Richard Raffan likes to use beeswax. I had some sheets of beeswax left over from candle making. It does not seem to want to melt down and spread over the turned piece. Just too hard. Are some forms of beeswax softer than others and more applicable to woodturning? Who can give me some advise. Thanks
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beeswax application
- Thread starter hydrojohn
- Start date
Bees wax
The only sort of Bees wax I have ever used is from the hive. I get it from a bee keeper, melt it down and pass it through an old piece of the wife' hose. It cool into a rather hard mass. I apply it directly to the piece and it gums up like you would expect a Crayola to do. Then I apply friction with a clean cloth. The heat melts the wax. This does a good job but be aware it spots with water.
Bob Edwards, San Antonio
The only sort of Bees wax I have ever used is from the hive. I get it from a bee keeper, melt it down and pass it through an old piece of the wife' hose. It cool into a rather hard mass. I apply it directly to the piece and it gums up like you would expect a Crayola to do. Then I apply friction with a clean cloth. The heat melts the wax. This does a good job but be aware it spots with water.
Bob Edwards, San Antonio
I think the sheet beeswax would be hard to handle. Sheet beeswax should be clean but it would help to have a chunk rather than sheets. I would get a clean can and put the sheets of wax in the can (tear it up if you need to), then I would put the can in a pan of water over the stove (home made double boiler - with the can being disposibable after use - no washing). Then I would melt the wax in the home made double boiler (less chance of fire in the double boiler) and pour the liquid into a cut off paper quart or 1/2 gal. milk container. Let it cool. Then I would cut away the milk container and viola - you have a chunk of wax. This makes it easier to hold the wax to the revolving turned item. As was said earlier - it gums up on the turning. I like to use those heavy shop paper towels to the "waxed" turning to use friction to melt the was on the turning. As the wax melts it is absorbed into the turning. If you use a rag to melt the wax - be careful of it catching on the turning lathe parts and the turning - it can get exciting very fast. That is the advantage of the paper towel - it tears.
A friend of mine buys beeswax from a bee keeper and then cuts the melted was 50/50 with mineral oil for a "food safe" finish.
Hugh
A friend of mine buys beeswax from a bee keeper and then cuts the melted was 50/50 with mineral oil for a "food safe" finish.
Hugh
Thinning Beeswax
I read somewhere that Richard thins his beeswax before using. Would that be with the mineral oil mentioned earlier or some other type of solvent?
If you applied a thinned wax to your piece. It should apply easier since most on this thread seem to agree that Beeswax is somewhat hard.
John
I read somewhere that Richard thins his beeswax before using. Would that be with the mineral oil mentioned earlier or some other type of solvent?
If you applied a thinned wax to your piece. It should apply easier since most on this thread seem to agree that Beeswax is somewhat hard.
John
stnick said:
John,
The mineral oil "cook" makes the material easier to apply because it softens the wax, but what most people don't understand is that most all waxes will not, contrary to what the Johnson's wax people would have you believe, penetrate wood; wax molecules are too big. In a mineraloil/wax mix, the oil penetrates the wood and leaves a thin coating of softened wax on the surface. Paste wax makers use solvents like naptha to make the paste because they evaporate and leave a more cohesive and harder wax film on the surface without anything penetrating into the wood surface.
Maybe this helps?
Mark
Last edited:
I disolve beeswax in Gum Turpentine - the type made from trees - in a 3 parts turpentine to one part beeswax mix to start. No need to heat the mixture. This mixture maybe adjusted up or down to get the spreading properties you like.
The gum turpentine will be adsorbed by the wood carrying beeswax with it. One fairly thick coat applied on the spinning piece, apply pressure to get a heat build up, allowed to dry then buff with brown paper grocery sack give a nice low luster shine. The turpentine will flash off over time leaving the ever searched for "food safe" finish.
I also use this mixture as a rust preventative, lubricant for the spindle threads, screw chuck thread release, minor cut dipped in the mix disinfects and seals the wound, wood drawer slides lubricant. Really thin maybe used as a furniture polish. A myriad of uses.
Hope this helps
The gum turpentine will be adsorbed by the wood carrying beeswax with it. One fairly thick coat applied on the spinning piece, apply pressure to get a heat build up, allowed to dry then buff with brown paper grocery sack give a nice low luster shine. The turpentine will flash off over time leaving the ever searched for "food safe" finish.
I also use this mixture as a rust preventative, lubricant for the spindle threads, screw chuck thread release, minor cut dipped in the mix disinfects and seals the wound, wood drawer slides lubricant. Really thin maybe used as a furniture polish. A myriad of uses.
Hope this helps