Beeswax

[utah leather]

I have beeswax that I made 50/50 with neatsfoot oil, but I want to take a small part of that and make it a lot softer . What do I add to it to make it a lot softer ?

[Dwight]

More oil.

[utah leather]

7 minutes ago, Dwight said:

More oil.

tried that, it made it harder, I melted the beeswax then I just poured in some neatsfoot oil stirred it up on the stove , poured it into some aluminum foil lined little bread tins and let it sit over night, it turned out hard . I'm making this small batch so I can stick my screws in it before I make something, ( it stops the squeeks ) lol.                 I haven't been on here for a while ( been working around the house ) haven't had any sales for along time, I need to find a new way to advertise.                                                                                                                                                  How have you been my friend ? Whats new in your little world  ?

Edited January 16, 2019 by utah leather

[zuludog]

As you've been doing, but use linseed oil

[Dwight]

8 hours ago, utah leather said:

tried that, it made it harder, I melted the beeswax then I just poured in some neatsfoot oil stirred it up on the stove , poured it into some aluminum foil lined little bread tins and let it sit over night, it turned out hard . I'm making this small batch so I can stick my screws in it before I make something, ( it stops the squeeks ) lol.                 I haven't been on here for a while ( been working around the house ) haven't had any sales for along time, I need to find a new way to advertise.                                                                                                                                                  How have you been my friend ? Whats new in your little world  ?

Well hmmmm, . . . I make a concoction of 50% beeswax and 50% neatsfoot oil (use the real oil, . . . not that compound stuff), . . . and I do it by weight.  I actually weigh the amount of beeswax I've got in "this little bag", . . . then add an equal amount of neatsfoot oil.

I put em in a quart jar, . . . set the quart jar in a little crock pot I keep just for that job . . . come back some time later, . . . it's all mixed together.  When I've made it and it was kind of soft and squishy, . . . it seemed like I'd used more oil, . . . maybe not.  

Put it back in the cooker and try more wax, . . . see what happens.  

Personally, . . . I love the look I get from it, . . . used it on my own personal cowboy rig, . . . and I just chuckle when I see it.  One of my favorites.

Not much new here, . . . doing a few holsters and a knife sheath at the moment, . . . had to shut down long enough to build a snow blade rig for my quad, . . . needed something to keep the snow off the parking lot and driveway.

I shut down my website, . . . going to re-do the whole thing or scrap it, . . . have not made up my mind yet.  Wife wants me to shut down and retire, . . . and that is an option at least.

If you decide to put up a website, . . . Go Daddy is pretty easy to use, . . . and they have always been friendly and treated me right.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

[alpha2]

I used beeswax, neatsfoot oil, and glycerin, based on some recipes I found here on the forum. Played with it until I got it where I liked it. 

Jeff

[YinTx]

I've read that you have to get up to 75% neatsfoot 25% beeswax before it starts to get to a soft stage, so take a small bit, keep adding oil until you are happy.  Then, you have a recipe to do a larger batch.

YinTx

[js2rt]

For my cutting boards and wood bowls I start with 4 parts mineral oil an 1 part beeswax then add either more oil if I want it softer ow wax if I want it harder. I agree with the posters above that you need to add more oil. If it gets too soft you can always add more wax. 

[utah leather]

9 hours ago, Dwight said:

Well hmmmm, . . . I make a concoction of 50% beeswax and 50% neatsfoot oil (use the real oil, . . . not that compound stuff), . . . and I do it by weight.  I actually weigh the amount of beeswax I've got in "this little bag", . . . then add an equal amount of neatsfoot oil.

I put em in a quart jar, . . . set the quart jar in a little crock pot I keep just for that job . . . come back some time later, . . . it's all mixed together.  When I've made it and it was kind of soft and squishy, . . . it seemed like I'd used more oil, . . . maybe not.  

Put it back in the cooker and try more wax, . . . see what happens.  

Personally, . . . I love the look I get from it, . . . used it on my own personal cowboy rig, . . . and I just chuckle when I see it.  One of my favorites.

Not much new here, . . . doing a few holsters and a knife sheath at the moment, . . . had to shut down long enough to build a snow blade rig for my quad, . . . needed something to keep the snow off the parking lot and driveway.

I shut down my website, . . . going to re-do the whole thing or scrap it, . . . have not made up my mind yet.  Wife wants me to shut down and retire, . . . and that is an option at least.

If you decide to put up a website, . . . Go Daddy is pretty easy to use, . . . and they have always been friendly and treated me right.

May God bless,

Dwight

 

did you have a lot of business from your web site ? My brother told me about that site and I looked into it but I don't remember why I didn't choose it, I guess I need to spend more time on advertising ( I would sure love to work from home making my belts instead of installing granite countertops, thats what I do for a living right now ) 

[Dwight]

3 hours ago, utah leather said:

did you have a lot of business from your web site ? My brother told me about that site and I looked into it but I don't remember why I didn't choose it, I guess I need to spend more time on advertising ( I would sure love to work from home making my belts instead of installing granite countertops, thats what I do for a living right now ) 

I had the website up for something near 10 years, . . . and in all actuality, . . . it more than paid for itself.  

