Hot wax dipping leather

[Tony]

I have a water bottle i made out of leather last year and I need to hot dip it, i've got the wax etc but I was wondering about the temperature, is there an easy way of knowing when it's the right temperature to dip so that my bottle doesn't end up all shrink wrapped looking

 

[Gill]

Hi Tony , i done mine by painting the melted wax on and used it as soon as it was clear ,as soon as warm i removed it from the heat .you will know if it is too warm

!

 

[rancid badger]

Eric Methven was doing a lot of wax dipping, I'll give him a shout and pick his brains a bit

Steve

 

[John Fenna]

Not having the facilities to fully dip the bottle I made I also painted the wax on.
I tested the wax on a bit of off cut leather before painting the bottle (exterior) and pouring the wax into the bottle to do the inside.
I gently warmed the leather to stop the wax setting as soon as the it hit the bottle....

 

[rancid badger]

Right folks I've been on to Eric, He uses a double pan or "bain marie" system, where you have a pan of water, with another pan or bowl sitting in the water in the first pan.

You heat the water and place the second pan in it, then putting your wax into the second pan to melt. Simmering the water, rather than actually boiling.

The wax can't get any hotter than the water, so you never go above 100 c stopping the wax catching fire and the leather being overcooked.

you immerse your leather into the melted wax and leave it until there are no more bubbles coming from the leather. This ensures complete and total penetration of the wax.

That's Eric's tried and trusted method.

He's been a bit off colour lately and not been getting much done, I'll have to get down to see him and take him out for a bit of fresh air, once I'm driving again!

cheers

Steve ( and Eric)

 

[Tony]

Thanks guys Now to look for a pot big enough to submerge the bottle in

How easy is it to clean the wax out of a stainless pan?

 

[John Fenna]

Thanks guys Now to loo for a pot big enough to submerge the bottle in

How easy is it to clean the wax out of a pan stainless pan?

That would read as a lot less scatalogical with the addition of a letter "K" in the 5th word.......

 

[Tony]

Thanks John

 

[Bardster]

not too easy Tony, you are better off looking for an old jam making pan. I have a couple I use just for wax. Though they are still not big enough for the latest project.... a 2 gallon barrel - thats def gonn have to be painted!

 

[Tony]

he he, you gotta put up picks of that mate, sounds great

Yeah, I thought it would be a pig to clean them, i'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[John Fenna]

he he, you gotta put up picks of that mate, sounds great

Yeah, I thought it would be a pig to clean them, i'll keep my eyes peeled.

Try boiling water in the pot after pouring/scraping out most of the wax.
Wax melts and floats on the water.......

 

[Gailainne]

As long as its not non-stick why not just set a small wood fire in it, the wax will melt and burn off, carbon must be easier to clean off than wax?

 

[Bardster]

Well here a picture of the beast. Still a bit of sewing to do yet, and then shaping the neck and then the waxing. Not sure of its true capacity as I've not measured it yet. My small one hold five pints (seen at the last bushmoot) and this one is about 3 times the size..... Made of 4mm thick leather. Its pretty heavy already without the weight of the wax on it, let alone the water!

 

[rancid badger]

Now that's a project!

How on earth are you going to dip that?:yikes:

cheers

Steve

 

[Black Sheep]

I posted this a while ago........

After melting bees wax for years in an old pan of water with a bowl over it then I spotted these slowcookers on a recent trip to Tesco for £10 (or £5 if you doubled your clubcard points) so I thought I'd give it ago................

It took a good few hours to melt the wax as the name implies "SLOW", but it did the job and kept the wax molten with out over heating it. It holds 3.3 litres so just deep enough to dip one of my tankards in Due to the shape of the bowl you might get a bottle in?

Richard

 

[almac]

Hi Tony , i done mine by painting the melted wax on and used it as soon as it was clear ,as soon as warm i removed it from the heat .you will know if it is too warm

!

that is a really nice flask Gill. did you stain it before you waxed it? what stain did you use on it?
thanks

 

[Gill]

that is a really nice flask Gill. did you stain it before you waxed it? what stain did you use on it?
thanks

Thanks buddy , yes i stained it before waxing i think it was darkn brown Fiebings .

 

[Bardster]

The leather tends to go that colour just from the heat and the wax.