beeswax uses

I do a couple of things with it that haven't been mentioned:

Some braided fishlines (eg, Spiderwire) get stupid if you try to sew with them- they kink up, unbraid, and just make your life harder than it needs to be. Run the Spiderwire over the wax, and it doesn't do this- some old timers claim it makes the thread stronger, but I don't know about that. It doesn't seem to make it any weaker.

100% pure beeswax is a safe food additive- add it to homemade chocolates to improve their tempurature tolerance and to give them a glossy shine. You generally find this being done commerciall with carnuba wax or paraffin, which are a tropical import (tree nut allergy issues for some people) and an oil refinery left over (it used to be crude oil, it doesnt' go in my body) respectively, both of which have slightly lower melting points. You could also use more cocoa butter, but it doesn't have the shelf life. I'm using it to try to recreate the WWII-era D-Bar.
 
It can be used on heated metal as a sealant (often with linseed oil), usually used by blacksmiths on "wrought" iron. Can be used on knives and such but getting the wax molten and the blade hot enough, without damaging the heat treat might be a bit of a challenge.
 
This post is timley for me, I just came across a large piece of beeswax in a drawer and was goin to ask advice for uses.

I was thinking of adding it to a PSK for lubricant- waterproofer-firestarter etc. how doe you think it would hold up? Ive had commercial candles melt in kits left in cars, do you think keeping it in a pill bottle or similar.
 
ERG,

That's exactly what I was planning to do. But I need to know more about it (i'm starting to see a lot of good uses for beewax now) before I put it in a PSK.
So far I like:
Waterproofing ability
Foodsafe substance
Lubricant
Firestarting aid

I'm considering to use it as conservating wax for my knives. Anybody done this? I read about the carwaxing with beeswax, so I might think that it's good for using as rustpreventative on knives too??

Forgot to mention; my wax still smells a bit like honey, and is yellow. It's in small flakes, and the flakes are pretty hard, they soften, when hold in my hand for serveral seconds.

Thanks for all the fantastic tips and uses! Keep them comin' !
CZ
 
Bow string wax
wax thread to sew leather
lubricate a zipper
lubricate drawer runners
finish on primitive bows
seal wooden bowls
water proof canvas
water proof leather
make candles
seal a document
seal the inside of a gourd for a water container
plug leak in a wooden water barrel
join the two sides of a Amazon type blowgun
hold a stone in place when your making jewelry
 
Since i posted I had to take the wife out shopping, At michaels gifts, bees wax was 4.75 a pound.

home depot, toilet bowl ring, 1.5 pounds 100% beeswax, was $1.69

Its exactly the same stuff, and the toilet bowl ring is not dirty despite the name because it has not been on a toilet yet, just to clarify that thought.

bees wax is used because it is the one thing that stays pliable, making a perfect seal, and is resistant to everything you can forseeably dump down a toilet including solvents, cleaners, and who knows what biological attacks.
 
nephildevil said:
isnt it also good for rubbing on wooden furniture?
Click to expand...
I use a mixture of beeswax and turpentine for wooden furniture or leather boots. It will waterproof leather without softening it. If you want to condition leather, you can add mink or neatsfood oil. Also, you can add linseed oil and use it as a finish on unfinished wood. There are lots of beeswax recipes at http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/beeclass/wax/recipe.html

Richard
 
Like Tim the Slugman I made some 'lip salve' using bees wax. I got it from my own hive.

I made this stuff with my stepdaughter. Basically we just warmed up some olive oil, threw in a lump of wax and stirred it together while it melted. Before it started to set we broke open a vitamin E capsule and sprinkled the contents in to the mix (to be an antioxidant)...and we added some essence to make a nice scent (unnecessary). I recall that we made some using a few drops of orange oil, and some using oil of aniseed.

I don't recall the exact proportions, but I found that I didn't need much wax to make the mixture form a nice paste. Maybe a bit of wax the size of a walnut to a cup full of olive oil.

I gave a tub of this lip salve to a lady at my work who evidently uses quite a bit of the stuff. She said it is some of the best she has ever used.

This same recipe, without the essence, would probably make a fine patch grease or anti-rust coating for a knife which is 'food safe'. And it is probably a reasonable lubricant for some things.

Just about run out now. Must make some more.

PS: Good story thanks Severtecher. I wish I'd been there. Thanks for the idea.
 
Coote,

Thanks for the lipbalm/salve tip! I just made some, and it's great stuff. I think a 1/3 of beeswax is enough for a firm and solid lipbalm with Extra Vergine olive oil. Mine is extremely soft and feels great. Even on my hands it feels good. mmmmmm better stop before you guys think i'm some weird beauty geek.......:D
Only things I have to try later today is, to put some on my safequeen blades. Looks like it's harder to put pure beeswax on a blade, because the melting point is higher, instead of the balm. I'll let you know how it turns out. Looks like I've found some good stuff for bushcraft/survival:BEESWAX!

CZ
 
You can mix it with turpentine or mineral spirits. I use it in the shop for waxing the bottoms of drawers and such. Once you mix it this way, of course, it's no longer safe to use where food might contact it. It seems to me it would be better for firestarting ideas if mixed this way (but it's hard to beat parrafin and parrafin oil for that).
 
I melt beeswax and dip a cotton ball into it until it is saturated, set it on a cookie sheet and place a second cotton ball on top while it is still tacky. When it is dryed I place it on a square of wax paper and twist it off so it looks like a BIG Hersheys Kiss. Unwrap the wax paper and strike you spark on the top cotton ball so it will burn down to the beeswax cotton ball. I have timed this combo. and have gotton burn times of up to 20 minutes....lots of time to get your fire started.


Ciao
Ron
:D
 
SOme great ideas in this thread! I may have missed it, but I haven't seen it mentioned for muzzleloading. Mixed with just a tiny bit of tallow, it is/was poured into a grease hole in the buttstock. When a patch lube was needed, the patch was rubbed across the lube. An early version of the Alox substitution.

If I were looking for a supply of beeswax, my first thought would be to contact a beekeeper. If you can still find one. The U.S. has had problems lately with bee viruses and mites. I think bees, and maybe now bee products...importation from Australia was recently banned. Dunno why if the problem is here but...

Codger
 
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