Identifying Beeswax

[MN91311]

I have a 2 pound block of a light yellow wax I picked up at a garage sale. It is still in the plastic wrapper, sealed. How can I find out if it is beeswax or just common regular wax, like paraffin, etc ? It is a lot of wax, and has lots of uses if it is the real stuff.

Is there any other wax that is commonly sold as pale yellow, transparent-wrapped wax ???

Is candle wax sold like this already colored ?

[ryan28]

If it smells like honey, it ain't paraffin.

[Cmm_3940]

I have several 1 pound bricks of beeswax in plastic wrap on a shelf in my reloading room. It smells like honey whenever I walk by.

[Tar Heel]

If it looks like this, it's probably not bees wax.

Attachment 114737

[fryboy]

hmmm interesting question , beeswax may not always smell like honey ,depends upon how much it's been refined , it does have a "tackier" feel than paraffin ( eg; unless a special blend of paraffin it has more "grab" )
color doesnt really help either as paraffin can easily be dyed and beeswax can be bleached ( by chemical process or natural means )
at room temp beeswax is usually more pliable than paraffin
paraffin also has more soot than beeswax ( eg; beeswax burns cleaner )

now for a monkey wrench ....( or few ) various vegetable waxes are yellow tinted/tinged , and while most usually have lower melt temps modifiers can change many "normal" characteristics of any wax
soy wax is a possibility, and it seems to more common lately ,best i can state is it has a silkier feel than either of the above
there's also palm wax
and carnuba but by it's self it's perhaps the brittlest of the bunch

not much help i know ermm i mean clear as mud huh ? :P

[randyrat]

Beeswax engulfs other waxes and oils so it is tough to tell if it is pure. Mix it 50/50 with ,for sure, beeswax and use it as though it is real. Just make sure it has no chemical odors if you use it for cosmetics.
Melt a little sliver of it and smell. Chemical odors will come out when it is warm if it is contaminated.

Bee good

[John Boy]

Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 to 64 °C (144 to 147 °F). If beeswax is heated above 85 °C (185 °F) discoloration occurs. The flash point of beeswax is 204.4 °C (400 °F).^[9] Density at 15 °C is 958 to 970 kg/m³.
Natural beeswax:^[10] "When cold it is brittle; at ordinary temperatures it is tenacious; its fracture is dry and granular. The sp. gr. at 15°[C] is from 0.958 to 0.975, that of melted wax at 98° – 99° compared with water at 15.5° is 0.822. It softens when held in the hand, and melts at 62° – 66°; it solidifies at 60.5° – 63°[C]."