90% beeswax, 10% paraffin for burnishing edges

[NeilMott]

Hey all.

I watched a video by leathertoolz on youtube about a small burnishing iron.  While waiting for it to heat up, he talked about how he disliked using 100% beeswax for burnishing because it can be kind of tacky afterwards.  He found a 90% beeswax, 10% paraffin mix that gave a smoother less tacky look.  I can't seem to locate such a mixture and I'd prefer to buy and not try to mix it myself.  Here was the video and the mini-iron he reviews.

Thanks,

Neil

[fredk]

In my wax mixes I use carnauba wax, which does the same job. Better than paraffin wax? I dunno, but carnauba wax is the more traditional wax to use and mixes easier with the bees' wax

Sometimes you just gotta mix it yourself. Its very easy to do

[RockyAussie]

If it helps I just cut off the top of the small aluminium soft drink cans and throw in small chunks of the wax while I melt it with a paint stripping hot air gun blowing down in and onto the sides.

[NeilMott]

I've seen some waxes in pellets... so just buy them in pellets/small pieces and measure it out...  it does sound pretty easy...  beeswax and carnauba wax?  Anything to consider about which type of each wax?  I don't want any fragrances since my wife and I have bad allergies.  White vs yellow beeswax?

Best,

Neil

Edited December 19, 2021 by NeilMott

[Hags]

I've used many variants of beeswax and paraffin. I use a powered burnisher, not an iron, and have come to the conclusion that pure beeswax is best for my uses. After burnishing, I go over it with a piece of canvas and that takes care of any tackiness there may be. I have a small crockpot I bought at goodwill and keep beeswax in it. When I need another chunk I plug it in and after it melts I spoon a small bit into a mold and chuck the last of the used one in the pot. Unplug, let cool, back on the shelf until I need another. I've never noticed any particular odor,  but I'm not allergic so probably dont pay much attention to it.

[Brewerkel]

Carnauba wax has a much higher melting point than beeswax or parafin. It is the main "shine" ingredient in paste shoe polish. 

You should be able to buy Yankee stick wax from shoe parts suppliers. It comes in four colours: neutral, black, dark brown and mid brown. The sticks are triangular like a Toblerone candy bar. Other brands might be available like Holt's but its an American brand I haven't seen for decades. These hard waxes are used to seal and polish sole and heel edges. They aren't sticky like beeswax and have no scent, unlike yellow beeswax. Pure white beeswax has little scent as its sun bleached. Damned pricey stuff though. I prefer carnauba.

 

[NeilMott]

OK, ordering some beeswax and carnauba wax...  What ratio do you prefer?

Great tip about the soft drink can!  Add the wax, then set it in some hot water to melt?

Best,

Neil

[TomE]

I made a firm paste from approximately 1 part beeswax, 3 parts carnauba wax (from Campbell Randall), and about 6 parts pure neatsfoot oil.  I heated the waxes in a boiling water bath and added oil until I had a thick liquid.   It took a while for the carnauba to dissolve.   I use a finger to apply the paste to a dampened edge.  Burnishing with Fiebings Aussie conditioner (applied with a canvas scrap then slicked) produces a similar glossy edge, and I am still evaluating whether or not the carnauba finish is more durable.

[Dwight]

In order to do the wax melt thing . . . go to the salvation army . . . buy a 10 dollar small crock pot . . . bum your mother out of a pint glass jar.

Fill the crock pot half way up with water . . .  turn it on high . . . measure the wax ratios on a scale . . . drop em in the pint jar and the pint jar in the crock pot.

Go watch a football game.  At half time . . . take the jar out . . .  pour the wax mixture in muffin papers in a muffin tin you bought for 50 cents when you got the crock pot.

By the time the game is over . . . the wax will have cooled and  hardened . . . put it up on the shelf and put away the pot and the jar until next time.

EDIT:  Yeah . . . I forgot . . . I use a 50/50 mix of natural beeswax from my beehive . . . and neatsfoot oil.  For my belts, sheaths, holsters, and the other few things I make . . . it is THE perfect product.  I did one time put a tad more wax in by mistake . . . it is a bit harder mixture . . . and I use it for burnishing edges.  Again . . . works great.  Have never seen anything that does a better job . . . both are easy to come by . . . and only need two products on the shelf.

May God bless,

Dwight

Edited January 2, 2022 by Dwight

[fredk]

Waaay too expensive and too much work there Dwight  

I have a microwave oven which is also a grill and convection oven. I put the waxes into a wee ceramic pot (bought for about 20p /25c at a charity/thrift shop) and that into the oven at 100* for 1 hour. The waxes melt together in that time. I lift out of the oven and just set it aside to harden in that pot. I use it from the pot

[NeilMott]

@DwightSo, if I'm guessing correctly, the neatsfoot oil is going to add a bit of the shine like the carnauba wax?  I already have NFO on hand which would be great.  

I mainly make watch straps but would also like to use this for other small goods like coasters and down the road wallets, etc.

I was planning on using that heating iron that I posted originally, and finishing with canvas.

Neil

[fredk]

The nfo doesn't help with the gloss. It helps the wax mix be absorbed into the leather. Without the nfo the wax mix just sits on the top layer of the leather. The carnauba wax gives the shine but its a really hard wax so its mixed with the softer beeswax to make it workable

[Lobo]

For years my preference was a mixture of 50% beeswax and 50% paraffin. I had a lady who made candles mix it for me in her wax melting machine, poured into small muffin-size chunks for use in the shop. Rubbed onto the edges at room temperature, then burnished on a hard felt polishing wheel turning at about 1700 RPM, which quickly builds friction to melt the wax and force it into the exposed edges.

A single 2-ounce "muffin" of wax mixture would easily do a hundred holsters or belts. After dressing the edges on a drum sander, beveling, and dying if needed, the actual burnishing process takes about 2 or 3 minutes per product. The result is a perfect high-gloss edge that is very resistant to wear or abrasion.

Wearing a belt right now made about 12 years ago and finished that way. All edges remain well sealed and presentable. Holster I'm wearing dates to about 2008, still looks and functions just fine.

Caution: Melting waxes will produce vapors that are easily ignited, so mixing the waxes can be dangerous when there are exposed heat sources. It is possible to mix and melt the waxes in containers (heavy duty freezer bags) immersed in a pot of boiling water without generating the flammable vapors. Personally, I provided my candle-making friend with 10 lbs. each of beeswax and paraffin wax, let her do it in her special machine, and paid her a buck per pound for her efforts. 20 lbs. of finished "muffins" gave me all I needed for a decade of production work.

[Dwight]

2 hours ago, NeilMott said:

@DwightSo, if I'm guessing correctly, the neatsfoot oil is going to add a bit of the shine like the carnauba wax?  I already have NFO on hand which would be great.  

I mainly make watch straps but would also like to use this for other small goods like coasters and down the road wallets, etc.

I was planning on using that heating iron that I posted originally, and finishing with canvas.

Neil

Honestly . . .  I don't know the chemistry and so forth of it all.  I just know it works.  

I make holsters . . . belts . . . knife sheaths . . . and I do not wax all of them.  

Those that I do . . . I rub the compound onto the product . . . go over it lightly with my heat gun . . . it melts everthing and it is absorbed into the leather product.  A few light coats of that later . . . and I can take a wash cloth and shine it up right real nice.

May God bless,

Dwight