A Loaf of Beeswax

[Gary Miller]

I purchased a loaf of bees wax from a local bee keeper.There is a long technical name for the profession that implies college certificates may be needed. That's the way he sells it, by the loaf. I think its about (3) Lbs. $12 cash including a few legs wings and other stuff that trapped between the bred pan side and the wax. Easy to trim the collected bee parts away as it clumped together in a few areas. Shaved a half chili can of wax and heated it in a pot of water. It turned a beautiful light honey color. Added my flavor of oil, scooped out one leg and presto more conical lube than I could shoot in a year and that was only half a chili can full of wax and 1/2 oil. I would think a chili can can hold several commercial tubes of Bore Butter. Mamma never missed from the oil from her cupboard so I saved there too. Been looking at mixes with turpentine and linseed oil for water proofing etc. Thin it a bit more and you have lip balm of cracked foot ointment. It was cheap, fun and I can add wax or oil to fit the climate or intended use. The best part is you can make it the exact thickness that you want for hunting without risking fouling the powder, or range sessions where multiple loading without full cleanings are desirable. I'm gonna have fun with this wax thing. Still like my olive oil patches for round ball. My wife helps a friend with her organic citrus grove and we get the honey at cost also. Bee keepers like organic farms cause its safer for the bees. Orange blossom honey on cornbread is a wonderful thing and the citrus is fixing to bloom.

 

[coloradoclyde]

:thumbsup: :hatsoff: Kudos....

Once melted the wax can be easily skimmed or poured through a strainer like a paint strainer.

I use old olive oil.... Sometimes olive oil goes stale or oxidizes before I can use it all, sometimes I just don't like the flavor of a particular brand...I save every drop for lube and lanterns....

Congrat's on making your own.... :thumbsup:

 

[Gary Miller]

C.C.
This forum is a gold mine. Sure makes a fellow rich :bow: real quick. I've learned more in two months than I can try out in a lifetime.

 

[fleener]

I'm a bee keeper. If you want cleaner wax, take a pot of water, put the wax in the pot of water, and when the wax melts it will float on top. The water with the manure in it will be on the bottom.

I like shooting my own lube from my own bees.

Fleener

 

[Silky921]

Amen to that man. A wealth of knowledge is around these parts.

 

[NEW222]

So, if I read this correctly, I can use a pot and put both my wax and water in it. Bring it up to temperature, the wax will melt, bug parts sink. Let it sit and cool and the top layer of wax should be bug free? Thank you.

 

[Katahdin]

Double boiler,,,to melt bees wax,fire danger otherwise.

 

[bubba.50]

used to be a guy sellin' stock finish on evil-bay made from equal parts beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil. never tried it myself but, a couple of my friends swear by it.

 

[Gary Miller]

Nice, thanks for the tip. Makes sense, it's waterproof.

 

[Gary Miller]

I was thinking it would also be good for sealing wood arrowshafts. I've used pure boiled linseed on stocks and arrows to seal. Longer drying time but eventually a nice heavy finish that touches up real easy. Tru oil much quicker and easier for nice finish, but I prefer linseed.

 

[NEW222]

Yes, thank you. I was typing it that way but made a correction and apparently lost my train of thought. Good catch.

 

[nkbj]

:2
Lanolin olive oil beeswax... LOOB just don't get any better.

Shoots lubed lead 400-450 grainers in the 24" twist New Englander without leading. It's DIY, messy, sticky, hard to get off your fingers but it works.
Keeps your fouling, lips and fingers soft!
:haha:

 

[fleener]

Yes. I dont use a double boiler when I do it. I use a 4 gallon pot put in a couple of gallons of water and the bees wax. Put it on a turkey cooker burner outside.

Dont take it to a boil. The parts and pieces will also float on top of the water some, but when cool you can usually scrape them off of the bottom of the wax.

Depending on how much manure you have in the wax, you might have to do it a couple of times and change the water.

What I do most now is have a solar wax melter and the wax is perfectly clean when it comes out of there. Very simplistic. google it and you can see them. Just a box, a piece of glass and how ever you want to configure the inside. Works great, but slow.

Fleener

 

[Artificer]

used to be a guy sellin' stock finish on evil-bay made from equal parts beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil. never tried it myself but, a couple of my friends swear by it.

This was the reason why I got with a Bee Keeper at the Virginia State Fair in the late 90’s to get a rather large amount of raw wax. It was so raw, it was and remains a filthy dark charcoal almost black large block with legs, wings, etc., etc. in it. But, not to worry, when melted the dross can be separated.

Others suggested melting the beeswax in a Pyrex Glass container in a Microwave. I used a Pyrex Glass 1 cup measuring cup. It was recommended that it be heated for a minute or less at a time and that worked well to slowly melt a about a half cup of the raw wax. The dross sank to the bottom and I just poured the clean wax off from the top.

I poured some into making the 1:1:1 part stock finish you mentioned. One thing I would not do again is use “regular” BLO one can buy at any hardware store as it has petroleum distillates in it. The second batch I used I got the BLO from an Art/Craft store and I believe that worked better.

I found some documentation this mixture was used on wooden planes and some other wood tools in the 19th century. I imagine it goes back much further than that, but I have not been able to document it earlier.

Gus

 

[Rifleman1776]

used to be a guy sellin' stock finish on evil-bay made from equal parts beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil. never tried it myself but, a couple of my friends swear by it.

It may have been Kramer's. I bought a bunch because Kramer is an Arkansas guy and a friend of a friend. Sorry stuff in my opinion. I do not like :shake: and regretted buying it.

 

[bubba.50]

used to be a guy sellin' stock finish on evil-bay made from equal parts beeswax, turpentine and boiled linseed oil. never tried it myself but, a couple of my friends swear by it.

It may have been Kramer's. I bought a bunch because Kramer is an Arkansas guy and a friend of a friend. Sorry stuff in my opinion. I do not like :shake: and regretted buying it.

like I said, I've never tried it. these days I mostly use various flavors of Watco Danish Oil for stock finish. I save my beeswax for bullet lube.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I've used spray varnish,...tung oil, urethane, spar varnish....and some others....The varnish type finishes wear off with time....I like tung oil...

 

[Zonie]

If a person was only going to use the bees wax for making some sort of patch or bullet lube, why would it be important to get the legs, feet, antenna's and wings out of it?

I mean, it isn't going to be used to eat or to cook food with.

Besides that, by leaving these things in the wax, the next time the shooter is out there using his wax lube at the target range he's got a built in excuse for that wild shot that hit 2 inches outside the tight group.

"Darn bees wings. Another flyer!" :cursing:

:rotf:

 

[coloradoclyde]

:rotf: :thumbsup:

 

[Gary Miller]

Zone your right, but it's not sporting. Leaving the parts would make em fly on a beeline for the bullseye. I ain't one to cheat or tell lies.