Making my own reed wax..........?

[landro]

Right now I`m on my 4th total rewax and revalve job , and presently it looks like I`m gonna run short of wax. Presently I`m working off a sheet (slab) of wax about 8mm thick that works out well for my method but I can`t recall where I got this . I`m having thoughts of buying some pine rosin and beeswax and mixing it myself so I could pour it into the right thickness to work with. The recipe I have is 2/3 beeswax and 1/3 rosin with a few drops of linseed or olive oil.Instructions were to melt the rosin first then add the beeswax .
Has anyone here ever mixed their own ? If so , I`d sure appreciate for what ever advice you might be willing to share .

 

[JIM D.]

I've made mine for years. I learned the hard way to not add linseed oil or any other substance to pure beeswax other than rosin.
My personal mix is 4/5 beeswax and 1/5 rosin. Adding a petroleum product to the mix will only cause it to harden in time.

 

[boxplayer4000]

It is common to add linseed oil here.
JimD: Which petroleum product are you adding?

 

[JIM D.]

I DO NOT add any petroleum product. Natural beeswax & rosin only.
:tup: Pure Mother Nature :tup:

 

[landro]

Ive made mine for years. I learned the hard way to not add linseed oil or any other substance to pure beeswax other than rosin.
My personal mix is 4/5 beeswax and 1/5 rosin. Adding a petroleum product to the mix will only cause it to harden in time.

Thanks Jim D.
Based on your personal formula (20% rosin) and the other seemingly credible one (?) that I found (33% rosin ) , I`m gonna play the averages and go with a 25% rosin mix.
And no added oil.

 

[JIM D.]

Should suit you fine. Just a reminder - the rosin is used only for it's adhesive properties. Linseed oil will also make beeswax adhesive, but will cause the wax to harden and crack in time.

 

[landro]

Should suit you fine. Just a reminder - the rosin is used only for its adhesive properties. Linseed oil will also make beeswax adhesive, but will cause the wax to harden and crack in time.

I`m going to take that advice. Thank you .
From what I read , rosin melts at near 250`f so I surmise I`ll need to add the beeswax into it .

 

[landro]

Well, I did end up making 20oz of reed wax. Much simpler than I ever thought.
The first step is to put 4oz of pine rosin (small pieces) into a large coffee tin can placed on an electric burner set on low-med heat level allowing it to melt slowly vs burning and ruining it. The rosin needs much higher temps of to melt than beeswax so it has to be melted prior to adding the beeswax which melts at 140 `F. The rosin melted soon enough and then I added the 16 oz of beeswax pellets to melt in slowly , stirred well and poured into wax paper lined 10" sq alum (disposable) sheet pans to cool and harden. Now I can cut into manageable sized pieces for repair or whatever. The cost was about $8 US for the rosin and $12 for the beeswax. (all available on Ebay)

Later note: After the wax is set up and cooled , the wax paper can be peeled off and the wax wrapped in a plastic food (cellophane) wrap or a plastic baggie for storage .

 

[JerryPH]

Awesome, thanks for sharing the process! Let us know how it works out for you when you use this wax in your next job.

 

[JIM D.]

Well done:
Not many amateur accordion tech's even take on this task. Your finished product at 20 oz. . of reedwax should take care of your needs for quiet a spell. The best part is your satisfaction (maybe only personal) is to use a product of your own make. :tup:

 

[JerryPH]

Jim, how long can wax like this be stored for and would it best be in like a dry cool place?

 

[gstas]

Just wondering if this is the correct stuff to use?
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300-Gra...033417?hash=item2f1d0fbc49:g:Ti0AAOSw4-hZr9yI

 

[JIM D.]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-Qualit...390913&hash=item35f618d9aa:g:JwEAAOSw44BYV-rI

 

[debra]

Italian accordion makers do add a bit of what they call "yellow oil" to the rosin/wax mix. I have no idea how much or how little. (But I have seen that wax on old Italian accordions cracks and loses its adhesive properties, some more than others.)

I'm surprised at the high prices found on many websites, Carini sells the wax (readily mixed) in blocks of 1 kg for € 12,6 and small blocks (easier to add to the melting pot) of 50 gr each for € 0,828, which adds up to € 16,56 for 1 kg. Prices elsewhere are 5 to 10 times as high...

 

[gstas]

just wondering if this is the rosin and wax used to make it?
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/300-Gra...033417?hash=item2f1d0fbc49:g:Ti0AAOSw4-hZr9yI