Honey Dippers

[Peter Blair]

Greetings all. I am in the process of making a few honey dippers. I would like to finish them with beeswax and mineral oil. I use this finish on lots of my utilitarian type bowls. My question is has anyone soaked small items in heated beeswax and mineral oil. What I am striving for is a quick finish off the lathe and wonder if I could dip or soak in this finish when it is hot or would it likely plug up the slots of the honey dippers?

[Joe Hillmann]

Heat up the dippers first before you dip them in the wax. That way you will get a nice even thin coat of wax. If you don't heat them first the wax will cool as soon as it touches the wood and it will fill the cracks.

[Peter Blair]

Thanks Joe. How do you think it would work if I put the dipper(s) in a container with beeswax and mineral oil and heated it all in a micro wave oven? I agree that cold wood would likely just cause warm or hot oil to congeal and fill the dipper cracks. I wonder if I had a container of hot beeswax and mineral oil then put the dipper(s) in the oil if the oil would heat the wood enough to get the oil to soak in and not congeal.

[ray hampton]

I would think about using a double boiler first

[Peter Blair]

Good point Ray. I always use a double boiler when I make my beeswax and mineral oil concoction.

I'm now considering heating my concoction in a microwave oven and immerse the dippers while heating.

Think that will work?

[ray hampton]

yes this will work to melt the beewax but I keep the mineral oil out of the microwave because of the different melting point and fire , the wood could heat at a different rate so I would wait until the wax melts then add the spoon while the oven are still cooking for 5 seconds intervals