The Mylands Collection - Rosin Blog

In store we stock the Mylands range.

 

Mylands have been around since 1884 but many may not have heard of them.

 

Mylands make and create the weird and the wonderful, from Oxalic Acid to Paraffin Wax to Food Safe Oil.

 

Rosin is one of their products.

 

Having not heard of Rosin before you may think that this is a product with not many uses, but you will be surprised to learn just how much Rosin is used for.

 

What is Rosin

 

Rosin comes from a natural extraction process of plants and trees, generally conifer trees.

 

The process is natural so there is no need for solvents. The Rosin can be extracted through the use of heat and pressure alone.

 

The colour of Rosin can vary depending on the age of the tree or plant it was extracted from. It will range from a yellow to a brown colour. It is a crisp, brittle texture at room temperature but it will melt when heated.

 

It has been said the the word Rosin originated as a variant of the word ‘resin’.

 

Rosin is also referred to as Colophony. This term originated from the latin for ‘resin from Colophon’ which is an ancient city of Turkey.

 

Rosin Uses

 

Rosin has great friction properties and it is for this reason that one of it’s most common uses is to rub into the bow hair of bow string instruments. The Rosin is said to improve the quality of the string in a way that will allow the musical note to communicate better. It has even been said that without Rosin the string would produce virtually no sound and that it is the Rosin that allows the string to catch the note. Rosin can also be mixed with beeswax, gold, silver and other substances to create a different sounding musical note.

[caption id="attachment_1611" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Rosining a Violin Bow Rosining a Violin Bow[/caption]

Dancers are known to rub Rosin into their heels to improve the friction and reduce slippage on wooden dance floors.

 

Rosin can be used in building work. When mixed with linseed oil or sand gap fillers Rosin can be used for building and mending. Rosin is also used in adhesives. It is even used as a flux in soldering. Most lead-tin solders have 1% rosin as a flux core which helps the molten metal flow.

 

Rosin is used in fine art and in printing ink. Rosin is soluble in oil of turpentine and is used for tempera emulsion and as a painting medium component in oil paintings. It is a main ingredient in printing ink and photocopying.

 

When mixed with meths or french polish thinners Rosin can be used to make Shellac Polishes.

 

Rosin is used as a glazing agent in medicines and chewing gum and has been given the specific E number ‘E915’ - the esters of colophony.

 

From varnishes to soaps, from soda to sealing wax Rosin has an abundance of uses.

 

Just one of the many items in the Mylands range!

 

 

Tags: rosin mylands colophony bow string instruments