SReynolds Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Visiting a smith recently at a historical site and he only had bees wax in a can. Hard bees wax. In a can. I wasn't sure what to do with that, outside of peeling the tin can away. He apparently uses Burt's Bees hand salve. So I tried that. I guess it's ok. But real oily. It contains six (or seven?) oils along with other greases, bees wax and flavorings. Anyone tired that? Not something I'd peruse as the cost is quite high. And oily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Its real good for keeping the hands from cracking in the winter. Also really good for sunburn! Takes away the burn in record time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jducharme Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 pretty good stuff, I use it for cracking hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted September 15, 2016 Author Share Posted September 15, 2016 I have several cans. I generally only use it in winter, yes. Oily. Very oily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kozzy Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 I just checked the ingredient list and the oil choices aren't bad. Usually these things use the cheapest types of oil which are poorly compatible with human skin so absorb poorly. The problem is they use mostly almond and olive oil with the beeswax coming third and some incidental oils trailing the pack. That would tend to make it greasy. I suspect that's because the bee's wax is the most expensive ingredient in the mix. A loose product also makes it easier for automatic filling machines to handle. It's VERY easy to make your own version by melting bees wax and drizzling a little oil in (stirring until it firms up). That way you can use less oil to make it the way you prefer and avoid the greasy feeling. You can also choose a scent which pleases you as some lotions have too much of a foo-foo scent for me to tolerate. If you want to go further, you can use a stick blender to whip the mixture into more of a lotion than a paste. My wife used to make all her own stuff like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 SReynolds, I don't know the situation you were dealing with there but why not melt the bees wax and after its melted add in some turpentine and boiled linseed oil? I just made a new batch Tuesday. It's 1part bees wax to 1/2 part turpentine and 1/2 part boiled linseed oil. Better to make it in a junky pot on electric heat. I usually pour it in a cookie tin with a lid and let it cool in room temp. Seems to last a while. Good on forged stuff. Doubt it's very good on the hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Das, Are you using a turpentine based salve for skin application? I suspect that turpentine is not the best substance for skin. Some organic solvents can be absorbed through the skin into the blood stream. For example formaldehyde. I am not certain that turpentine is so absorbed. But it's worth a look. O.S.H.A. would probably have that information, at their website. I'm in the middle of something, or I would look it up. Sorry about that. A "cheap" compounding and heating set-up could be a used can, that food came in. placed in a double boiler. container with water. The ingredients would be placed in the can. (That way the ingredients would not catch fire.). SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Slag, no not on hands. OP sounded to me like the smith was using burts bees on forged items? But had a can with hard beeswax. SReynolds, is that what the OP was about or am I misunderstanding? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 I thought about using the hand salve on a project when I had a deadline and was out of beeswax. I also considered using chapstick, because, again, I had some by Burts Bees and it seemed like mostly beeswax. It would work, but it wouldn't be cost effective. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Das, OOOPPPSS! Sorry! I misunderstood. Regards, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 You're giving me some ideas for what to do with the beeswax I got out of the bee tree I robbed last week.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 No worries Slag. yeah not using turpentine and boiled linseed oil as skin moisturizers. Haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Das, Turpentine is insecticidal, anti-bacterial, AND, anti-people. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Oil of Olay puts a nice sheen on metalwork. Just don't let my wife know I told you. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted September 15, 2016 Share Posted September 15, 2016 Pledge spray furniture wax makes a convenient fast inexpensive metal finish. Lemon Pledge smells nice too. Burt's Bees has been popular here for some time and works pretty well if you need heavy duty skin lubing. The tiniest touch with a fingertip will coat your hands nicely without lubing everything you touch till you wash it off. A bit of lanolin to soften it and bees wax makes a good hand conditioner. It doesn't have to be soft like shoe polish you can rub a bar of straight bees wax in your hands and work it around. A little lanolin and it rubs off on your hands much more easily and does a better job of healing them up. I've never thought of using Bert's Bees to finish metal work, probably won't, too expensive and my can of Trewax is still going strong. