Really dumb question??? I bought carnauba wax flakes, how do I use them???

[Sam Beagle]

I bought the flakes, thinking they get mixed with something, but I cannot figure it out. Please someone help me.

[Sam Beagle]

Bump.. I know you have all seen those bags of wax at woodcraft. It's what I bought, how do I use them.

[Russell Neyman]

Are you sure it isn't shellac flakes? Those get mixed with denatured alcohol. What the heck: try mixing up a small batch and see what happens.

[George Bokros]

Google is your friend

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+use+carnuba+wax+flakes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8


(https://www.google.com/search?q=how+do+you+use+carnuba+wax+flakes&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8)

[Sam Beagle]

I went and read most of them, I still don't understand how the product is melted or chemically reduced to a paste wax type product.

[Shawn Pachlhofer]

I use beeswax/mineral oil finish on some utility items I turn.

I think it's 16 oz of mineral oil - heat gently on stove - then mix in 1 cup of beeswax and stir until melted. then I pour it into a plastic container and let it cool.

It cools into a paste wax that is easy to apply.

Maybe carnauba wax flakes are similar...

[robert baccus]

The traditional finish in Europe (1600's) was a mix of 3/4 carnuba--1/4 beeswax-melted and thinned with real gum turpentine to the viscosity you wish. I've made and used several pints of this. I apply it on the lathe like a spit polish at high rpm. Beautiful finish but water spots easily

[Marvin Hasenak]

I made this post back in October about homemade wax combos. This is only a guide, a search on Google about homemade waxes will provide more info than you can think about. Not sure on how much wax you already bought, but as a starter I will suggest coming up with what you think you want and try it. KEEP NOTES and ACCURATE measurements of how much and what kinds, brands etc., of waxes that you use. One brand is NOT always like the next brand of the same kind of wax. You can make bar wax, like the Beall Tool bars or you can make paste waxes. Several years ago I made up some and gave it out to some local woodturners, I got mixed reviews out of the 3 mixes I made. Everyone seems to have had their favorite, What I thought was my best concoction was nobody else's first choice, what I thought was the worst of the worst was one person's favorite. The one I thought was second best was second best for all 3 of them. That is my reason that I don't give out my recipes, this is too much of andopinion based thing, you have to experiment and find your own "recipe". Getting there is half the fin of the "trip".


http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?235991-Low-Odor-Paste-Wax

Try making your own, plenty of info about combinations that you can use, beeswax, paraffin, carnauba, palm wax, etc.. Instead of mineral spirits or paint thinner use citrus solvent. The citrus solvent gives the wax a lemon lime smell, I get mine from eth Milk Paint Company. Costs a little more than the mineral spirits at the big boxes, but smells good. I melt my waxes in a double boiler on a hotplate, and add the citrus solvent, I have read you can dissolve the waxes in the solvent, but I go ahead and melt them first. The amount depends on the waxes you use, you will have to play with the ratios to determine what you want for YOUR paste wax consistency. I melt the wax or waxes, then add the solvent, and store it on 1/2 pint Mason jars.

You can also make solid bar waxes for lathe work the same way, just leave out the solvent. For solid bar wax, I use muffin pans for my mold

Things to remember, bees wax is soft, carnauba is hard, paraffin is a form of "microcrystalline" wax and is a fairly hard wax, palm wax is an unknown. The paraffin mix ratio makes a big difference as does the purity of the brand you use. I only use the paraffin that is made for home canning, tried the cheap stuff for waxes onetime, never again. The ratios are "to each his own choices", but I would start with even ratios based on the waxes you choose. Experiment, as a starter I would suggest, equal parts paraffin, carnauba and bees wax.

There is also liquid paraffin wax, as of now I consider it an unknown, I have messed with it a little but not satisfied with any of the combinations I have tried. But that is my opinion, some might find that mixing melted beeswax and liquid paraffin just the right answer, I did not care for it.

Look for a candle makers pot to melt your waxes. They are better designed than the regular pot and pans from the kitchen. They look like a percolator coffee pot. Easier to pour out of, and work great on a single burner hotplate. You can do this in the kitchen, but a wax spill mess is hard to clean up.

[Hilel Salomon]

PLEASE DO NOT MELT THEM IN A POT DIRECTLY OVER THE HEAT. THIS WOULD BE A RECIPE FOR DISASTER!!!! Put them in a double boiler-a pot inside water boiling slowly. I make my own wax w/beeswax, a little carnauba and mineral oil. When it cools down (after having melted) you can determine if the consistency is to your liking. If not add more mineral oil or more flakes and repeat the process of melting.

[robert baccus]

The palm wax you refer to is probably the same as carnuba which is boiled off certain palm leaves in S.A.. Heating in any old pot is ok if done outside. I would recommend a solvent over an oil to allow drying before while buffing. I have always used pure gum turpentine according to the old recipes but citrus may be better.

[Marvin Hasenak]

The palm wax you refer to is probably the same as carnuba which is boiled off certain palm leaves in S.A.. Heating in any old pot is ok if done outside. I would recommend a solvent over an oil to allow drying before while buffing. I have always used pure gum turpentine according to the old recipes but citrus may be better.

I thought the same thing until another person asked me about it, between the 2 of us we determined that, both are palm waxes but the carnauba is a little different. Basically palm wax can be made from any palm tree, but carnauba can only be made from certain palm trees native to Brazil. Is there much different between the 2, yes, I can tell the differences if I leave out one or the other in my mixes.