Beeswax Q & A

I've gotten several questions about working with beeswax so I thought I'd answer them here since others may have the same questions...

Q - Can I use real beeswax for these projects instead of Ranger's wax pellets?

A - Yes! As a matter of fact I prefer using real beeswax because I LOVE the smell. Ranger's wax has a very faint smell to it but nothing like pure beeswax. I have found that pure beeswax tends to have some impurities ~ little specks of dirt or ???? (maybe I don't want to know what it is). These impurities are very small and while they do show up in some circumstances I don't find it as a deterrent to use it.

Q - I have a block of beeswax and it doesn't fit into the melt pot.

A - I used some block beeswax before and I simply stood the block on it's end and let it melt (without the lid). It melted pretty quick btw.

Q - I don't have a melt pot, can I use something else?

A - Yes you can but you must use caution. The melt pot will only get so hot so it's not likely to set the wax on fire but other appliances not specifically designed for craft use may over heat the wax and create a fire hazard. Always follow mfg. directions and never leave melted wax unattended!

Q - I have wax on my table/cloths/etc and I can't get it off. Any suggestions?

A - An easy inexpensive way to remove wax from clothing is to put it in the freezer or place an ice cube/cold pack to freeze the wax good and hard; scrape off the hardened wax with a dull knife or butter knife. Next, lay the article of clothing out flat and place a sheet of copy paper over the wax; iron the copy paper. The iron will melt the wax and the copy paper will soak and lift the remainder of the wax from the fabric.

If you have wax on a table or furniture, freeze the wax to harden, scrape off the hardened wax and polish to remove the remainder.

There are a few chemical wax removers on the market but I've never tried them before so I don't know how well they work. The ice cube/iron have always done the trick for me.

Q - My wax is sticky and doesn't feel "dry"- what did I do wrong?

A - You didn't do anything wrong...some waxes are more sticky than others. To help remove this sticky feel you may dust the wax with a pigment powder (like Perfect Pearls) or a talcum powder.

Simply dust and buff. If you're worried about pigment powders adding color to the surface of your collage or project, use a white or iridescent powder. There will be little to no color left over after it's buffed. Talcum powder will remove the residue but leaves the surface a bit dull for my taste but I'm sure it will work well for some projects.

Q - Won't the wax on the project melt later?

A - I guess if you left it in direct sunlight on a really hot day it might melt but I've got projects from 5 & 6 years ago that have been on display in my house that look the same as the day I finished them. I think you'd have to really work pretty hard at melting the wax so I think it's pretty safe.

So there you go -

I hope these answers are beneficial

and

relieves any fears about using wax in your artwork.

If you have any more ?'s,

please feel free to e-mail me or post :)

I'm always happy to help when I can!

TTFN!