String wax formulas ?

[Shaun]

Found a BIG hunk of bees' wax while cleaning the shop today and was thinking of making a bunch of string makers wax. I do sometimes use straight bees' wax but have also used some mixes that included stickiness additives or softeners.

Any not so secret formulas out there?

[Walt Francis]

Shaun, here are three links that give different recipes, though most of them mix the bee’s wax with a toilet ring wax.
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=076127
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=070628
 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=056665

[Keefer]

Shaun, As walt stated I made about 75 little tubs of it last year and use a toilet bowl ring to about a pound of bees wax if you like it soft...I also went to McDonalds and a lady dropped about 100 or so of those kethup containers and lids and was cleaning them up to throw away so I said "I'll clean them up for you"...She let me have them...If you melt them in an old pot I used an old turkey baster and believe it or not a straw to suck it up and put it in the containers...You get a feel for the straw teckneque when it touch's the tongue...Hey it worked for me and the numbness did go away...Better use the Baster if you like talking...  

[frank bullitt]

Bees wax with a little pine tar or rosin. Have used the rosin powder from pitchers bag. Oh yes, dedicated old pot. I have heard of folks adding a little turpentine, to soften.

[Shaun]

Thanks guys. Looks like bowl wax and maybe some rosin for stickiness. Walt, I should have known that with 20+k members there would have been a search data base on this. Thanks for finding it for me. That last one is quite funny.

[12ringman]

Doug Hill helped me make some with bee's wax and lanolin(spelling) 3 to 1 mix. It worked great.

[LBR]

Bee's wax and a toilet bowl ring make a nice, soft, tacky string-maker's wax.  I used a disposable roasting pan to melt it in.  Don't use a pot that you plan to re-use for anything else.  Outdoors is best, if you have a camp stove.  It can be real messy, and clean-up is a pain.  If you work inside, newspaper drop-cloths help.

Chad

[The Gopher]

i've used toilet wax and pine tar, both work well. toilet wax is cheaper.