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SReynolds Posted September 16, 2016 Author Share Posted September 16, 2016 I was smithing that day. At a historical village with visitors, during a special event. I was a guest at the forge. Not my home-based historical shop, mind you. I was not there to experiment with making my own finishing agent. I'd like to, though. However, that said, he had bees wax inside a tin. I don't know why. I mean, why inside a tin-can???? You can guy it in cake form. I mean; everybody knows that. I told him I wanted it removed. So I could use it. But you don't simply go to another mans operation and start taking stuff apart. Well, I **have** , but it was to rid his forge blower of the mess of duct tape and bale wire wrapped about his blower to secure the flex pipe to it. Anyhow, what was I saying? ...................so yeah. I'm respectful of what others do. Even to the point of not correcting then when they do something wrong or the hard way. I like to "suggest" another method and allow the Smith to decide,. So he hands me the tin of burts bees salve. I used it as it is very soft. Like warm butter. I seriously doubt I'd ever make my own finish. It is far too easy to simply grab-up a can of Johnson's Paste Wax. It has everything in it folks want to custom mix and it is available most anywhere. Sounds like fun to mix up your own. I have been intrigued by that. I don't understand what Japan Dryer is but I don't have time to mix up a batch of finish when somebody else already done it. And put it inside a convenient can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 I think a lot of people overthink what wax you can use on ironwork- you can literally use any kind of wax, floor wax, candle wax, i have used crayons as well. Some waxes are stickier than others, i use renaissance wax on iron because it gives a really nice finish you can buff, i find beeswax can be a bit sticky. I love burts bees stuff for using on the hands, any of their products are great!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted September 17, 2016 Share Posted September 17, 2016 As a former professional finisher, I want to add a note of caution about Pledge and similar products. If you ever want to use paint of varnish finishes on a piece, be aware that any contamination of the surfaces with Pledge is very likely to create ideal conditions for the dreaded FISHEYE!!! I have endured several long drawn out struggles with furniture finishes presumably resulting from such applications! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 16 hours ago, bigfootnampa said: As a former professional finisher, I want to add a note of caution about Pledge and similar products. If you ever want to use paint of varnish finishes on a piece, be aware that any contamination of the surfaces with Pledge is very likely to create ideal conditions for the dreaded FISHEYE!!! I have endured several long drawn out struggles with furniture finishes presumably resulting from such applications! Entirely agree with this. Pledge and similar products are essentially silicone, propellant, and fragrance; they make the surface look wet, but (A) the finish doesn't last and (B) the residue will mess up any subsequent finish you try to put on the piece. A wax-based finish, on the other hand, comes off easily with a paper towel and a bit of mineral spirits. 16 hours ago, tzonoqua said: I think a lot of people overthink what wax you can use on ironwork- you can literally use any kind of wax, floor wax, candle wax, i have used crayons as well. Some waxes are stickier than others, i use renaissance wax on iron because it gives a really nice finish you can buff, i find beeswax can be a bit sticky. Very true. Different waxes have different hardnesses (carnuba is extremely hard; earwax, extremely soft), so you'll get different degrees of gloss once you've buffed off the excess wax.In the art restoration studio, we used to use black shoe polish all the time, and not just on ironwork. Anything with a carved pattern would hold a bit of the wax at the bottom of the recesses, emphasizing them and making the overall design stand out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tzonoqua Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 haha, JHCC I like that you've included earwax as an option. Who does that??? Think I'll leave that one to the more adventurous. One of my other fav waxes to use for a dark colour is a coloured floor wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 19 minutes ago, tzonoqua said: haha, JHCC I like that you've included earwax as an option. Who does that??? Think I'll leave that one to the more adventurous. I can neither confirm nor deny that I had a curious mind in my misspent youth. 19 minutes ago, tzonoqua said: One of my other fav waxes to use for a dark colour is a coloured floor wax. I'm a big fan of Minwax Special Dark paste wax. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PapaDooks Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 On 9/19/2016 at 0:34 AM, JHCC said: Very true. Different waxes have different hardnesses (carnuba is extremely hard; earwax, extremely soft), cool. now i have a use for that excess ear wax i seem to have now as i get older Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Theophilus mentions using earwax to shine up an enamel IIRC (Divers Arts, 1120 AD, in the Germanys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 How much wax do bee's ears have? Hmmmmmm. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Has anyone heated up ear wax? I suspect that it will give off a foul smell. Why? Because the wax is not solely wax. It is a complex mixture of wax, water and protein. It even has immune system anti-bodies in it. (to fight off infectious micro-organisms, such as bacteria, yeasts, etc.) The sulfur containing proteins will smell. (methionine, cysteine, & cystine). The smell would probably resemble that of burning hair. And where can we collect enough ear wax to use? SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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