Beeswax

[Dorno]

I just have a question regarding beeswax.

If I get an amount of beeswax given to me and then I have to clean it which is not a problem my question is will I then need to mix anything with it to be able to use it as a finish on some of my turnings ? I noticed the other day at bunnings that the small tins of beeswax were mixed with citris. I have no idea if this is the norm or not so I though I would ask for suggestions ?

any help appreciated

Kind regards Ian

[issatree]

Hi Dorno,
I have used straight Beeswax for many years, & have never had to add anything to it as it is great the way it is. You could add some Canauba Wax to gve it a better shine.

[Lyle]

I have used beeswax in the past, but found it not suitable for items handled regularly. Too soft. The canuba wax helps to give some lasting durability to the finish. That is my experience.
Lyle.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Commercial beeswax polishes often have a solvent added as a carrier and to make it easier to spread. The solvent is often wood turpentine (so-called "natural turps") or citrus oil. Because beeswax stays soft and sticky it can show finger marks and attract dust. That is why high quality furniture polishes have added hard waxes like Carnauba wax. The bees wax is used as a carrier for the harder waxes and then polished completely away, leaving only the harder waxes behind. Have a look at the contents of the UBeaut wax for an example of a high quality wax.

[Bohdan]

A finish that i have used in the past is a mixture of beeswax, pine tree turps, and raw linseed oil in equal parts. You have to heat it to get it to mix and then apply it hot so that it soaks in.

I used it on gun stocks and after a few coats have soaked in they become water proof and when they need a refurb it is only a quick polish on a hot summers day.

[soundman]

I have played with bees wax myself ...... yes you probably want to clean/ refine it, which generally means boiling it in multiple changes of water, then heating it to dry the remnant water off.
It then comes to a pale yelowish pinky colour.

On its own it is soft and sticky in warm weather ....... a lot of climates where beeswax polish where popular where colder climates ... and it was applied very regularly.

I have mixed beeswax with parafin wax 50:50 and it becomes more managable ...... softer than the parafin and harder than the beeswax ...... this seems to run well as a rudimentary friction polish on the lathe for tool handles and the like.

If you want to make paste wax ..... avoid natural or gum turpentine, they is no need and no advantage BUT it is toxic and not good for you ..... white spirit ( not metho) is a good solvent ...... it is like mineral turps without the oil.

Most commercial polishes then have some sort of natural aromatic oil like citrus or lavender oil ...... pretty much to make it smell less like solvent.

If you want some clean 60 degree parafin wax I have some I'm willing to part with.

cheers

[John Fuller]

If you want to refine your bees wax you could always build a solar wax melter. As a bee keeper I have used these before and they give out nice clean wax. you can Google solar wax melters to see what I mean.

[StevoWoodi]

I have made a beeswax/canauba wax/natural turpentine as per the attached note from the Department of Primary Industries that I downloaded off the web a few years ago. (not available now) The first batch I made was a bit soft so I put it back on the heat and added some more canauba wax. It gives a very lustrous and hard finish but is not water resistant so only for decorative items.
Cheers,
Steve

[Bohdan]

Red the DPI instructions and I'm wondering what is the purpose of the soap flakes in the wax polish mix.

[Robson Valley]

Simple friction will melt beeswax. Just about all waxes melt in the 55 - 65C range.
Charge the felt wheel (friction melted.) Apply to the item (friction melted.) Buff again to get the crystal size so small it looks shiny.

However, if you want a physically harder beeswax finish, dope it up with some sodium stearate from a candle-maker's supply house.
Melt, mix, cast as a cake.
I'll be carving some Inuit-style candle-oil dishes in soapstone. One will be a reference with beeswax/sodium stearate aka a candle.
The others will be experiments with fats (tallow, bear, beef, pork, elk, bison and moose). I'm a little short of walrus, whale and seal blubber.
Then lichens, cotton grass, etc as possible wick materials.

[Chief Tiff]

I make a soft paste wax by melting beeswax into BLO. Not designed as a finish on it's own but gives a beaut lustre to polished surfaces such as varnish, WOP, French polish or shellac. You can add a few drops of citrus essential oil to give it a scent but I generally don't bother. Start with 2/3 wax and 1/3 BLO; adjust the consistency to whatever feels right for you. Might work on tools too such as plane soles and machine tables but I have never tried it; I use neat wax on planes and Silber Gleit on just about everything else.

[rob streeper]

I use turpentine as a vehicle. Not all beeswax is created equal. I have a lot that came from bees fed on orange blossoms and the wax is quite hard though not nearly as hard as carnuba. A couple of buttons of shellac added to the mix will also increase the durability.

[Robson Valley]

I don't believe . . . that there's any reason to dilute beeswax with anything.
Aside from spreading it, simple friction from a fast-spinning polishing cotton pad does all the melting that you will need.

Buy a few bars of beeswax. Scribble them all over.
Crank up the cotton drill pad and friction-heat/buff that wax into the wood.

I can tell you that using beeswax for an oven-heated wax finish on a carved wooden dish is an extraordinary mess to apply.
However, the dish is water proof forever!