Bitumen has been used for over 70,000 years as an adhesive (and somewhat less for waterproofing), actually; the first use of it was by Neanderthals found in Syr

Bitumen has been used for over 70,000 years as an adhesive (and somewhat less for waterproofing), actually; the first use of it was by Neanderthals found in Syria. And it is still used today. I painted the bottom of my boat with black bituminous paint. Wonderful stuff, and it has some pretty unique properties that surprised me while I watched it weather for the first few years. Bitumen really is a wonderful thing, I'm surprised how few people know about it or use it. If you've ever got to protect steel outdoors or underwater, I 100% recommend it as the simple, low-cost, high quality option. I would recommend one of the more modern mixtures like Epifanes Black Bottom, of which €15 will get you a liter (8-10m2 of one layer), €50 will get you four liters, just throw it over clean or dirty steel with a standard roller or brush and you're done. Make sure to do minimum 2 (ideally 3) layers, check that it's not collecting (large drips or puddles anywhere will take months to harden!), and put it on generously - you'll be rewarded with one of the best low-tech coatings money can buy. Oh, and I just remembered bitumen tape - somewhere around $10-$20 will get you a large roll of the best tape on the planet (Commonly sold as bitumen roof tape at Home Depot.) Definitely not as versatile as duct tape, but it will stick to _absolutely everything_ no matter how oily, wet, dirty, etc. and save your butt in the craziest situations, I've used it to stop a boat from sinking and to stop a leak spraying everywhere. You can use it for everything from a leaky roof to a leaky sink to a pipe spraying wildly. Keep in mind, as it is a petroleum product it needs to be around 5-10C (40-50F) to be flexible and sticky enough. (You can also use this in the opposite way in your favor, use ice cubes to cool it down to make it less of a sticky mess.) Anyone else have any other favorite bitumen products or related things that I'm missing?