Antique beeswax? 🐝

[JKH]

Hey guys!

I was lawnsaling with my wife a few weeks ago and found a good sized chunk of beeswax, a little over two thirds of a pint, how do I know that you might ask? Because, it was in an old timey one pint wax paper ice cream Carton 🙂

I got got it for free, which is always cool, but here is the kicker, it's from 1932! Will this still be any good to make pan lube with?

Thanks for any insight.

Jeff

[runfiverun]

yep it'll still be bees wax.
just melt it down, and use it.
if it's a little hard after making your lube just a bit more of the other stuff to soften it down more.

[Pee Wee]

Yep, beeswax and honey never go bad.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

there was a member here a few years back that sold a fairly large quantity of decades old beeswax. I bought a med flat rate box full. IIRC, the seller thought it was from the 60s. The outer layer (1/4" or so) was faded to a pale whitish-yellow, the inside looked and smelled just like it should.

[osteodoc08]

I love the smell of beeswax.

As memtioned, beeswax and honey don't go bad. They've found potable honey in old Egyptian tombs.

[JKH]

Great! Thanks for the info guys �� I have been toying with making some pan lube but had not looked for any beeswax yet, this should help make a decent size batch to start with.
Should I melt and strain this or clarify, or do anything else before using? The carton was closed all these years.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Great! Thanks for the info guys �� I have been toying with making some pan lube but had not looked for any beeswax yet, this should help make a decent size batch to start with.
Should I melt and strain this or clarify, or do anything else before using? The carton was closed all these years.

WHen you make your lube, I'd melt the wax first, since it's of unknown cleanliness, it there are foreign particles, they should sink to the bottom, then just pour the wax off leaving the sediment. And obviously, if you have floaties, you can skim that off.
Once that's done, continue with your lube recipe.

[bangerjim]

They have found beeswax in the tombs in Egypt that is still good. That is a few years older than your 1932 stuff. And how do you know the wax is as old as the container? I use old containers all the time for new stuff. I have an early 1900's quart can I keep methanol in!

banger

[JKH]

Hey Banger,

Son of deceased gentleman confirmed it, plus the inch of dust and petrified mouse poop
The carton is dated 1932 and had been sitting so long the bottom edges were dissolving and the wax was shrunken enough to drop right out. There was a matching carton marked beeswax that was empty, this one was very deteriorated but salvageable, I'll probably eBay them, can't imagine too many paper/wax ice cream containers have survived that pre date WWII