What I liked about it, most of all, . . . I could put examples on there, . . . especially my own creation of IWB that is totally tuckable, . . . I've never been made with it and I've worn it all sorts of places.

Would I suggest you fix one up?  Yes, . . . it is a good advertising tool, . . . and in today's commercial world, if you don't have a website, . . . well you are just the "trailer trash" of the commercial world.  There are lots of places where you can get it done, . . . I did my own, . . . my way, . . . which is kind of my  thing.

Best wishes which ever way you go.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited January 17, 2019 by Dwight

[CelticPrint]

I've been making a lot of random blends and find with bees wax you don't need much, I've used as little as 15% by weight and still had it too solid at room temperature. A digital scale and small test batches helped me hone in on which oil blends needed what amount of wax.

edit/add : I also find with some oils you have to stir it a few times as it cools down to keep it homogeneous, one blend I didn't mix as it cooled and the wax crystallize into tiny beads in the oil.

Edited January 17, 2019 by CelticPrint

[utah leather]

On 1/16/2019 at 8:17 PM, Dwight said:

I had the website up for something near 10 years, . . . and in all actuality, . . . it more than paid for itself.  

What I liked about it, most of all, . . . I could put examples on there, . . . especially my own creation of IWB that is totally tuckable, . . . I've never been made with it and I've worn it all sorts of places.

Would I suggest you fix one up?  Yes, . . . it is a good advertising tool, . . . and in today's commercial world, if you don't have a website, . . . well you are just the "trailer trash" of the commercial world.  There are lots of places where you can get it done, . . . I did my own, . . . my way, . . . which is kind of my  thing.

Best wishes which ever way you go.

May God bless,

Dwight

Thanks buddy, I am looking into it right now, I will let you know how things turn out .

[utah leather]

On 1/16/2019 at 7:32 AM, alpha2 said:

I used beeswax, neatsfoot oil, and glycerin, based on some recipes I found here on the forum. Played with it until I got it where I liked it. 

Jeff

I see you make dog collars what type of finish do you use ? do you put anything on the back side ?

[NVLeatherWorx]

On 1/15/2019 at 8:32 PM, utah leather said:

I have beeswax that I made 50/50 with neatsfoot oil, but I want to take a small part of that and make it a lot softer . What do I add to it to make it a lot softer ?

I make my blend with Beeswax, Pure Neatfoot Oil, and Cocoa Butter; the portions are where the difference is and those I don't share too openly as we all have our own perspective of what feel we want.  I must say that although my leather conditioner sets up very firm, once you get some heat on it (even from your finger) it turns into a smooth cream that you can easily apply where you need it.  It also sets in a bit faster and can be buffed out a bit sooner than some other blends that I have made in the past.  I don't go too low on the percentage of Beeswax because that is the ONLY water repelling ingredient that is in the mix and if it is too low you won't get any benefit from it being in the blend.  I go no less than 25% on the Beeswax and I can sit at a show with a piece of scrap leather that I treat right in front of a customer and then put a hefty drop of water on it to show how it works.  I have left that drop of water on the treated leather for up to 6 hours before you could see any potential change in the protection; this goes a very long way when a customer asks what the benefit of your conditioner is over that of others or store bought versions.  Reality is that unless you leave your leather goods out in pouring rain or cover it with snow it will never be exposed to water as long as do on my demonstrations.  And, during the demonstrations once you see any change in the surface, just wipe it off and let it set for about 30 minutes then add a light application and buff out for a beautiful unchanged look.

There are those who use Olive Oil, and it is understandable why as it is a good conditioner, but as with all other vegetable/plant based oils it will go rancid and it will attract critters of the unwanted kind; bottom line is that is still a food product regardless of how it is refined.  Some say the same about Cocoa Butter but even though you can eat it in its raw form (which is what I use in my blend) it isn't a food grade product that goes rancid and is one of the most widely used natural fats in the cosmetic industry; it is found in may facial creams, lip balm, soaps, etc. and is so widely used because it doesn't spoil like some other natural ingredients do that are used in these products.

[alpha2]

3 hours ago, utah leather said:

I see you make dog collars what type of finish do you use ? do you put anything on the back side ?

I finish with three light coats of Resolene.

[utah leather]

5 hours ago, alpha2 said:

I finish with three light coats of Resolene.

front and back ?  I have a dog groomer down the street that told me I should make some and she would try to sell themand that sounded fine until Istared thinking about the back of it and it getting wet from the dog being in the rain or something then Ithought it would turn gross and start to smell then people wouldn't  buy them, how is your luck with dog collars ? 

[Dwight]

I haven't made many, . . . but I resolene mine as well, . . . no complaints yet.

May God bless,

Dwight

[glamb]

Check this out on you tube. DIY Waterproofing Compound for Canvas Tarp. aka Waxed Canvas