Damar Resin
Damar resin is an earth friendly ingredient harvested from trees in Malaysia. The trees are slashed yearly in order to ooze sap for harvesting. They are not damaged from this process and it is very similar to the tapping of maple trees for syrup. As the sap dries and solidifies it captures insects, dried leaves, and tree bark. These impurities can be heat filtered out to make a usable product. Damar resin is one of the main ingredients in encaustic paint; the use of dammar creates a harder and more durable paint film. Damar in combination with beeswax produces a paint film with a higher index of refraction and this is why encaustic colors appear so luminous. Unlike damar varnish, which is made with chemical solvents, damar resin is a safe product to work with. The FDA has approved the use of damar resin to coat the boxes carting fruits and vegetables. Many corrugated produce boxes found in your nearby supermarkets have been coated with damar resin to protect the cardboard from moisture.