Waxed canvas pouches and beeswax food wraps

[tombear]

Since it was sunny out P finally got around to waxing some two for a pound charity shop waxed zipped bags and made some beeswax impregnated food wraps.

I d washed and dried some 100% cotton, about dress shirt weight and cut it into roughly a foot square pieces with crimping scissors. I used a double boiler to melt some pure beeswax and after pinning down the squares into some thick card heated them up with a hot air gun and brushed the wax into the cloth, using the gun set low to drive the wax in. before it had started to cure i unpinned and removed the square and left it to cure out of the sun. i did a dozen.

For the bags/pouches i made a mix of 10 parts beeswax to 2 parts paraffin wax to one part mineral oil, in this case Tescos baby oil . Again I pre heated the cloth and brushed in the gloop and used the heat gun to ensure saturation. I could have gone for a Greenland Wax mix which is 90% paraffin wax and 10% beeswax but I wanted to optimize for the UK Spring to Autumn rather than for extreme cold and wanted it as flexible as possible, The mineral oil is supposed to help with penetration and soften the mix for reapplication when cooled. I may have skimped on that but can always remelt it and add more to the pot. Also I really like the smell of beeswax.

Once I have used the pouches for a bit I'll let you know how the mix worked.

I've never tried them before so any advice on using the beeswax food wraps? I know not to use them with raw meat. that's about all.

ATB

Tom

PS Ive kept the wax saturated cardboard to cut up for fire lighters, the ball of stuff bottom right on the card board is the bits of saturated cotton I trimmed off some of the squares, should burn well!

 

[Toddy]

Do you mind when bread came in waxed paper ? and folks kept the paper to wrap up sandwiches ?
You can do the same sort of thing with the beeswax wraps. They'll soften with the heat of your hands since the wax is so thin.

They cover bowls very well too. Just put on top and gently press down around the edges, sort of moulding it against the bowl with the palm of your hands. Again the warmth softens the wrap and it'll cling neatly onto the bowl.

 

[SaraR]

Since it was sunny out P finally got around to waxing some two for a pound charity shop waxed zipped bags and made some beeswax impregnated food wraps.

I d washed and dried some 100% cotton, about dress shirt weight and cut it into roughly a foot square pieces with crimping scissors. I used a double boiler to melt some pure beeswax and after pinning down the squares into some thick card heated them up with a hot air gun and brushed the wax into the cloth, using the gun set low to drive the wax in. before it had started to cure i unpinned and removed the square and left it to cure out of the sun. i did a dozen.

For the bags/pouches i made a mix of 10 parts beeswax to 2 parts paraffin wax to one part mineral oil, in this case Tescos baby oil . Again I pre heated the cloth and brushed in the gloop and used the heat gun to ensure saturation. I could have gone for a Greenland Wax mix which is 90% paraffin wax and 10% beeswax but I wanted to optimize for the UK Spring to Autumn rather than for extreme cold and wanted it as flexible as possible, The mineral oil is supposed to help with penetration and soften the mix for reapplication when cooled. I may have skimped on that but can always remelt it and add more to the pot. Also I really like the smell of beeswax.

Once I have used the pouches for a bit I'll let you know how the mix worked.

I've never tried them before so any advice on using the beeswax food wraps? I know not to use them with raw meat. that's about all.

ATB

Tom

PS Ive kept the wax saturated cardboard to cut up for fire lighters, the ball of stuff bottom right on the card board is the bits of saturated cotton I trimmed off some of the squares, should burn well!

Most people seem to mix some pine resin and a vegetable oil with the beeswax before applying to the fabric. The resin makes it tacky (for the clingfilm effect) and the oil makes it more pliable, I guess.

I've got some that I bought and I like how the wrap sort of holds on to itself without sticking. It gives a bot of structural support to sandwiches as well.

My hands are too cold to be able to mold it, so I just fold it, but that's usually enough.

 

[Wayland]

That is a really interesting idea.

Might look into that myself.

 

[Toddy]

I didn't add anything to the beeswax, didn't fancy anything else in there against my food, but also, I just ironed the wax onto the fabric and didn't want resin on the iron.
The beeswax came off really easily just by wiping -- don't use a steam iron, the little holes clog up with anything like this. I used a simple travel iron.
It went on really, really finely using the iron, and once they've been used a little the wraps have almost a buckskin sort of feel to them.

The oven works for making the wraps too. Just grate up the wax and sprinkle it over the cloth. Put it on an easily cleaned tray and heat it up.

The aim is really as little wax as possible but the cloth properly impregnated. You don't want the wax so thick that it can crack off.

 

[Chainsaw]

We use baking parchment (grease proof paper as it was in my day!) under and over the thing to be ironed. Works a treat, remove when still very warm

 

[FerlasDave]

My wife makes these when we get beeswax from a friends bees. They’re really useful for lots of different jobs.

100% beeswax just crumbled up and ironed on. She uses a steam iron but puts a baking sheet between the wax and the iron to stop it messing up the iron. Same thing we do with my fjallraven jacket.

 

[Billy-o]

Those wraps are perfect for half an avocado. They are very popular here. Seem to creep into the house from nowhere in particular

 

[Tony]

Home made food wraps are ace, my girls have made loads of them this last year odd, they work really well. Ours are just grated wax and ironed on, I think!

 

[tombear]

Cheers for the input folks.

Once the beeswax had melted in the double boiler and allowing for pinning the squares down it took between 10 and 15 seconds to wax each square using the hot hair gun and brush method. one thing, don't use a synthetic brush as the heat gun can cause the odd bristle to curl up.

I went for a walk into town today, over the backs and did the charity shops and completely forgot to look for a cheap pure cotton flat sheet to make some bigger wraps, particularly some to fit over the pancheons I use for rising dough.

One thing I did was police up the last of the Bury made zippy bags while they were still two for a pound. The Accrington branch of the British Red cross had already sold out but the Burnley shop manager was there helping out for the day and he told me they still had a few there but were rapidly selling out.

Once the family have taken their pick of them I'll offer up the rest at cost to anyone who wants them, currently unwaxed I have 5 of the small, brass zip bellows bottom, 1 of the mid sized white with brass zips and bellows bottom and four flat ones with the red plastic zips and wrist stra, I'm pretty sure I have a use for the mid sized one. Anyway, I'll let you know.

ATB

Tom

 

[tombear]

Got around to waxing the rest of the bags folk wanted, The beeswax rich version of the gloop proved to be a bit sticky on the bag I applied a lot to but I simply had to take the hair dryer to it for a few minues and buff some of the wax off the outside.

For the second batch I added more of the paraffin wax ( I've ended up with a lot of it from buying charity shop and carboot candle making kits to get the moulds and wicks ) and the mineral oil so it was 5 parts beeswax, 5 parts paraffin wax and one part mineral oil. It went on just as easily and isn't at all sticky.

One of the bags had a clogged zip and rather clean it off I tried brute force and totalled the zip. rather than waste the bag or fit a new zip I removed the old one and sewed in two strips of stiff 1 inch nylon tape and added a salvaged fastex buckle and made it into a more waterproof roll top bag. I poured of the remaining mix into another pot and since there was still some left I added more mineral oil to make a softer version to use to touch up without having to melt it first.

I replaced the long wrist straps with flat paracord loops.

Anyroad I have three of the smallest sort and three of the ones with the red zip spare so if anybody wants they can have them for the 50p each I paid or a intersting swap. They are unwaxed.

ATB

Tom