How do I convert beeswax to give a amber look.

[JDarvall]

I've got a few big chunks of beeswax from a local beekeeper. Its totally white and cloudy.

What I want ideally is a redish clear (translucent ?) looking wax.....when I say clear, I mean when I've got a bit on my finger, I can see my finger through it. Looking like honey I guess. or Amber. That sort of clearity. ..

Just that I've got this old wax at home I've been using from a rusty old can that looks just right. The edges of it where its exposed to the air I guess has a amber look. And when I apply that to timber it builds a layer up with that look. Gives the work more depth in my opinion, cause its clearer I guess. Nothing like waxes I've used before.

Has me thinking how can I recreate that, because I've run out ?

Is there a way, through heat treatment or filtering , that will clarify that raw white cloudy beeswax? ...and then how can I make it look amber like ?

I have tried just mixing stains straight into furniture waxes I've already got and all it ends up looking like is paint....baby food......just doesn't look the same as that old wax from that can.

appreciate any thoughts
thanks
Jake

[ubeaut]

Jake you probably don't want that yellow colour as it sounds a bit like the old floor wax that used to be made and that yellow colour is potassium bichromate which is a carcinogen and the main reason why you can't buy that stuff any more.

Could be wrong but doubt it. I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

[RjGund]

You could try the kids crayons ......

[mic-d]

Hi Jake,
I googled 'clarifying beeswax' and found a few ways to do it. One is here.

Beeswax will dissolve in turps so you should therefore be able to dye the wax with an oil-based stain. I would melt samples of the wax on a double boiler and add the stain with a small syringe. Try different stains and different concentrations until you get the colour you desire. I think I recall wattyl redwood was a red/yellow dye dependng on dilution. edit I was wrong, the Wattyl stain was a pigment stain. I think it was a FW prooftint... edit again... Yes it was a Prooftint, golden teak, but being a spirit based stain, don't know whether it would be miscible with the molten wax...

Cheers
Michael

[ubeaut]

Already gone down the colour it road here: ubeaut wax question. - Woodwork Forums

[JDarvall]

Jake you probably don't want that yellow colour as it sounds a bit like the old floor wax that used to be made and that yellow colour is potassium bichromate which is a carcinogen and the main reason why you can't buy that stuff any more.

Could be wrong but doubt it. I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

Potassium Bichromate ! ....... that explains the drooling, and throbbing testicles.

[JDarvall]

Hi Jake,
I googled 'clarifying beeswax' and found a few ways to do it. One is here.

Beeswax will dissolve in turps so you should therefore be able to dye the wax with an oil-based stain. I would melt samples of the wax on a double boiler and add the stain with a small syringe. Try different stains and different concentrations until you get the colour you desire. I think I recall wattyl redwood was a red/yellow dye dependng on dilution. edit I was wrong, the Wattyl stain was a pigment stain. I think it was a FW prooftint... edit again... Yes it was a Prooftint, golden teak, but being a spirit based stain, don't know whether it would be miscible with the molten wax...

Cheers
Michael

Ta Mick. I'll have to set organise a little burner for the shed.

[JDarvall]

Already gone down the colour it road here: ubeaut wax question. - Woodwork Forums

Ta. and I appreciate that.

I just got the feeling there was something else interesting to learn on wax from the stuff I had.

a chunk of the more transparent stuff looked far better IMO than the rest on timber. Made me think there was some kind of wax makers magical secret ingredient or whatever to learn.

*******
found sturdee's recipe on the forums here .....( tried the black stain in your ubeaut and it looked good. )

Mix together equal parts of beeswax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax to make 1 kg.
Add heat to melt the wax,
Add 500 ml linseed oil,
Add 500 ml pure turps,
Add 500 ml vegetable oil (any brand will do),
To colour add a small tin (approx. 125 ml) of black oil stain or dye.
Stir whilst cooling and when cold it will form a hard wax.

*******
wondering why a lot....

Beeswax is for ............?
carnauba wax is for......... ?
Paraffin wax is for ...........?
linseed oil is for ........... ?
vegitable oil is for.........?

If I excluded carnauba wax and paraffin wax from the recipe how significantly weaker will the finish be ?

