Cherry gum

[Salamander]

Has anyone any experience with using cherry gum(or apricot, peach, plum) in their emulsions?
Thanks,
Eric in Oceanside

[Georgeoh]

I have harvested cherry and almond tree gums and made tempera and an emulsion paint after reading about their use in the Strasburg MSS. I found the cherry gum forms a clearer, more brilliant color dried paint film. I have not tried other tree gums.

[Salamander]

Thanks George,
I have used some gum I harvested from our apricot tree and mixed it with yolk to achieve a very beautiful handling and finish to my tempera. VERY jewel like. I am now constantly on the look out for trees with gum balls. My first trial was with a fairly thick gum solution. My later ones have been with thinner solutions. Thicker is certainly beautiful. I don't know if there is an optimum or not or if there is a danger of too much gum.
Thannks again for your response,
Eric in Oceanside

[sabine]

Hi

I never used cherry gum so sorry I have no answers, only a question :-)
How do you use the cherry gum you collect? Do you make it melt? How?

I would be very interrested to try that...

And an other question: do you use it with other ingredients? Is it advisable to mix several ingerdients in tempera grasse? Venise turpentine, aspic esence, cherry gum... ?

Sabine

[Georgeoh]

How do you use the cherry gum you collect? Do you make it melt? How?
And an other question: do you use it with other ingredients? Is it advisable to mix several ingerdients in tempera grasse? Venise turpentine, aspic esence, cherry gum... ?
Cherry tree gum dissolves in water, but requires less time to dissolve if the water is heated in a double-boiler. Do not boil the gum in the water.

There is no need to add other ingredients. Cherry tree gum is similar to gum Arabic in composition and can be used alone or in combination with other gums and/or egg.

[sabine]

I just realised that I forgot to thank you for your answer!

Thank you :-) (I'm now waiting for the spring to get some cherry tree gum...)