Spinifex resin is a gum coating of some species of spinifex grasses. This sticky resin was traditionally used as an adhesive in tool making by Aboriginal Australians. Many species of spinifex are extremely resinous, to the extent that resin may drip down the stems and leaves on hot days, and large residual lumps of resin often may be seen at the bases of hummocks which have burned. [1]
The spinifex is threshed until the resin particles fall free. These particles are heated until they fuse together to form a moldable black tar which is worked while warm. When set, this gum is quite strong.
The preparation of spinifex for hafting use is similar to that of Xanthorrhoea . [2] It is thought to have been preferable to Xanthorrhoea for hafting, due to its ability to be re-heated and remodelled several times without going brittle. [2] The resin can be re-softened using fire and some moisture.
Most historical accounts of resin processing described Aboriginal men doing the work; however, several factors suggest that women had a much more significant role in processing resin than the accounts suggest. [3]
Within traditional Aboriginal cultures, the known applications of spinifex resin divide into four broad categories: [3]
1) As an adhesive. In areas where appropriate spinifex species grew, many hunting and working implements benefited from the use of spinifex gum or resin as a hafting adhesive: [4]
2) To make items waterproof. Spinifex resin has been used to caulk wooden containers for carrying water.
3) To repair holes and cracks in wooden tools and containers.
4) To manipulate into beads, figurines, vessels and other miscellaneous objects.
In modern times, in true Bush Mechanics spirit, spinifex resin can also be melted to repair things like jerry cans for carrying water and fuel. [5]
As of 2023, a Brisbane-based company has raised funds to develop medical gels from spinifex resin. [6]
Adhesive, also known as glue, cement, mucilage, or paste, is any non-metallic substance applied to one or both surfaces of two separate items that binds them together and resists their separation.
In polymer chemistry and materials science, a resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses mainly on naturally occurring resins.
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