Rosin taken when melting it. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, benzene and chloroform. Rosin consists mainly of abietic acid, and combines with caustic alkalis to form salts (rosinates or pinates) that are known as rosin soaps. In addition to its extensive use in soap making, rosin is largely employed in making varnishes (including fine violin varnishes), sealing wax and various adhesives. It is also used for preparing shoemakers' wax, for pitching lager beer casks, and numerous other purposes such as providing backing surfaces to tin ware, copper ware, or even silver and gold vessels when embossing or engraving them (its
Rosin the surface back to metal. It is frequently seen as a burnt or clear residue around new soldering. A mixture of pitch and rosin is used to make a surface against which glass is polished when making optical components such as lenses. Rosin is added in small quantities to traditional linseed oil/sand gap fillers ("mastic"), used in building work. When mixed with waxes and oils, rosin is the main ingredient of "mystic smoke", a gum which, when rubbed and suddenly stretched, appears to produce puffs of smoke from the fingertips. Rosin is extensively used for its friction-increasing capacity in several