• This community needs YOUR help today. We rely 100% on Supporting Memberships to fund our efforts. With the ever increasing fees of everything, we need help. We need more Supporting Members, today. Please invest back into this community. I will ship a few decals too in addition to all the account perks you get.



    Sign up here: https://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/account/upgrades

Bees wax

Muzzleloading Forum

Help Support Muzzleloading Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
1,132
Reaction score
1,990
Location
Southern Vermont
A local bee keeper sold me a piece of raw pure beeswax. Now what do I do with it? have heard of mixing with olive oil, mink oil, etc to make a patch lube. Are there any other uses? Does anyone have any recipes that they would be willing to share?
thanks, bp
 

Attachments

  • 316371AC-409B-4F91-A4D3-DE64D1395ECC.jpeg
    316371AC-409B-4F91-A4D3-DE64D1395ECC.jpeg
    121.8 KB · Views: 156
  • 71B19902-5EFC-47D4-B3AA-4BC327491CA3.jpeg
    71B19902-5EFC-47D4-B3AA-4BC327491CA3.jpeg
    152.9 KB · Views: 159
I use 20% beeswax and 80% salt free lard for lube. I use a lot of bees wax as a tool lube for drilling in wood and as a bedding compound for barrels. It also is a good mold release agent
 
Nice photo of wax but, the interesting item is ruler, have you lately priced one $$$$ they are now collectable.
Must live a sheltered life. I still use folding rulers of various vintages on a regular basis. Learned some unique measurement techniques using them when I was a kid - creating arcs, setting angles, etc. And as an FYI, believe it was at the local Lowe’s last week that I saw them on the shelf for maybe $15 while I was looking for something else.
1647720232797.jpeg
 
I get beeswax from friend with hives I mix with fresh rendered tallow. I use it for all kinds of stuff from patch lube to lip balm leather conditioner gun grease etc... it's a treasure to me. I make enough to almost fill a quart jar then put some in old kiwi cans for portability. Expirement with ya mixture rates.
 

Attachments

  • 1647726406230563369916836917064.jpg
    1647726406230563369916836917064.jpg
    51 KB · Views: 25
I use beeswax mostly for creating a leather balm. I melt the following products in a double boiler:
Beeswax - 50%
Neetsfoot oil - 35%
Lanolin - 10%
Carnuba wax - 5%

If you want a softer balm add more neetsfoot oil to the mixture. Works great to seal and soften leather and will darken it. I rub it in the leather and heat it a bit with a heat gun (or you can use a hair dryer or just leave it in hot sun for a few minutes). The mixture soaks right into veg tan leather.
 
Must live a sheltered life. I still use folding rulers of various vintages on a regular basis. Learned some unique measurement techniques using them when I was a kid - creating arcs, setting angles, etc. And as an FYI, believe it was at the local Lowe’s last week that I saw them on the shelf for maybe $15 while I was looking for something else.
View attachment 129134
My father who is long dead was a plumber all his adult life. These were the only measuring device he ever used. He was able to span distances between fittings easier with the stiff ruler, and cut his copper tube very accurately. I worked in the trade for over 40 years and cannot remember any other trade who use this type ruler. Now I use this rule in my workshop, and it is a permanent resident of my workbench.
 
Surprised nobody has mentioned making Moose Snot for a patch lube...
2 oz Beeswax
8 oz Castor Oil
1 oz Murphy's Oil Soap

Heat the beeswax in a double boiler until it's a liquid and mix the Castor Oil and Murphy's Oil Soap, let cool, excellent patch lube...If you want it a bit softer, just add more Castor Oil...
 
I use beeswax mostly for creating a leather balm. I melt the following products in a double boiler:
Beeswax - 50%
Neetsfoot oil - 35%
Lanolin - 10%
Carnuba wax - 5%

If you want a softer balm add more neetsfoot oil to the mixture. Works great to seal and soften leather and will darken it. I rub it in the leather and heat it a bit with a heat gun (or you can use a hair dryer or just leave it in hot sun for a few minutes). The mixture soaks right into veg tan leather.

I make a similar mixture though only go to about 25% on the beeswax, but have found that a small amout (roughly 5%) of pine tar (available in the horse section at any feed store) will prevent molding of the leather if you are in a warm/humid environment (anywhere east of the mississippi during the summer!). Your formula got me thinking... and I just realized that the lanolin also has antifungal properties -- good idea!
 
Back
Top