Full Answer
What is turpentine?
Turpentine is an extremely hard and durable Australian native hardwood timber. It is suitable for a wide range of construction and engineering applications. Turpentine is a large tree species occurring along the eastern coast of Australia from Bateman's Bay in New South Wales to Cooktown in North Queensland.
What does turpentine wood look like?
The true wood of this species ranges in colour from deep red to red-brown. Sapwood is distinctively paler, often creamy. The texture of Turpentine timber is fine to medium but often wavy, with interlocked grain.
Can turpentine be applied directly to wood?
Excessive Exposure If un-mixed turpentine is applied directly to an unfinished wood, it can have a negative impact on the hue and luster of the wood. The caustic nature of turpentine will harm the natural oils present in wood if wood is exposed to turpentine directly and for an extended period of time.
What kind of pine trees are used for turpentine?
Important pines for turpentine production include: maritime pine ( Pinus pinaster ), Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis ), Masson's pine ( Pinus massoniana ), Sumatran pine ( Pinus merkusii ), longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ), loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda) and ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ).
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What are turpentine trees?
: a tree that yields a turpentine or turpentinic product: such as. : terebinth. : a pine or other turpentine-producing conifer compare venice turpentine. : any of several Australian trees (as various eucalypts) that yield a resinous fluid.
How hard is turpentine?
Turpentine timber is highly resistant to termites and marine invertebrates. Also incredibly durable thanks to its Janka hardness rating of 12, and is highly resistant to fire.
Is turpentine a eucalypt?
Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) The Turpentine is a very large tree belonging broadly to the same family as eucalypts, bloodwoods, lilly pillys and tea trees.
What is turpentine wood used for?
Turpentine is an excellent timber for dance floors. It is also used in the construction of plywood, laminated beams and bench tops, and for joinery and parquetry. Other applications include boatbuilding (knees, gunwales, planking, decking) and the production of oyster stakes, wine casks, mallets, and bearings.
How harmful is turpentine?
Turpentine is poisonous if swallowed. Children and adults can die from drinking turpentine. Fortunately, turpentine causes taste and odor problems before reaching toxic levels in humans. Turpentine is thought to be only mildly toxic when used according to manufacturers' recommendations.
How do you identify a turpentine tree?
Syncarpia glomulifera or the Turpentine Tree is a vigorously growing Australian Native. The leaves are mid green (red when young), have wavy margins and are aromatic when crushed. The aroma from the crushed leaves reminded the early settlers of turpentine, hence the common name.
Are turpentine trees flammable?
Turpentine is flammable. Turpentine can catch fire around 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 Celsius) as that is the flashpoint.
What do you mean by turpentine?
Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a specialized solvent, it is also a source of material for organic syntheses.
What is turpentine made of?
Chemical compound. Turpentine (which is also called gum turpentine, spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, wood turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially), turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines.
Where does the word "turpentine" come from?
The word turpentine derives (via French and Latin ), from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη terebinthine, in turn the feminine form (to conform to the feminine gender of the Greek word, which means "resin") of an adjective (τερεβίνθινος) derived from the Greek noun (τερέβινθος), for the tree species terebinth.
What is the difference between Canada balsam and Venice turpentine?
Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine that is made from the oleoresin of the balsam fir. Venice turpentine is produced from the larch. Venice turpentine is a honey-like product often used by artists when painting in oil , and it is also used to treat horse's hooves.
How much turpentine is safe to work with?
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has set the legal limit ( permissible exposure limit) for turpentine exposure in the workplace as 100 ppm (560 mg/m 3) over an 8-hour workday. The same threshold was adopted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as the recommended exposure limit (REL). At levels of 800 ppm, turpentine is immediately dangerous to life and health.
Why is turpentine used in cleaning products?
Turpentine is also added to many cleaning and sanitary products due to its antiseptic properties and its "clean scent". In early 19th-century America, turpentine was sometimes burned in lamps as a cheap alternative to whale oil. It was most commonly used for outdoor lighting, due to its strong odour.
How to remove pine bark from a tree?
To tap into the sap producing layers of the tree, turpentiners used a combination of hacks to remove the pine bark. Once debarked, pine trees secrete oleoresin onto the surface of the wound as a protective measure to seal the opening, resist exposure to micro-organisms and insects, and prevent vital sap loss. Turpentiners wounded trees in V-shaped streaks down the length of the trunks to channel the oleoresin into containers. It was then collected and processed into spirits of turpentine. Oleoresin yield may be increased by as much as 40% by applying paraquat herbicides to the exposed wood.
What is the average yield of sulfate turpentine?
The average yield of crude sulfate turpentine is 5–10 kg/t pulp.
