How to make wax
Today, beeswax is sometimes used in car waxes, but typically it’s most commonly used in furniture waxes and polishes. You can make your own wax very easily, my ancestors made it on the plantation on Cape Cod, it’s a relatively easy process and fun too.
First you need some pots to cook with and a pot of hot water. Liquid beeswax furniture polish is easy, use 1/4 cup ivory soap, 1/4 pound beeswax, 1 cup turpentine and 1/2 cup water. Dissolve the soap in hot water, add the grated wax into the turpentine and slowly melt together, then pour the soap mixture into the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon. Once well stirred, pour it into a glass and you have it, very good easy. Beeswax cream furniture polish, which can also be used on cars low in turpentine, is made by taking and mixing 1/4 pound beeswax, 2 cups turpentine, 1/4 cup liquid ivory soap, 1 cup warm to boiling water, and 1/4 cup of pine oil . The only difference is that you have to make sure all the beeswax is first dissolved and cooled, then mix it into the warm soapy water until it solidifies, then heat and dissolve together again. If you reduce the turpentine content, you can also use it for your car. It goes smooth and it works well.
Although I prefer carnauba wax for cars for its ease of use, realistically the carnauba wax only lasts for three months while the melted beeswax might last a bit longer. For solid beeswax furniture polish, favored by antique dealers we’ve met on the back roads of NH, VT, and Maine, just use equal amounts of linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. The finished product is golden brown and transparent and looks rich. Now you have lemon oil smell in furniture polish that can just be added to the boiling water during the process.
There are many good waxes for cars that you wouldn’t put on surfboards, furniture, or statues. Wax is also found in the human ear. There are two different types and your genetics will determine which one you have. Most plants also have a thin protective layer of wax. Most fruit and citrus trees and vegetable plants have wax on the fruits, leaves and vegetables that they produce and that we eat. Many animals and even some fish also produce waxes biologically. Other wax components are found in minerals and petroleum products and distillates.
There are polymers or synthetic waxes that are processed by man into different types of waxes. We really source waxes from a variety of sources. The carnauba wax we are discussing is a favorite wax of many detailers. Carnauba wax is found on the leaves of the carnauba palm. In my opinion, the best carnauba wax comes from the palm trees of Brazil. You can tell a good carnauba wax by the water beads you see when you detail your car. Candelilla wax comes from a plant that grows in parts of Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, and sometimes the southwestern United States. It’s a brown wax and not only used for cars, but also for records, flooring and candles. Although it is the main ingredient in candle wax, it is usually mixed with other waxes into the candles we use in our homes.