Applying Bees Wax--Whats the Secret??

[Erik in NJ]

Applying Bee's Wax--What's the Secret??

I have heard of some applying a thin coat of bee's wax to a cleaned coin or relic to help it retain moisture and also bring out some detail. I just bought some refined bee's wax is 1 lb chunks and it seems to be too thick to apply. I tried applying it to a button I just cleaned and it caked up very badly. So what's the secret here? I had to try and remove most of it with boiling hydrogen peroxide. I'm hoping that someone that applied a thin coat of wax or bee's wax will help guide me here. Thanks!

 

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[beepbeepin]

just clean the coins with soap and water and then apply a coat of olive oil. And that's it don't do anymore. Bees wax? Um ....

 

[cosmic]

Reheat coin and blot with a asorbent cloth, maybe a light buffing.

 

[gabberbob]

It is necessary to heat up, smear coins with a few wax and to polish with a rag.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Melt the wax. You don't want any metal to "retain moisture", that is a wives tale. Clean the object as much as possible, or as much as you feel comfortable. Then melt some (or all depending on artifact size) of the wax and heat the it up to around 250 degrees with the artifact in it. If there is moisture present it will boil out. Just wait for it to stop bubbling, take out the item (carefully, with some type of gripper) and let it cool slightly. Before the wax can fully harden, wipe it down good with a soft cloth. The metal is now preserved with the wax coating.

Paraffin wax works well for this, never tried it with bees wax.

 

[cosmic]

potpourri warmer from dollar store or yard sale .. Place coin on it, add a bit of wax to it and then let it melt...

 

[soupie]

It does seem to help the adhering process if the object being coated has some heat in it...indirect heat preferably ...I just bought an old sauce pan an use it....I have even used a blowtorch on a couple items..from a distance of course....the item will have to be buffed..there will be some buildup..I generally use a soft cloth to start ...then a damp soft cloth to really put a sheen on the item...Trial and error but it does make some items more appealing with better detail...

 

[abbynormal]

Just out of curiousity, does any one have any before and after pics of something you put through this process?