Sprayable Wax - does it exist?

[awemawson]

I've been doing a bit of woodwork recently, using among other tools my Planer / Thicknesser which is part of my Dominion Elliot combination woodworking machine.

Experiencing feed issues I realised that the lower table that wood slides on had a slight haze of rust from infrequent use. Now I use Silber Wax usually on woodworking machines but it does mark the timber.

I'd spotted a Beeswax Spray in the domestic stores - ideal I thought, a light beeswaxing and the spray should carry into the bits I cannot reach.

. . . this morning I took a look, and there was significant RUST where I'd sprayed 

There must be a load of water in the aerosol spray 

So, a good idea that went wrong but there must be a non-water-loaded wax spray - anyone know of one?

[sparky961]

You can dissolve beeswax into many solvents. Laqueur thinner comes to mind, but some less volatile might work too.

[chipenter]

Our machinist used paraffin and oil mixture 50 50 , for lube and rust preventive .

[awemawson]

A bit of googling suggests dissolving beeswax in genuine turpentine, so I've ordered some from that amazing department store eBay 

[edward]

would waxoyl or another car type wax work? I've an aerosol 'cavity wax' that I used on the car and also use on cycle parts. ACF50 might also work, I use that on the inside of steel bike frames and it seems to protect them.

[Pete.]

Is it turpentine that you have to be careful that it doesn't spontaneously combust if you throw a load of rags with it on in the bin?

[awemawson]

It has been known !

Painters overalls were a major safety concern when I owned some launderettes. Even having been washed they were a hazard if dried in a tumble drier and left warm over night. Strict condition from the insurers was that they were removed to cool before staff left for the evening 

Linseed oil is another problem, again painters overalls !


(we did have a major fire, but not from that cause)

[krv3000]

hi yes spray wax is out there 

[awemawson]

OK I've received a gallon of genuine Turpentine and a kilo of Beeswax so the experiment begins:

My hand spray bottles are 500 ml, so 500 ml of the Turpentine into a Pyrex flask but how much Beeswax will dissolve into it I weighed out 100 gms of Beeswax into another flask and started adding it slowly and stirring - it seems it's going to be a slow process.

No doubt a bit of heat would help, but Turpentine is very inflammable so maybe not too clever an idea 

I'll leave it for a few hours and if things aren't happening I'll put the bigger flask in a bowl of warm water.

[awemawson]

So time passes - like watching paint dry - a slow process.

Added a little heat in the form of a bowl of hot water, and continued adding the lentils of Beeswax and stirring it whenever I walked past. So far 25 grams are pretty well dissolved in the 500 ml of Turps - there are still one or two floaters of partial lentils.

I'll leave it in the bowl over night - no doubt the water will cool, so it may start to settle out of solution - at the moment the viscosity is OK for the hand pump spray bottle but when it cools it may need a bit more Turps adding - I hope not as I want to be able to leave a decent wax deposit on the machinery when the Turpentine evaporates.

[awemawson]

Surprisingly after supper I found that the water had cooled and the dissolving of the wax pellets was pretty well finished 

So I decided to filter it through a paint spraying filter, put it in the hand spray bottle and have a go at the machine table. A light coat of the wax solution and a gentle scotchbriting brought the table back to life - cleaned it off, gave it another spray, wiped it down and we'll see how the Turps evaporates overnight before I attack the rest of the machine

[awemawson]

All this has encouraged me to at last sort out my extraction plumbing and make a simple box to extract from the thicknesser and rip saw when in use - by golly they kick out loads of wood plannings 

In celebration I put another 25 grams of Beeswax in 500 ml of Turpentine to leave over night and soak - maybe all that warming and agitation isn't needed

[PekkaNF]

It dissolves pretty slow without heating, but if you give it a shake couple times a day it will dissolve in couple of days.

Pekka

[sparky961]

Have you considered heating up the beeswax to liquid and pouring that into the Turpentine?  I don't know if it would just solidify immediately, or go into solution better.  It's something to try though.   Any idea how the flashpoints compare?  I think beeswax is fairly low, but higher than paraffin.

Setting up a double boiler over electric heat should be fairly safe.  Maybe use a hot plate outside to add some insurance.

I'm interested to see what sort of film/residue you ended up with after the turpentine evaporates.

[sparky961]

One more thing: Don't you have any apiaries nearby?  That mylar space package of beeswax looks expensive!  Find a local honey producer and ask them about a couple kilos of bulk wax.

[awemawson]

The wax wasn't a major expense, it's the genuine Turpentine that's expensive.  £38 for a gallon inc postage. But a gallon will probably last me out.

Watching videos of Beeswax furniture polish being made they add molten wax to a mixture of Turps and boiled linseed oil in a 1:1:1 ratio. The wax coagulates then they leave it for a few weeks on a sunny window cill  and it turns into a soft paste.

