A LIGHT YELLOW RESIN WITH
A STRONG BONDING FORCE
The resin from the dammar tree is one of the most beau-
tiful and precious plant resins on earth. It is harvested from
the Asian deciduous trees that grow mainly on the Sunda
Islands. The most important source is the
Shorea wiesneri
,
a tree that also provides the much-loved meranti wood. The
plant resin can also be found in other tropical deciduous
trees growing in Indonesia, the Philippines, Borneo or East
India. The word „dammar“ itself holds some mystery, it
originates fromMalaysia and means as much as light,
resin or torch. The German designation for dam-
mar resin is „Katzenaugenharz“ (cat’s eye
resin). The clear to yellowish resin with its
fine, ethereal scent is believed
to have mood elevating
characteristics, it is even
said to heal melancholia.
It is used for curing and
as incense, and the vernac-
ular has it that the white
smoke sharpens the perception
and can even turn a person into a clairvoyant.
One special use for the plant resin dammar is its use as
a natural binding agent. The resin is known in Europe since
the 19
th
century already and has been used in manifold
ways, e.g. in the production of light, clear enamels and
glues or as a traditional additive in artist’s paints like tem-
pera or oil paint. In AURO’s floor care products, for exam-
ple, it has the task to emulsify ingredients like linseed oil,
orange oil and drying agents. The solvent contained in the
liquid oil evaporates during the drying process and leaves
a coating that is firmly linked to the substrate.
The extraction of the exotic dammar resin
The natural plant resin forms unenforced and comes out
of the trees of these exotic deciduous trees in great quan-
tities. The pieces have an irregular, tear-like form and are
approximately 3 cm big. If they are separated into pieces,
they splinter easily but leave smooth shivers. It can be pul-
verised to an odourless powder. The pieces, however,
smell finely of the ethereal oils they con-
tain.
The impressive pieces that are won
from the trunks are water-clear, some-
times with a yellowish or reddish
white hue. There are different ways
of winning the finest specimens: The
resin that has formed unenforced can
just be gathered but it can also be
tapped from the tree. The latter procedure
intensifies the resin production of the tree. Deep cuts are
made in the tree so the resin can gather there until the cuts
close again. The form of the resin pieces shows how they
were won. If they have the form of a pear or a club they
were not gathered from a cut tree but have emitted from
the tree in their natural way. Another method is to dig out
the resinous compound that can be found under the soil
surface in the root area of dead trees.
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