Beeswax QC?

[Dick Dastardly]

Mostly, I'm a bp shooter. I keep running into bullet lube formulas that specify beeswax. I have yet to see anything, nor have I been able to find anything, that says that all beeswax is the same. Did the creator give all bees on the planet the same recipe, ingredients and skills? In other words, are we taking everything that bees make to store honey as the same identical stuff?

In short, how consistent is beeswax? Year to year, location to location, nation to nation?

Just wondering.

DD-DLoS

[jdgabbard]

I have no clue. But hopefully Randyrat will chime in.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Check out RandyRat for wax, GOOOD STUFFFF. Robert

[357maximum]

beeswax varies considerably even in the same location and from season to season, but it does not affect the final mixes much. Some "adjustments" are all that is required when changing from one "LOT" to another.

[Blammer]

technically speaking, there are only 11 variants of Honeybees in North America.

all produce "beeswax" that is consistent. Beeswax is produced by a "gland" in the bee that forms a 'scale' they pluck off and then chew/mould in to the shape desired.

I'd really not worry about the "inconsistency" of the beeswax as it's very minute.

[randyrat]

11 varieties and they eat 10,000,000 different kind of stuff to change the color, aroma. Man still can't make beeswax,from what i understand..
Variations that can make it different, is the temp at which it is melted, purity, amount it is filtered and maybe more. I just can't think right now, i'm tired and my wife won't stop talking..... She has an organizational bug....gotta go and help before she throws something valuable away.

[missionary5155]

Good evening
So is the bees wax I buy down here in Southern Peru any different ? Whatever it is works good with either Olive oile or bearing grease for bolit lube.
Is it legal to transport beeswax form one country to another ? I may bring some up and have ti compared..

[bbs70]

Well, I was at Michael's earlier today and saw the price of their beeswax.
17 and change for 1 lb.

I looked on randyrat's web site before and as far as I'm concerned, you can't beat the price.

[Tom Herman]

I just pulled out one of my many copies of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.
The 1962 edition (pp1466-67) lists properties of common waxes, fats, and oils.
Both "ordinary" and "Indian" Beeswax are listed. Densities are listed as 0.953-0.970 for both, pretty consistent.
Moving on, the range of solidifying points is 61-67 degrees Celcius for both examples. Saponification and Iodine values are also fairly consistent.
It looks like the physical properties of Beeswax don't vary too much.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[Dick Dastardly]

Ok Pards, but I've seen all kinds of QA issues about the other adjuncts that are used in making lube for black powder boolits. But, it seems that nobody ever questions beeswax.

I use Soy Wax, cheep vegie shortening and a very secret industrial wax in my PL-II (Pearl Lube-II) and I know what the properties are very precisely from lot to lot and batch to batch. I have absolutely nothing against beeswax, but I've never been able to quantify it's precise properties. Now, it may not be at all necessary to quantify the properties, but when I'm selling a product, I have to be able to answer questions. When it comes to beeswax, the dang bees won't tell me what the heck they've been putting into it. And, so will none of you.

So, what is the melting range of "standard" beeswax? What is it's flame flash point? You know, all the technical stuff that is required on a MSDS paper. . . .

Anyway, it's fun. According to all the eggheads, bees can't fly. . .

DD-DLoS

[357maximum]

Dick just explained why I use Microcrstalline wax #430 from

http://www.blendedwaxes.com/ as my base wax on all my upper threshold cast loads.

[opentop]

She has an organizational bug....gotta go and help before she throws something valuable away.

I been there Randy. Can't let her throw nuttin away

[cajun shooter]

Well Dick, My friend I'm glad you decided to come over to the site. As I told you this place is full of info and people who will bend over backwards to help you. We have a member by the name of Felix and I believe if anyone can give you answers he can. We also have some good post in the BP section. I buy all my beeswax from Randyrat and he's located in your frozen north state. Why not grab one of the little fellows and tell him he can't leave until he gives you all the info on the stuff. Used the hull skiver you sent yesterday and it sure works good. Later my friend.

[Dan Cash]

Mostly, I'm a bp shooter. I keep running into bullet lube formulas that specify beeswax. I have yet to see anything, nor have I been able to find anything, that says that all beeswax is the same. Did the creator give all bees on the planet the same recipe, ingredients and skills? In other words, are we taking everything that bees make to store honey as the same identical stuff?

In short, how consistent is beeswax? Year to year, location to location, nation to nation?

Just wondering.

DD-DLoS

Dick,
As explained to me by our local bee company, the main difference in the wax is the clairity or lack there of assuming the stuff is all filtered equally. Some of the wax taken late in the year and from the end of the melt is quite dark. I bought some of the dark stuff and can not tell the difference in performance from the spendy stuff from the crafty stores. Melt temps seem the same and texture of lube seems same, the dark stuff is just dark.

[MT Gianni]

The old dark stuff with bee parts mixed in before refining makes some of the best flux ever. Thanks, Bullshop.

[cajun shooter]

I was told by a Bee Keeper just north of Durango,Co. That it all depends on the location of what the bees feed on. In other words if a bee has a good food source then the honey and wax produced by the bee is also top quality. Sounds like pretty simple math. Good in== Good out

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I just had to bump this old thread, as I stumbled on it while searching for something else.
I have often wondered about variations in Beeswax.

Beeswax is pretty consistent...
I just pulled out one of my many copies of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics.
The 1962 edition (pp1466-67) lists properties of common waxes, fats, and oils.
Both "ordinary" and "Indian" Beeswax are listed. Densities are listed as 0.953-0.970 for both, pretty consistent.
Moving on, the range of solidifying points is 61-67 degrees Celcius for both examples. Saponification and Iodine values are also fairly consistent.
It looks like the physical properties of Beeswax don't vary too much.

Happy Shootin'! -Tom

[randyrat]

That was a ride down memory lane, thanks Jon for pulling that out..

As mentioned the difference between beeswax is perdy much accurate, the two main things that will change is super small particles left after filtering and moisture. I like to buy batches of 1K of more from the same bee keeper and use the same filter process, kinda keeps things consistent. I am getting back into the game and you all will know when I do, please be patient

[gwpercle]

It's Beeswax.....Don't overthink it ! They know what they are doing .

[Tom W.]

My boys brought me a big lot of wild beeswax they managed to get from a tree in the woods. At the time I didn't know how to clean it up properly and I mostly just skimmed off deceased bee appendages. I wasn't too smart about making lube, but I tried and some of it came out just fine. That was probably in the mid to late 70's. I still have some tubes left that I mostly use for fluxing. It still smells like honey.