Shireigh Sap

Collected from the shireighact tree of the Western Isles of the Albian Empire, shireigh sap is extremely useful and, therefore valuable, due to several properties. It is extremely sticky and used as a glue in its pure form. Once dry, it is both clear and permanent on most materials. It is usually impossible to separate two objects that have been glued together with shireigh sap without destroying one or both objects.  It is also combined with beeswax and other materials to produce long-lasting lacquers and varnishes that preserve and protect the materials they are applied to.  

Properties

Material Characteristics

Before it dries, shireigh sap is a viscous, mostly opaque liquid. The color varies slightly depending on which region of the Western Isles the tree the sap was gathered from grew in. The sap is always a pale, almost white, shade, but trees in the south of the region produce a faintly pink sap, while the trees to the north of the region tend to produce sap of a very soft, pale blue shade. The most common shade is a shade of pale lavender.  The raw sap is very thick, and to be usuable for most applications, at least a little water must be added. 

It is extremely sticky, and it requires strong soap to remove it from anything it touches.  Removing it after it dries is almost impossible.  Once dry, it is clear and has a strong shine, especially with polishing.  

In its raw form, it takes about three days to dry completely. Adding water to it can increase that time to over a week, and some of the commercially available lacquer compounds made with it take months to set properly. Although heat decreases the time it takes for the sap and its compounds to set, using a heat source to do so can be dangerous, as the sap is flammable and burns slowly, but at a high temperature.

Compounds

Shireigh Sap is compounded with a variety of substances to make glues and lacquers that are used for a multitude of purposes.  Beeswax combinations are especially popular as lacquers because they brush or rub on smoothly and dry clear while adding shine to the finished product. Other chemicals are often added because they make the glue dry faster, or allow heat to be applied.

Shiright Surefire Finishing Seal is one such product, very useful for preserving the finished products for those who braid Love Knot Jewelry.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Shireigh sap, and various glues and lacquers made from it, are one of the Western Isles' main exports and are widely available in the Albian Empire. Shireigh sap can be a bit pricey, however, as no way has been found to synthesize anything resembling it. Compounded glues that sacrifice either clarity or some of the longevity made using less expensive materials are very common, and virtually every homegoods and hardware store has several varieties on the shelf. 

Shireigh sap can be found on the Aetean Continent but very rarely and at a price point that makes it prohibitively expensive to use in manufacturing or commercial enterprises.  The Albian Empire has done little to encourage the sale of shireigh sap and compounds directly, instead capitalizing on being able to produce a higher quality of goods that are varnished using the lacquers and held together by the glues.

Storage

Shireigh Sap glues and lacquers must be kept in air and water tight containers, or they dry out and become unusable. If so kept, the raw sap will keep indefinitely, and the various glues and lacquers made from it keep based on the other ingredients used to make them.   

Since most commercially available products come in bottles that are not quite completely airtight once the seal has been broken, they generally have a lifespan of about one to two years after they are first opened.