Beeswax polish recipe?

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Lesley Hoppy

House Bee
Joined
May 26, 2011
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Location
cheshire
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WBC
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Has anyone got a simple recipe for beeswax polish?
The ones I have found use turps - surely you wouldn't rub turps into your favourite antique table?
 
Maybe the recipe calls for wood turpentine, made from pine resin?
 
proper turps (not substitute) sounds right
 
I recently made beeswax polish from Paul Peacock's book, "Keeping Bees" - it was the simplest recipe I could find, just beeswax and turpentine.
I was a bit nervous about the recommended amount of turpentine, and used a bit less. The polish turned out a bit "sticky" but is great - will put the correct amount of turpentine in next time...
 
I made car polish from carnauba Wax a long time ago, it worked better as a clear shoe polish, what a shine, I think I mixed it with pine oil and white spirits :auto:
 
Thanks everyone - will go ahead and try it....
I just felt nervous about putting something that I use to clean paint brushes onto my antique wood!
 
putting something that I use to clean paint brushes onto my antique wood!

Yikes! Turpentine is far too expensive for cleaning paint brushes. Likely far cheaper to buy new brushes!!
 
... the crisp 'shell' on Galaxy Minstrels? That's Carnauba Wax.

And jelly beans

and "waxed" lemons....


it is also the first wax I reach for when formulating Car / Boat / Caravan polishes, but always less than 0.5 % w/w otherwise it's a b*gger to get good flow out and no ghosting......

it can also be added to furniture polishes, to give a harder finish and better depth of gloss than straight beeswax alone would give

:bigear:
 
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If you want to make it without using terps.Try using 1 part bees wax and 3 parts olive oil, You can also add a few drops scent, say lavinder oil if you want but not nessasary. Have used it on oak furniture that we produce and it works a treat. Not a long shelf though. I believe other oils will improve shelf life.
 
one more tip, if you do use a formula / recipe containing turps (genuine or turps substitute), do NOT heat it over an open flame (gas cooker etc)....

use something on the lines of a bain-marie, either using boiling water or heat over an electric element (carefully)......

as the solvent heats it will give off pungent, flammable vapours (hence no naked flames), plenty of ventillation is an absolute must!
 
Careful, was given some by another beekeeper in a plastic tub, it melted the tub over a couple of months and leaked everywhere.....suggest you use glass jars!
E
 
I made two kinds off your stickies pete. An expensive one with turpentine spirit an acrnauba an wax and a cheap one with substitute. I put linseed oil in both of them.
 

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