sealing blanks with beeswax?

[Wes Ramsey]

I have a good supply of beeswax from my FIL, who dissolves it with mineral spirits and paints it on various tools to keep them from rusting. I haven't messed with it any yet, but was thinking about making a batch to seal blanks. Anyone have any experience with this mixture for sealing blanks? What's a good ratio of wax to MS to use?

[Steve Peterson]

I have no answer, just another question. Isn't beeswax fairly expensive? You should be able to find a candle maker that would trade you 10lbs of paraffin for each lb of beeswax. Use the cheap stuff for sealing wood, since it just gets wasted at the end.

Steve

[Wes Ramsey]

I have no answer, just another question. Isn't beeswax fairly expensive? You should be able to find a candle maker that would trade you 10lbs of paraffin for each lb of beeswax. Use the cheap stuff for sealing wood, since it just gets wasted at the end.

Steve

For me, beeswax is the cheap option. I used to get it from my FIL's hives and still have a stash, though his bees all died out a couple of years ago. He's started another hive though and I have a couple of friends with hives I can get it from, also free. I can probably get a good supply of candle wax from a local thrift store for cheap, but free still trumps cheap :D

[Brice Rogers]

I think that it would probably work fine.

I have experimented with paraffin and mineral spirits and it is easy to apply and has some flexibility. With paraffin, it is easiest to first melt it and then add in the mineral spirits (or regular paint thinner). I made some the consistency of frosting or whip cream. Seemed to work fine and easier to work with than just melted paraffin. As the mineral spirits or thinner out-gas, the coating will slowly thicken a bit.

I get my paraffin really cheaply from neighborhood garage sales, in the form of candles. Often times the people just give me the partially used candles or give my a couple dozen for less than a dollar. Last year I got a 1' x 2' x 3" block of brand new paraffin from a candle maker who was getting out of the hobby. That may be a lifetime supply for me.

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks Brice! What ratio do you use? I've got a quart can I plan to use. How much wax vs MS? Would you make a heavier mix for wood than you would tools?

[Prashun Patel]

Like Brice I use paraffin. Getting the right consistency might take a little trial and error. It depends on how you store it. I prefer mine to be just barely liquid at room temp; that is, it should be brushable. I find it clean to work with, and stickier on the lumber. I made it like frosting once, and I found it had a tendency to peel away from the lumber, especially if stored outside.

Once the mixture cools, I like it to be opaque and a tad thinner than latex paint.

[David Walser]

For me, beeswax is the cheap option. I used to get it from my FIL's hives and still have a stash, though his bees all died out a couple of years ago. He's started another hive though and I have a couple of friends with hives I can get it from, also free. I can probably get a good supply of candle wax from a local thrift store for cheap, but free still trumps cheap :D

I think the suggestion was to sell or trade your beeswax and use the proceeds to acquire paraffin and other things you might want or need. While the beeswax didn't cost you anything, it still has value. Suppose I had a large burl from a tree in my backyard. The burl was free, so would it make sense for me to burn it as firewood? Or would I be better off selling the burl and buying some firewood (leaving me with a pile of cash left over)? (Ignore the fact that I live in the Phoenix area and haven't used my fireplace in three years.)

[Brice Rogers]

Thanks Brice! What ratio do you use? I've got a quart can I plan to use. How much wax vs MS? Would you make a heavier mix for wood than you would tools?

As far as I recall, I didn't add a lot of thinner. It is far easier to melt the wax first and then add the thinner than putting hard wax into the thinner. I'm sorry but my experiment wasn't very controlled so I don't know the ratio for paraffin and thinner. I suggest that you take a small portion of the wax you intend to modify and add some thinner and see how it sets up when it cools. Experiment until you are satisfied with the results. Sorry that I can't give you better directions.

[Wes Ramsey]

Thanks guys. I'll play with it some in the next few days and see what I come up with.

David, I know the beeswax has value, but I don't have or get enough to bother with selling it. I don't need much anyway, just enough to melt into my walnut oil for a little extra protection on wooden kitchenware, protect some tools on occasion and maybe even seal some wood blanks. The 1/2lb block I have right now was closer to 1lb when I got it maybe 8-10 years ago :) I don't have much desire to make money on something I get for free unless I do something to it to add value. I wouldn't burn a burl if it was big enough to mess with, but I don't get picky about saving the cutoffs or turning too much of it away.

[Jeramie Johnson]

I've been toying with ratios and making a sanding sealer and finish with my GFIL's beeswax. Probably have 60 lbs of wax. I too use melted down paraffin or old candles to seal wet blanks.

[Prashun Patel]

Ok, that's a horse of a different color. If you want to protect your kitchenwares, then I'd rather use the beeswax in pure form. Just moisten the application cloth with mineral spirits prior to application. On a smooth surface, this will deposit a thin, pure layer that can be buffed to some kind of sheen.

The wax paint I was describing was intended to seal green lumber for air drying.

[Wes Ramsey]

Ok, that's a horse of a different color. If you want to protect your kitchenwares, then I'd rather use the beeswax in pure form. Just moisten the application cloth with mineral spirits prior to application. On a smooth surface, this will deposit a thin, pure layer that can be buffed to some kind of sheen.

The wax paint I was describing was intended to seal green lumber for air drying.

Prashun,

I made a batch a bit thicker than latex paint for sealing the ends on blanks and it seems to have worked okay so far, but seems a bit thin on the wood. Might have to use 2 coats or mix a bit thicker. It also seems to get used up pretty quickly, so I may have to switch over to parrafin so I don't use up all my BW. I already have a box waiting for me at the local thrift store :)