Mind your own beeswax
- Thread starter Imperial
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frugal
Established Member
Waxing bow strings, waxing linen thread for leatherwork, waxing the end of awls for leatherwork.
I have no idea what you would need to do to it in order to be able to polish wood with it.
I have no idea what you would need to do to it in order to be able to polish wood with it.
frugal
Established Member
mr":2sjfw6jd said:
Surely if you just melt it, it will then cool and harden back into a block. In order to use it as a paste for polishing I think you would need to cut it with something. Meths or parrafin maybe? I don't know if that would work, or just make it really flamable...
You have a point there, though what you might use I haven't a clue. As I say Adam is the resident bee man he'll know when he wanders along.
Ahh there you go https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22598&highlight=beeswax
Turpentine or white spirit, linseed oil, I suspect you could just warm it up slightly to make it useable as a paste wax without mixing anything with it as long as you don't heat it too far
Cheers Mike
Ahh there you go https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22598&highlight=beeswax
Turpentine or white spirit, linseed oil, I suspect you could just warm it up slightly to make it useable as a paste wax without mixing anything with it as long as you don't heat it too far
Cheers Mike
You melt it in a pan and add turpentine(real not whitespirit) slowly ,when the wax has cooled a little.You can add other things as well depending on what properties you want .Its rather soft and best to add some Canauba wax to the melt as well to increase the hardness of the polish.
The slower way is to shred the beewax with a course cheese grater into a large glass jar.Add some turpentine and leave in a warm place with the lid on,until the wax has dissolved.The slow way is safer if youve never done anything like this before and the pan method is best done outdoors.
You can add pigments if you want a coloured wax.Light fast pigments like the iron oxides work best
The slower way is to shred the beewax with a course cheese grater into a large glass jar.Add some turpentine and leave in a warm place with the lid on,until the wax has dissolved.The slow way is safer if youve never done anything like this before and the pan method is best done outdoors.
You can add pigments if you want a coloured wax.Light fast pigments like the iron oxides work best
I'll try to find the correct quantities for my recipe later
ingredients are
Beeswax
Carnuba
Paraffin wax
Turpentine
The solids are heated in a water bath (like bain marie ) and blended
the turps is added away from the heat and allowed to cool
you may need to experiment with the quantities a little to get the consistency you require but the results are far superior to commercial
stuff -
salvage
ingredients are
Beeswax
Carnuba
Paraffin wax
Turpentine
The solids are heated in a water bath (like bain marie ) and blended
the turps is added away from the heat and allowed to cool
you may need to experiment with the quantities a little to get the consistency you require but the results are far superior to commercial
stuff -
salvage
NeilO
Established Member
check out this recipe...
http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=16827
dont know how good it is, but its a start...
HTH
http://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=16827
dont know how good it is, but its a start...
HTH
Thanks for the replies, been given this one.
Beeswax 225g
Turps 600ml
Water,Distilled, 600ml
Soap, Pure non smelling Grated or Flakes, 50g
and Essential Oil of your choice, eg Lemon or Lavender, 10 Drops.
Say's to melt the Beeswax in a Bain Marie inside a jar or pot. add the Turps when the wax is melted. Melt the soap in the water which you have boiled and when cool trickle into the wax mixture stirring all the time. Add the essence if you wish at this point.
It should be a soft cream rather than a hard paste, keep in sealed jars.
Beeswax 225g
Turps 600ml
Water,Distilled, 600ml
Soap, Pure non smelling Grated or Flakes, 50g
and Essential Oil of your choice, eg Lemon or Lavender, 10 Drops.
Say's to melt the Beeswax in a Bain Marie inside a jar or pot. add the Turps when the wax is melted. Melt the soap in the water which you have boiled and when cool trickle into the wax mixture stirring all the time. Add the essence if you wish at this point.
It should be a soft cream rather than a hard paste, keep in sealed jars.
earwigjuice
New member
I have used it before simply by melting it as suggested in one of the posts in a jar set over a tea light (not to close or it turns black)
The results was the melted solution did soak into the wood however the exterior ended up with a fairly thick layer of wax on it. I got a lighter and melted it again wiping away the excess. The finish looked really good however it had a (suprisingly ) waxy feel to it, Ie slightly sticky. I then got a duster and polished it so fast that it created more heat and left a really nice smooth and shiny finish. Not sure if it was worth all the effort but it was nice to use a natural material
The results was the melted solution did soak into the wood however the exterior ended up with a fairly thick layer of wax on it. I got a lighter and melted it again wiping away the excess. The finish looked really good however it had a (suprisingly
) waxy feel to it, Ie slightly sticky. I then got a duster and polished it so fast that it created more heat and left a really nice smooth and shiny finish. Not sure if it was worth all the effort but it was nice to use a natural material