The smell of my spray stuff is superb 

[awemawson]

Sparky,

The Turps has nicely evaporated on the machine bed over night, and the wax residue is nice and firm, giving that squeaky  feeling as you rub your fingers over it.

I tried scraping with a sharp wood chisel to see what sort of deposit was left, and apart from where I'd missed bits in the wiping process there was no perceptible wax coming off, (so probably a few tens or hundreds of molecules thick ) but I'm convinced it'll do the trick.

As a test I put a bit of water on the table and as expected it balls up with no wetting at all.

The beaker of extra Turps & Beeswax is slowly dissolving at room temperature and only the occasional stir 

[PekkaNF]

Just turn upside down every now and then - it will be rady when you need. Bain-marie is only needed if you need to speed things up - or you are cooking hide glue (shudder).

I keep this sort of stuff in glass jars, stored upside down. Counter intuitive, but if there is even one componenet that will set in atmosphere the lid would glue up and there would be a skin in the jar.

Being eternal optimist, this sort of jars are stored in plastic tubs....I'm affraid cap seal leanking, that has never happened, but I have bumped down and crashed glass jar on the floor....makes interesting cleaning if it has any solvent and vax an/or linseedoil and the usual stuff.

Pekka

[awemawson]

Not a good idea Pekka - it's in a flask only covered with kitchen foil 

[PekkaNF]

You should get a jar of pickles....good to eat, then easy to put lid/jar onto dishwasher, label and then fill with your favorite flakes.

Beeswax probably does not oxidate  to hard residue, but when you decide with finishes you will find out that it makes pretty good glue. Linseed oil hardens to pretty tight.

Pekka

[howsitwork?]

Watching this with interest folks as I have used Waxolit which is a German table wax and brilliant. It seems to ave fine aluminium flakes in it but protects and lubriscates well. That’s just as well considering the mortgage needed to buy it in the first place bu5 it sure goes a long way.

The beeswax idea just appeals,to the cook in me . I know lots of dishes that use honey. M8nd you I quite enjoy just chewing a bit of comb if I get the chance.

Keep us updated on surface resistance etc Andrew please.

Regards Ian

[awemawson]

I am well impressed with this stuff 

It is leaving a very nice thin waxed surface. Previously I've been using Silber Gleit  which is supposedly the bees knees, but I find that it's not too good at stopping surface rust unless it's put on really thickly, in which case it dries leaving lumps. I've now cleared all the Silber Gleit off and waxed it.

Having need just now to get a definite measurement for my Ripsaw spindle (1.25" / 31.75 mm) as I'm buying new blades I undid the large left handed nut that holds the 500 mm blade on, and promptly dropped it into the cowl that leads to the dust extractor 

Despite many contortions I couldn't reach it - so saw off / dust cover off / cowl off and eventually found it 6" up the extractor hose !

BUT, having got in so far it revealed a large compaction of sawdust round the elevating mechanism that must predate when I wired the extractor to come on with the saw, and my builder was using the machine on my house rebuild and he didn't always remember to turn it on manually. Clearing it all out let me spray my magic Beeswax on the sliding surfaces of the rise and fall table, and the spiral bevel gears of the height adjusting mechanism, all of which now work so much more smoothly.

[vtsteam]

The latest best anti-rust stuff for car undercoating here in Vermont, where salt on roads in winter does huge damage to auto underbodies is called FluidFilm. And it works! I spray some on every Fall.

I know Andrew you would probably prefer wax for woodworking table surfaces, in order not to mark wood, but elsewhere, this stuff is amazing.

Now, I know you have the ingredients to formulate this stuff at hand, Andrew, and in true Madmodder fashion I expect to see you producing your own DIY FluidFilm.

What is it? Lanolin and bit of finely chopped wool! The lanolin penetrates everything, the wool holds it in place. And your car or truck smells like a lamb chop when the exhaust first heats up for a day or so.

 

[awemawson]

Steve, pure lanolin has been used for years to fight rust and as a water proofer. After all the sheep are out in all weathers and (usually) survive !

Bradford in Yorkshire was a major centre for Woollen cloth production from the beginning of the industrial revolution. Lots of lanolin was released by the processing, and was commercially extracted from the sewer water !

Somehow in this Ecco conscious age I doubt it still happens.

[SwarfnStuff]

Yup Andrew,
      Never seen a rusty sheep yet.   
  Although here in Australia specially outback they can look rusty. Red dust, red dust and more red dust at times.
      Wool scouring plants don't usually suffer from rust either as protected by the lanolin. Pretty sure they have to extract it for environmental reasons now but it seems we ship the greasy wool to the likes of China and buy it back again. (Progress??)

  I grew up in the country areas but never on a farm except to visit for holidays etc.
  City dweller now (sigh). Still, essential services like Dr. Hospital are a lot closer when you need em!
John B