Reviving Bees Wax

[Tartan Tess]

Anybody know if a chunk of bee's wax can be brought back to softness?
Mine is looking pretty dry and isn't coating my thread well anymore. Is it dead or can I prolong it's use?

[Paul Henry]

Beeswax does lose it's special nature on exposure to light , I find that if I grate/scrape a little off the outside surface that helps, and sometime I warm it a little over a double boiler and then let it harden again, but it might be time to find a fresh bit if you can!

[The Wizard of BC]

Tess,

I have a block of Beeswax which has been in my family since the '50's. My father used it to wax the bowstring on his heirloom English Longbow. The outside does get a bit whiter after a few years but I simply dunk the entire block in a double boiler.

Now perhaps it is because the block is large that a little drying out of the outer layer is small in relation to the total volume, but this block (about 2 1/2 pounds left after all these years) has been melted and re-melted many times with good success.

[Tartan Tess]

Thank you for the info gentlemen.
I have been buying the small blocks all at once, every year at an event.
From now on I will keep the extras wrapped up away from the daylight
and try your other suggestions.

[Paul Henry]

I'm lucky that my sister keeps bees, so I have a readily available source, as I get it I need to wash it as it still contains a little honey stickiness, and then I've found that if I let it set in a small smooth ceramic bowl it makes a really great shape to draw the threads over for sewing botht for kilts and books.I've had this lump for about 3 years and only had to re-soften it once , it's about 4 " across and fits nicely into my hand, I wouldn't be without it

[Jon Lilley]

Hi Teri!,

All you have to do is wash off the dust with a mild soap and warm water and you're good to go. Your body heat will warm it up enough to use in a few minutes. I would strongly advise you NOT to use a double boiler to melt wax, because it's a nightmare to clean!!! If you want to change the shape of it, chop what you've got into small pieces, fill a small plastic Ziploc tub with the bits, pop it in the microwave for a few seconds till it melts, let it cool and pop it out of the container. Very simple, fast and NO major time wasted cleaning up the mess.

Hope this helps!,

Jon