Looking for Beeswax

[wbwilly]

Howdy folks,
I'm in need of 3-5 pounds of filtered Beeswax for my traditional BP lube.

Thanks
Willy

[Sam Sackett]

Last I saw it in a store was Hobby Lobby. Michaels used to carry it, don’t know if they still do.

On this site, Randy Rat sometimes has it available.

Sam Sackett

[Minerat]

Put a WTB ad in S&S. Someone may be able to help you and it keeps you and anyone that may offer to sell you some within the rules.

PS: good job Willy you already did that I see.

[bcraig]

Look on computer and or the phonebook.
Look under the titles Beekeeper or Honey in your area.

[ascast]

check your Facebook swap site or craigslist

[wbwilly]

Thanks guys.
I just used up what I had left yesterday and was able to make it while my wife was out so I escaped the backlash of making it on her stove and setting it in the freezer

For use in a Star.

[gumbo333]

Surely NH has local bee keepers and honey producers. Google is your friend. Not the time of year for garden markets but the honey/ jelly sellers may be of help. Evil Bay, Amazon also.

[TurnipEaterDown]

Any of the soap making hobby supply web stores will have it. Last I checked it was $5 per pound. Local bee keeper / guy I used to work with wanted more -- it's a funny market.

[wbwilly]

I have purchased my beeswax in the past from folks here and I thought I'd give them a chance first. Most of the online sellers have crazy prices but I did find one who has reasonable prices and free shipping on 8 lbs so unless someone gets back to me by PM, I'll probably go that route.
Amazon has a few with reasonable prices but lots of reviews question whether it''s actually beeswax.... food coloring, fragrance added and weird melting properties are listed as complaints.
While I know that there are other waxes and materials that will make a good lube, I like to stick with the traditional beeswax/tallow that I make and use for BP Cowboy and other BP sports.

[Winger Ed.]

Several companies sell it on Amazon if ya can't find it anywhere else.
It may be more expensive, but you do get instant gratification.

Just put 'bees wax' in their on site search engine.

[gwpercle]

Forum member Randy Rat sold refined beeswax on the site ... At one time but I don't know if he is still in the bee business ... mioght have "retired" .

I have a local Louisiana fellow who supplies me with honey and wax .
Fresh honey and no shipping charges , he lives just down the street from me ... I found him through The Louisiana Beekeeper's Association (state) and the local , Capital Area Beekeeper's Association (Baton Rouge) ... these groups can get you in touch with the beekeeper's .

Check your "yellow Pages" or whatever the telephone directory is called nowday's and you might find someone close , not paying shipping saves a little time and money .
Gary

[justindad]

If you buy a 10 lb bag of flake beeswax on Amazon, you pay $3.5/lb. A 3lb bag goes for about $4.6. No sense in paying $5/lb from a beekeeper, just to have to go and render it into clean wax.

[wbwilly]

If you buy a 10 lb bag of flake beeswax on Amazon, you pay $3.5/lb. A 3lb bag goes for about $4.6. No sense in paying $5/lb from a beekeeper, just to have to go and render it into clean wax.

My concern is that I want bees wax and not soy or something else and there are loads of nrgative reviews about that.

And I've found that local beekeepers are upwards of $20/lb...prices are crazy.

[BLAHUT]

I had trouble finding bees wax to use and a person I know suggested using a toilet bowl wax ring? Works for me .......???????

[Rapier]

Buying filtered beeswax is not necessary if you get cheese cloth, double it and pour melted beeswax through the cheese cloth to remove crud. Same way to clean old or dirty beeswax. So in a pinch you can buy old or dirty bees wax and just met then filter clean it. In case you run up against a wall in your search.

[CastingFool]

I've read somewhere that you can take dirty beeswax, put it in an old clean tee shirt, put it in a pan, heat it until the wax is melted, then pull the tee shirt out. All the crud will be in it, then discard the tee shirt

[Dusty Bannister]

My experience in obtaining clean beeswax was many years ago. I bought some of the stuff the bee keeper called caps, which was rather nasty and had dirt and bee body parts as cut from the top of the comb to prepare for honey removal. I melted the wax in a pan with water to remove the excess honey and let it cool.

The result was a disc of clean wax with what generally looked like coffee grounds stuck to the bottom of the disc. Heavier material sunk in the water, and the honey was diluted in the water. I scraped the majority of the debris from the bottom of the disc of wax and then melted the wax a second time. This was poured through a circular filter covered with cheese cloth, but a T shirt would work as well, into plastic containers to act as molds. I had wiped the inside of the molds with a spray cooking product like Pam or some such so the cakes of wax would release easier. Change your filter as desired to keep a clean product. Chill in the fridge and when hard, flex the mold to pop the cake of wax and it will release from the mold. Repeat as needed.

Wax is best described as a dirt magnet, so I wrapped each piece in clear wrap and placed it in a zip lock bag. It is still good and has that honey aroma after many years in storage. It was a learning experience, and the big lesson to me was you will not get nearly as much wax from the raw product this way so be careful when purchasing "caps" or your cost per pound will be about doubled when done.

[justindad]

I've read somewhere that you can take dirty beeswax, put it in an old clean tee shirt, put it in a pan, heat it until the wax is melted, then pull the tee shirt out. All the crud will be in it, then discard the tee shirt

That’s called rendering. It’s the same process as getting tallow from fat. You can add salt water to further purify the wax. Impurities stick to the salt. The salt is soluble in water but not wax & fat, so the wax & fat stay clean.
*
Rendering two or three times will help further purify the wax/fat. What I used to do was boil in plain water first, then add salt to the water for the second pass, then boil a third time with just water.
*
Rendering is a lot of work. I was curious, but now I just buy tallow & beeswax from Amazon.

[water666]

i dont know if you can get that much for a good price but i just use amazon for the most part or my local small honey guy they always have beeswax, and everywhere has a local honey guy that makes natural bee products.

i would sweat by amazon and such though if you struggling to find local. will get you enough to get buy at the least

[Wayne Smith]

Guys, if you use a t-shirt or cheesecloth to filter beeswax don't discard it unless you never light a real fire. Cut in chunks that's a great firestarter!