Removing sap from Doug Fir Timbers

Anyone have advice on how to remove sap that's oozed out of a frame after it's been raised? I've had this happen with both green and standing dead doug fir. I'd like to have a better answer for the homeowner than "wait until it hardens and chip it off". CB.

hi daiku, I have a doug fir frame Im working on, not up yet but its gonna be a bleeder for some time. Don’t know if you have a finish on your wood but mineral spirits will break it down while still being slow to attack most finishes. If you have bare wood than lacquer thinner cuts it well with little to now trace left on wood surface once evaporated. That’s my personnel homeowner opinion. P.S. If you go with lacquer thinner (I love the stuff for all sorts of clean up, especially automotive, just super flammable so you have to be careful with it)get some from you local automotive paint store, it cuts much better and evaporates faster than hardware store variety. bman

daiku,

Ahhh, Doug-Fir pitch...I know the stuff well.

What kind of finish already exists on the frame? Also, is the frame dripping with gooey pitch, or is it the little pinhead weeping things?

Turpentine may be another organic solvent that will do the job effectively without causeing too much harm to the finish.

Better smelling would be those citrus based oils (lemon, orange) which would probably add to the patina of the finish. Might require a little more elbow grease.

Also, they might try a heat gun or hair dryer to speed up the process and then scrape off once it cools.

Good luck.

-srj

Yes, the timbers are finished. It's the varnish/wax mixture I described here about a month ago. I have some really large drips, and also some of the little pinhead things srj described. I think the finish will stand up to spirts or turps, so I'll give that a go. Thanks for the advice, and if anyone else has suggestions, I'd love to hear them. CB.

Just a thought here...
I use butter or any vegetable or animal oil to clean pitch from my hands. First the butter then detergent to clean the butter. Of course thats on fresh pitch it may not work on the more dried variety.
Perhaps the citrus oils would be the best suggestion
For really bad and predictable pitch pockets I have had success with epoxy "plugs" but you have to clean the pocket back to clean wood. (and then clean tools with the afore mentioned butter)
Please let us know what worked for you

J.E.B.

Lamello makes a repair tool somewhat like their biscuit jointer which would deal well with pitch pockets:

www.lamello.com/english/f_start_e2.htm

They have patches up to 20x65mm, which would handle most situations I would think.

Chris