What is the best timber for pilings?
Turpentine. An Australian native Hardwood, Turpentine , is renowned to be extremely hard and durable which make this timber the main choice for use as marine pilings in Australia. The timber from Turpentine can range in colour from deep red to red-brown with a fine to medium texture and a wavy interlocked grain.
How many species of timber does WR Timbers stock?
WR Timbers stock over 45 Australian and international timber species to assure you will find the right wood for your needs.
Is turpentine wood good for outdoor use?
Turpentine timber is resistant to weather, rot, marine borers and termites which makes it ideal for outdoor or exposed uses. The durability and hardness of Turpentine timber combined with the fine, interlocked grain makes this hardwood highly sought after for indoor & outdoor furniture, flooring and decking.
Why is turpentine no longer used?
While still available in the marketplace, turpentine is no longer as commonly used as it once was, in part due to concerns that inhalation of turpentine fumes could have negative impacts on human health. Advertisement.
Can turpentine be used to thin paint?
Though turpentine-thinned paint can be applied to woods for processes such as antiquing, turpentine, when used in this fashion, has little negative impact on the wood as it is not at full strength when mixed with paint. Due to the potential dangers humans face by coming into repeated contact with turpentine , mineral spirits has now largely replaced turpentine for use in paint thinning.
Can turpentine be used on wood?
Turpentine can also be used to soften varnished or shellacked finishes present on woods, allowing them to be, at least in part, wiped away. As with the paint removal process, turpentine used on wood surfaces for this function has little negative impact on the wood as the finish that is being stripped prevents the turpentine from coming ...
Does turpentine harm wood?
The caustic nature of turpentine will harm the natural oils present in wood if wood is exposed to turpentine directly and for an extended period of time.
Does Hunker make turpentine?
Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Turpentine, a product commonly used in paint and finish stripping, is a product of trees. This often harsh chemical is derived from pine wood chips. To produce turpentine, the chips are heated and the chemical is distilled. While still available in the marketplace, turpentine is no ...
Can you use turpentine in paint?
Turpentine can also be mixed with paint to thin the paint. Turpentine is most commonly used for this function within the art industry. Though turpentine-thinned paint can be applied to woods for processes such as antiquing, turpentine, when used in this fashion, has little negative impact on the wood as it is not at full strength when mixed with paint. Due to the potential dangers humans face by coming into repeated contact with turpentine, mineral spirits has now largely replaced turpentine for use in paint thinning.
Overview
External links
• Inchem.org, IPCS INCHEM Turpentine classification, hazard, and property table.
• CDC - NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards - Turpentine
• FAO.org, Gum naval stores: Turpentine and rosin from pine resin
Etymology
The word turpentine derives (via French and Latin), from the Greek word τερεβινθίνη terebinthine, in turn the feminine form (to conform to the feminine gender of the Greek word, which means "resin") of an adjective (τερεβίνθινος) derived from the Greek noun (τερέβινθος), for the terebinth tree.
Although the word originally referred to the resinous exudate of terebinth trees (e.g. Chios turpentine, Cyprus turpentine, and Persian turpentine), it now refers to that of coniferous trees, na…
Source trees
Important pines for turpentine production include: maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), Masson's pine (Pinus massoniana), Sumatran pine (Pinus merkusii), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa).
To tap into the sap producing layers of the tree, turpentiners used a combinati…
Converting crude turpentine to oil of turpentine
Crude turpentine collected from the trees may be evaporated by steam distillation in a copper still. Molten rosin remains in the still bottoms after turpentine has been distilled out. Such turpentine is called gum turpentine. The term gum turpentine may also refer to crude turpentine, which may cause some confusion.
Turpentine may alternatively be extracted from destructive distillation of pine wood, such as shre…
Industrial and other end uses
As a solvent, turpentine is used for thinning oil-based paints, for producing varnishes, and as a raw material for the chemical industry. Its use as a solvent in industrialized nations has largely been replaced by the much cheaper turpentine substitutes obtained from petroleum such as white spirit. A solution of turpentine and beeswax or carnauba wax has long been used as a furniture wax.
Turpentine is also used as a source of raw materials in the synthesis of fragrant chemical comp…
Hazards
As an organic solvent, its vapour can irritate the skin and eyes, damage the lungs and respiratory system, as well as the central nervous system when inhaled, and cause damage to the renal system when ingested, among other things. Ingestion can cause burning sensations, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion, convulsions, diarrhea, tachycardia, unconsciousness, respiratory failure, and chemical pneumonia.
See also
• Charles Herty – Chemist, academic, businessman, football coach
• Galipot
• McCranie's Turpentine Still
• Naval stores industry