Beeswax and paraffin wax mixture

[Skeeter Lewis]

Pards, when you use the above to burnish edges, do you do any preparatory work with, say, gum tragacanth? Or do you go straight to it?

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

 Howdy Skeeter

   I burnish with water or Gum threaecanth first if doing it by hand,and make sure all my edges are smooth and polished, and then the last thing I do is burnish with my bees wax and and paraffin mix, in some rare cases I have used Tan-Kote after burnishing with the GT, but only when I am having trouble with burnishing the leather, some times the leather just doesn't want to lay down, finishing with Tan-kote and then burnishing with bees wax mix usually takes care of any nap that doesn't want to lay down, at least it has worked well for me, the bees wax mix not only seals the leather, but also gives the edges a professional look for those reading this that aren't aware of what burnishing is for and why.


         tEN wOLVES  

[Skeeter Lewis]

Thanks, 10W. Great post. Do you just apply the Tan Kote or actually burnish with it?

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Thanks, 10W. Great post. Do you just apply the Tan Kote or actually burnish with it?

   Skeet, I just apply the Tan-Kote to the edges with my finger tip, I find I have more control that way, I DON'T burnish with it, when completely dry, I rub the edges down with the bees wax mix, and then burnish, this helps take the overly gloss look away, when done with the T-K, I clean my finger up with alcohol and a paper towel, hope this helps, I have stayed away from using Edge Kote, I just don't care for the look, now I use a large MARKS-ALL permanent ink pen to color the edges for dark colors, then if I use my power burnisher, it won't mess up my wool wheel, and put color into it, but even without the power burnisher, I prefer the pen over Edge Kote. 

[Skeeter Lewis]

Thanks. Great info.

[TN Mongo]

Skeeter,

I still use a bees' wax and paraffin mixture for a final burnish after my project is complete.  I use to use it before I dyed a project, but then I had a problem with my edges taking the dye.

When I burnish before dyeing, I sand the edge, finishing with 600 grit paper.  Then I sometimes can get away with just wetting the edge before burnishing.  I use another method I picked-up from a very talented leather worker who is a regular on another forum.  His method is to wet the edge and then apply a little Fiebing's saddle soap to the edge.  On the burnishing wheel instead of the BW/P mixture, he uses Fiebing's glycerine saddle soap bar.

Since I have been using his method, I haven't had as much of a problem with my edges taking dye.     

[amin ledbetter]

I have been using straight beeswax!

Is this bad?

What does the paraffin wax in the mix do?

Can it be bought already mixed, and if so where?

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

     amin, I make my own as I need it, I use a crock pot to render it down, when it turns to a liquid, I pour it in a cup cake pan, when it cools off, I put it in the freezer, they pop right out when frozen, WC taught me this trick and it works well, you can make it at what ever ratio you want it to be, 50/50, or 2/3 bees to 1/3 paraffin it's a matter of which you like best. I make my thread wax this way to, but use bees wax and pine pitch.

[TN Mongo]

Amin,

I'm afraid of what my wife would do to me if I used her crock pot.  I picked-up a pan at an estate sale for a buck.  That's what I use to melt my wax in.  I use very low heat on the stove and then I pour it into a small loaf pan similar to what TW mentioned.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Amin,

I'm afraid of what my wife would do to me if I used her crock pot.  I picked-up a pan at an estate sale for a buck.  That's what I use to melt my wax in.  I use very low heat on the stove and then I pour it into a small loaf pan similar to what TW mentioned.

  TN Mongo is right about rendering or melting paraffin, I use the crock pot which was a cheap one I bought just for this purpose, the reason for the crock pot, it's the safest way to melt PINE PITCH, pine pitch is VERY FLAMMABLE AND COMBUSTIBLE, and is very dangerous to have around any open flame, but for just melting Bees wax and paraffin, a pot on the stove would be fine, but you can't beat the ease of use you have with the crock pot, and when done it wipes clean with a paper towel, what I like about using a crock pot is you don't have to waste your time standing over the stove waiting for your wax to melt, or having to watch it to make sure it doesn't get too hot, I'm not that fond of the smell either, the crock pot with its lid on helps keep that to a minimum, I can walk away from the crock pot while it's on, and I have nothing to worry about, you can't do that on the stove, I think I paid $12.00 to $14.00 for the one I have, and I just use it for rendering my different mixtures of wax, I keep my pot in my shop, and that's also where I use it, I can be working while it does its thing.

[TN Mongo]

Ten Wolves,

I went to another estate sale today.  Sitting on the counter in the kitchen was a small crock pot for $5.  I now have a crock pot for melting wax!

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

Ten Wolves,

I went to another estate sale today.  Sitting on the counter in the kitchen was a small crock pot for $5.  I now have a crock pot for melting wax!

     Good for you TN, you'll love it, it just makes it all very simple and safe, and frees you up to do more important things, like like like like it's coming to me like like, what ever you want to do

[GunClick Rick]

Like fire fighter training

[Marshal Will Wingam]

TW, I guess the lift out portion of the crock pot is ceramic. I have one but the liner is long gone. It's teflon coated. I wonder if that would work.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

  Will, don't know why it wouldn't, if you can fined a casserole dish that would fit in it, other wise keep your eyes out for  adds, the one I got was so cheap, I couldn't go wrong in buying it, and now it will be used just for blending wax's, and I won't get the old evil eye from the better half.

[Ned Buckshot]

I just saw a small one on sale at Target for 12.99.  Hard to go wrong at that price!

Ned

[Slowhand Bob]

I bought a small one some years ago at one of the drug stores and one of the lines on the box stated "great for travel".  It will handle the largest can of soup I have ever tried to put in it but I have never used it for wax, even though its home is out in the shop.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I just saw a small one on sale at Target for 12.99.  Hard to go wrong at that price!

Ned

     Ned, that's where I got mine, and that sounds like what I paid for it, you can't go wrong for the price.


               tEN

[Marshal Will Wingam]

For 12.99, it isn't worth fiddling around to find something to fit in it.

Thanks, pards.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

For 12.99, it isn't worth fiddling around to find something to fit in it.

Thanks, pards.

   That's the way I looked at too.