Beeswax

[BWL]

I was doing a little research today on buying beeswax wholesale; which I was successful. While I was on the website I downloaded a formula for waterproofing leather. The formula read 5 oz. beeswax, .5 oz of tallow and 5 oz. of neatsfoot oil. Together heat all to 160 degree F. This sounds like a good process for waterproofing but, has anyone used this or something like it? If so please tell me what tallow is and where I can get it. Would I be using something like this and not even know?

[radar67]

Tallow is the fat rendered from beef or mutton. If you have ever made lard from a hog, you can do the same with beef. At room temperature, tallow is solid.

[Dwight]

Unless I am mistaken, . . . suet and tallow are pretty much the same product.

You can buy suet any place you can get bird feed seed.

When you do the melting thing, . . . put them all in a jar, . . . put the jar in a crock pot with just enough water to float the jar off the bottom, . . . put on the lid, . . . doesn't take too long, . . .

I make a finishing product using equal weights of beeswax and neatsfoot oil, . . .

May God bless,

Dwight

[HellfireJack]

Suet and tallow are not exactly the same thing. Tallow can be made from suet. If you buy suet you then have to render it and remove all impurities before putting it in your mix. If you don't you can wind up with meat and gristle in your mix which probably isn't the best.

You can buy tallow online but it's probably cheaper to produce yourself. There are how-to/tutorials online on making it.

[oldtimer]

Tallow is the fat surrounding the animals kidneys, and it is not the same as suet. Suet will go rancid , tallow will not.

[BWL]

Thanks for all the GREAT information. Now all I have to find is some tallow. Any ideas?

[HellfireJack]

if you just want to buy it you can find it online or you can check places that sell candle making equipment.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

Look for a product called Sno-Seal. It is beeswax based, and is excellent for water, and snow proofing leather. Yep, there is a difference, you can have boots that are waterproof, but not snow proof due to the snow not having any surface tension like water has.

[oldtimer]

Pure lanoline could be a substitute for tallow as it is very water repallant, and probably easier to find than pure tallow.

[Sovran81]

Pure tallow (except mutton) is readily available on ebay. I lucked out and got 26 pounds for $9. Tallow can be made by boiling any fat on the animal. The best fat to use is from around the kidneys and the best tallow is gotten from mutton.

There are many different formulas for conditioners and waterprooing. Be aware that the 2 are not always the same. Conditioners are designed to maintain a small amount of moisture so the leather doesnt dry rot. Waterproofers are only used on 1 side so the leather can breathe on the other to maintain a certain moisture level by absorbing from the air.

[idlewilder]

One of the old-timers (i think) has actually recommended the formula of 1:1 beeswax to neetsfoot oil (by weight, not volume). No tallow. I can't remember who it was, tho. It might have been posted in a different forum. I either found it while looking through the "how do i do that" forum or when I searched for "bag".

I was doing a little research today on buying beeswax wholesale; which I was successful. While I was on the website I downloaded a formula for waterproofing leather. The formula read 5 oz. beeswax, .5 oz of tallow and 5 oz. of neatsfoot oil. Together heat all to 160 degree F. This sounds like a good process for waterproofing but, has anyone used this or something like it? If so please tell me what tallow is and where I can get it. Would I be using something like this and not even know?

[Bluesman]

One of the old-timers (i think) has actually recommended the formula of 1:1 beeswax to neetsfoot oil (by weight, not volume). No tallow. I can't remember who it was, tho. It might have been posted in a different forum. I either found it while looking through the "how do i do that" forum or when I searched for "bag".

Look up a few posts. That's Dwight's recipe. 50:50 by weight. I tried it and found 1 Pound of beeswax to 3/4 of a quart Neatsfoot oil is about the right mixture. Stays soft enough after heating to allow me to work it ino the leather. If you use to little oil it hardens as soon as you apply it and is very difficult to work.

Jon

[idlewilder]

awkward...

Look up a few posts. That's Dwight's recipe. 50:50 by weight. I tried it and found 1 Pound of beeswax to 3/4 of a quart Neatsfoot oil is about the right mixture. Stays soft enough after heating to allow me to work it ino the leather. If you use to little oil it hardens as soon as you apply it and is very difficult to work.

Jon

[Bluesman]

awkward...

What's awkward?

[idlewilder]

I .. feel awkward because I forgot that Dwight posted his recipe in this thread.

What's awkward?

[Bluesman]

I .. feel awkward because I forgot that Dwight posted his recipe in this thread.

No problem. i just wanted to add a volume way of doing it as well. It's easier for me, I don't have a scale and buy oil by the quart and wax by the pound.

[rcsaddles]

I have obtained tallow fromteh local grocery store that cuts meat. Just ask for tallow and tell them what you want. Most times, they will give it to you. I have made this with Olive Oil instead of Neatsfoot and it works great.

[Sovran81]

@rcsaddles are you sure it was tallow? It was more than likely suet. Tallow is rendered fat. I cant see a butcher processing the fat then giving it away. Suet is a good source to make tallow from unless you happen to have access to mutton fat. I am unsure why mutton is preferred to beef but it is.

For anyone looking for tallow, watch ebay. I bought 22-23 lbs of pure tallow for $9 from a culinary artist. He used it for carvings.