Is kauri gum worth anything?
There are different grades of Kauri gum and the gum diggers received varying prices depending on the quality. The most prized was “white” gum and the clearer the better. The yellow grades were next valuable, followed by the brown and “chalk” was the least valuable of all.
What can I do with kauri gum?
Highly flammable, the gum was also used as a fire-starter, or bound in flax to act as a torch. Burnt and mixed with animal fat, it made a dark pigment for moko tattooing. Kauri gum was also crafted into jewellery, keepsakes, and small decorative items.
Can you melt kauri gum?
However, in general, young gum that is not fossilised is known as Kauri Gum. It is readily melted and is not able to be polished to a high shine.
How do you dissolve kauri gum?
Concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves the gum, forming a clear red liquid, from which a white semi-solid substance precipitates on the addition of water.
How old is swamp kauri?
Swamp kauri timber, also known as ancient kauri, is milled from kauri trees that have been buried and preserved in peat swamps for between 800 and 60,000 years. Some kauri were up to 2,000 years old when they fell. Swamp kauri is a broad term applied to timber that varies in age and the way it’s been preserved.
Is kauri a hardwood?
Queensland kauri is an Australian native softwood with a fine even texture, pale cream to light or pinkish brown heartwood and a straight grain. Queensland kauri pine is one of Australia’s native softwood timber species. spathulata in the north), they have since been discovered to be the same species.
Who dug for the gum?
Most gum diggers were male, but in some places the women and children – especially Māori – also dug for gum. Many diggers were single men, who lived two or three to a hut. Others lived on the gumfields with their wives and families.
Why is kauri important?
Kauri were prized by the early European settlers, who felled many of the great kauri giants for profit. The timber was valued for its strength and ability to withstand sea-water conditions (ideal for ship masts and hulls).
What temperature does kauri gum melt at?
around 500 F
Melt resin thoroughly in linseed oil, temperature will run around 500 F although a certain temperature is not the desired point. With the stirring rod one can feel when the resin is all melted.
How much does swamp kauri cost?
Prices are set not by table top, but by the cubic metre of wood and range from US$2,500 to 3,000 per cubic metre, with 20 cubic metres set as a minimum order. With single slabs fetching over $100,000 at times, there’s speculation the swamp kauri trade has been worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
How much is swamp kauri worth?
Construction workers at the site of what will be New Zealand’s largest retail store in Henderson, West Auckland, made the discovery of a “significant cache” of swamp kauri, which can be valued up to $10,000 per cubic metre.
How did kauri gum get to the UK?
Kauri gum was retrieved by “gum diggers” back over a hundred years ago and was shipped by sailing ships to England (Appely Bridge, Wigan) and other parts of the world and processed in to a varnish or polish. The trees were also “bleed” for the gum as it became more valuable.
How old is the sap of the kauri tree?
Kauri Gum is the fossilised resin or sap of the Kauri Tree. The age of the gum can vary significantly – anywhere from a few hundred years old to many hundreds of thousands of years old. Some Kauri Gum found in the Otago in the South Island has been estimated by scientists to be over 175 million years old and is actually Amber.
How big is a large kauri gum Boulder?
A large kauri gum boulder, in golden honey and butterscotch tones, one side polished and the other in the rough natural state. Width 40 cm. Weight 9.6kgs. A large kauri gum boulder, semi-translucent, one side polished, the other in rough natural state. 6.4kgs. A polished kauri gum nugget, dark tone, smooth overall polish. 600gms.
Why was kauri gum bought by Dargaville Lions?
Perry says that while he was at the Rotorua museum the Peat Collection of kauri gum and artefacts, collected by a Dargaville jeweller, was bought by the then Rotorua council for public display. The Dargaville Lions were able to buy non-display collection items to keep as part of their area’s heritage.