America as we were led to assume.
Reputable sellers may offer it as Copal, but will also give the species name and country of origin.
One of the most versatile resins, Dammar has a lovely fragrance when burned on a hot coal or in an electric burner.
It dissolves easily in-
-Turpentine or essential oils to make a varnish for oil paintings. (It dissolves beautifully in Frankincense essential oil!)
-Warm vegetable oils for salves and medicated oils. (So far, I find all tree resins have an affinity with the skin!)
-Paraffin wax for Batik dying.
-Beeswax for encaustic painting and for Beeswax Wraps.
Dammar also dissolves in alcohol and can be used to impregnate incense papers. The paper is first dipped in a solution of Salpeter and water, left to dry completely, then dipped in a solution of Dammar and alcohol. When dry, the paper will burn evenly due to the Salpeter and it will release the scent of Dammar as it burns. Recipes for incense papers can be found online. Many different resins and aromatic materials can be incorporated in incense papers.
Dammar is considered food-safe and is used to make Bees Wax food wraps.
As an incense ingredient, Dammar melts clean on the coal and burns with a pleasant uplifting fragrance reminiscent of Sandarac and Mastic. Dammar has the same high vibration energy as these two resins and works in much the same way to break up and dispel yuchy energy and cleanse a space.
Decades ago I purchased an incense named “Super Dhoop” It was actually super duper and I loved it.
It was a mouldable incense that you could shape into cones, pastilles or any other form and it would burn beautifully from one end to the other emitting a fragrance that I can still easily conjure in my mind, (but have not encountered since).
I believe this plasticity was due to a base of Dammar resin dissolved in Ghee.
Damar resin melts at about 120 degrees centigrade and can be poured and cast in moulds to create true, “Natural” and non-toxic Orgonite jewellry. A vacuum chamber might be needed to pull residual bubbles, but still, options galore.
Needless to say, Dammar is a goldmine for artisans of every passion and offers abundant possibilities for exploration and creativity.
This is the premium grade, clear Dammar with many large whole pieces.
If using Dammar powder in a recipe, it is easy enough to grind your own from this material, assured it is high quality and nothing extra has been added to it.
Dan
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