Who Does The Hot Wax Dip Thing?

[Red Cent]

New to me. I am told that one can get a really stiff holster/leather thing when the product is dipped in pure liquid beeswax. The old crock pot seems to be the trick. Same method as Vinagroon. Hold it under until it stops bubbling. Hang and let dry.

'Fess up.

[whipstitchwallets]

don't they do that to treat arthritis in peoples' hands?

[Red Cent]

Yes, they do indeed. But I had not heard of it being applied to leather. I was told a crock pot full of molten beeswax will last a very long time. I envisioned this waxy mess when pulled from the bubbling cauldron, but, supposedly, the beeswax permeates the leather and little residue remains on the exterior.

From the response, it seems no one practices in this part of leather art. Off to the internet.

[SilverBear]

http://leatherworker.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=9099&view=&hl=&fromsearch=1 this thread has a lot of good info and links. Also search cure boilled not spelled right but I can get it past auto correct there are a lot of threads about it everything from armor to mugs and flasks.

[cgleathercraft]

I made a mug a while back and slowly worked in beeswax by heating the leather in the oven at a low temp. Working the wax in from grain side till it soaked all the way though. Made it pretty solid as i couldn't compress the sides of the mug at all (think squeezing a pop can). Sure wouldn't want to get hit on the head with it! I've seen some videos on youtube of dipping knife sheaths in paraffin wax. don't see why it wouldn't work with a holster and beeswax.

FYI used a little more than half a pound of wax to completely penetrate all the way. Mug is approximately 8 inches tall and made form 8/9 oz shoulder.

[ChuckBurrows]

It's the heat that hardens the leather - the wax just adds water resistance - the down side is the wax melts at a high heat and you can easily ruin a finished piece and and on a hot day the wax can ooze..just use the cuir bouilli aka boiled leather method of water and heat, much safer and you're not dealing with hot wax that can act like napalm on skin.......

[Neillo]

I've used the wax immersion and also painting hot wax onto leather goods; wouldn't recommend painting it on, but dipping is pretty effective as long as you have a big enough container to dip the whole item in at once, also washing the container afterward is a real pain so make sure it's something you're willing to sacrifice.

I used a glass oven dish and it worked for smaller items, heating it up in the oven and dipping for about a second (didn't want to harden the leather) and letting it dry. I used a hairdryer (this was before I had a heat gun) to melt off some excess wax and buffed the rest off with a rag. The process left me with a nice satin sheen, very stain resistant finish that i would definitely use again on a item that is going to see a lot of water contact or brief immersion. If you edge the item before you dip it, it can make slicking a breeze too, but it won't necessarily look as good as the full edging methods some of us use (your mileage may vary)

The main reason I tried the process was for knife sheaths and a belt for a hunter, he sometimes goes wading in pursuit of boars and such and wanted something that could withstand those terrors without getting destroyed or moldy; he seemed very happy with it!

Also, a word of warning: make sure the leather is dry before you dip it in hot wax, unless you want to ruin the piece!

Edited May 28, 2014 by Neillo