[Ross]

Jake

Try this
http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/ass...ure-polish.pdf
and talk to your local bee keeper and ask him some wax that has been filtered not cleaned.

I made and use a solar wax melter and filter the wax through 4 layers of chux and clean the wax in water. If I skip the cleaning part the wax is a bown colour.

If your local guy can't help you ring Hornsby Beekeeping he may have dark coloured wax for woodworkers.

Ross

[ubeaut]

wondering why a lot.... In a word - Because
Beeswax is for ............? SHINE, SOFTNESS and WATERPROOFING and without it you couldn't make a beeswax polish.
carnauba wax is for......... ? Hardest wax.. extra shine, durability and hardness waterproofing,
Paraffin wax is for ...........? Cheapest and most readily availablewax. Petrochemical so mixes easily with other waxes, waterproofing mid to low range hardness, nothing special by itself but enhances and is enhanced by other waxes.
linseed oil is for ........... ? For softness and easier spread spreading of wax also added waterproofing but leaves surface more prone to fingermarks etc
vegitable oil is for.........? No benefit that I can see other then that's what someone uses because it's thought to have some special added property. No idea what that would be other than to say it contains vegetable oil.

Other additives:
Other semi common waxes uses - Microcrystalines which are basically variants of paraffin. Montan wax, Ceresin wax, Ozokerite and shellac wax. Each has their own special property to bring to the final mix
Soap....... Mainly used in a cleaning wax but acts as an emulsifier when making the wax a cream or when making a water based or water added wax.
Paraffin oil....... Used as a substitute for linseed oil to add a bit of softness. But more importantly it gets trapped in the matrix of the wax when applied and brings out brighter clearer deeper shine. However it can soften the wax finish as it is a non drying oil.
Fragrance oil...... Used to hide the turpentine/white spirit etc smell and give a more pleasant aroma.
Talc or chalk........ Used as a filling agent and to give special effects eg liming wax.

Solvent:
Turpentine, white spirits, Stoddard solution....... Basically all the same thing - Mineral turpentine. This keeps the whole thing soft and workable. Highly flammable - hot fumes will explode into flame at a single spark EXERCISE EXTREME CARE with hot turpentine.

HEALTH WARNING It's recommend to using MINERAL TURPENTINE as the solvent and NOT PURE TURPENTINE as it is thought that the latter can cause kidney failure if absorbed through the pores of the shin also known to cause mental problems, erratic behaviour, chopping off of ears by artists etc.
If I excluded carnauba wax and paraffin wax from the recipe how significantly weaker will the finish be ? Will be prone to finger marking, will attract dust. will be really hard to buff in cold weather.

[Old-Biker-UK]

I just made up a new batch of beeswax polish with uncleaned wax (just filtered to remove the bits of dead critters) & pure turpentine, this gives a nice amber polish. The wax is shredded into a jar and the turpentine added, after a day or so, add more wax or turpentine to adust the consistency as required.
When I was doing up my old cottage which has 300yo elm beams, black as your hat, I added some Colron 'Dark Oak' stain to the polish. Worked a treat, filled up all the worm holes and smelled lovely.
Mark

[cava]

Ta Mick. I'll have to set organise a little burner for the shed.

For safety, operate the burner outside and not inside the shed.

[cava]

New wax, which the bees have made in the current season and used for storing honey, is predominately white to light yellow.

Typically, darker wax which the bees have been using to raise new bees, gets darker the more it is used to raise new bees, coupled with the 1000's of bees walking over the cells for an extended period. Generally the darker the wax, the older it is.

Some beekeepers use chemicals in the hive which may also taint the colour of the bees wax over an extended period.

Get in touch with a local beekeeper and tell him what you want.

[JDarvall]

Thankyou kindly for all the help. Really do appreciate it. thanks.

[RETIRED]

New wax, which the bees have made in the current season and used for storing honey, is predominately white to light yellow.

Typically, darker wax which the bees have been using to raise new bees, gets darker the more it is used to raise new bees, coupled with the 1000's of bees walking over the cells for an extended period. Generally the darker the wax, the older it is.

Some beekeepers use chemicals in the hive which may also taint the colour of the bees wax over an extended period.

Get in touch with a local beekeeper and tell him what you want.

You reckon that they would wipe their feet, wouldn't you?