ID wax

Is there an easy way to tell if wax is microcrystalline or common run of the mill canning paraffin wax? I inherited about a 10 lb slab from my father awhile back and at the time I assumed it was paraffin wax so never asked about it. But as I think about, I'm not so sure anymore, and my father passed away a number of years ago so can't ask him. When I got it, I also got 50 to 60 lbs of beeswax that was with it. Now I know the beeswax came from my father's 3rd cousin removed a couple times who lived just down the road from us who kept bees. Would a beekeeper use store bought wax? And if so, what would it be?

To complicate matters, my father was a carpenter at one time who was foreman at a small custom boat building factory that later burned and then after the factory was rebuilt made toboggans. I'm pretty sure the factory used wax in making the toboggans, and perhaps in the boats - but I was pretty young in the boat building phase and can't remeber much about it. He also made a few toboggans in his later years in his workshop as gifts to his grandsons. So, it's possible my father obtained it from the facoty, or purchased it later in life and just kept it with the beeswax.

Now I'm going to make myself some lube and if I can be reasonably sure it's microcrystalline wax, I'll use it. If not, I'll guess I'll use it for fluxing, and purchase some microcrystalline wax mail order. TIA.

what id do is mix it all together and consider it beeswax.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gutshot_again

Is there an easy way to tell if wax is microcrystalline or common run of the mill canning paraffin wax? If it bends and is flexible, and softish' at 60 degrees is is proably micro, if it is brittle and chalky looking it is proably parraffinhit it with a hammer, if it breaks it is not the micro you are wanting in a lube. t I would consider it plain parraffin if it breaks. There are some hard grades of micro, but they act like parraffin in a lube and I would treat them the same, only difference is that the hard micros hold a bit more oil without additives. More than likely you have parraffin that he waxed the wood with for slickum on the snow. If you are unsure, just make sure that it is not a MAIN ingredient if you have to use it in a lube. I inherited about a 10 lb slab from my father awhile back and at the time I assumed it was paraffin wax so never asked about it. But as I think about, I'm not so sure anymore, and my father passed away a number of years ago so can't ask him. When I got it, I also got 50 to 60 lbs of beeswax that was with it. Now I know the beeswax came from my father's 3rd cousin removed a couple times who lived just down the road from us who kept bees. Would a beekeeper use store bought wax? And if so, what would it be?

To complicate matters, my father was a carpenter at one time who was foreman at a small custom boat building factory that later burned and then after the factory was rebuilt made toboggans. I'm pretty sure the factory used wax in making the toboggans, and perhaps in the boats - but I was pretty young in the boat building phase and can't remeber much about it. He also made a few toboggans in his later years in his workshop as gifts to his grandsons. So, it's possible my father obtained it from the facoty, or purchased it later in life and just kept it with the beeswax.

Now I'm going to make myself some lube and if I can be reasonably sure it's microcrystalline wax, I'll use it. If not, I'll guess I'll use it for fluxing, and purchase some microcrystalline wax mail order. TIA.

---

Michael

Thanks Michael. As chance would have it, it's 60 here today <grin>. It's a chalky color and will not bend - just breaks. I also smacked a chunk with a hammer and it crumbled and fell apart. I guess I have a whole lot of paraffin and will use it for fluxing.

Thank you.