Bleaching the wax

[Troy]

I have read about two methods for bleaching the wax.

Using the SUN and Peroxide.

For those who have used peroxide, 1) how is it done.

2) Do you just use household peroxide that you buy at the drug store?

3) What ratio do you mix the two at? half and half or is 20% peroxide enough?

4) Do you bring the peroxide to a rolling boil or just to the 160-170 melt range of the wax and then stir it.

5) How long does it need to work before pouring off the wax?

6) How much will this affect the nice smell of the wax?

7) How about using the SUN to lighten it. I have lots of sunlight here in Florida. In fact we are the Sunshine State. I've got two pieces of shower door glass that I salvaged. What if I poured hot wax over the glass and left it out in the sun for a few days? Would a couple days in the sun make a difference?

[Michael Bush]

I've only bleached it in the sun by accident. I wax coat PermaComb and that is done outside. A thin layer of wax will go pure white in a day or two in the sun, but a block will only get that way on the outside, so you need thin sheets to sun bleach it.

Beeswax by Coggshall and Morse is available from Wiwas Press and has many a formula and plan for bleaching and processing beeswax.

[honeyman46408]

I have read about two methods for bleaching the wax.

Using the SUN and Peroxide.

For those who have used peroxide, 1) how is it done.

2) Do you just use household peroxide that you buy at the drug store?

3) What ratio do you mix the two at? half and half or is 20% peroxide enough?

4) Do you bring the peroxide to a rolling boil or just to the 160-170 melt range of the wax and then stir it.

5) How long does it need to work before pouring off the wax?

6) How much will this affect the nice smell of the wax?

7) How about using the SUN to lighten it. I have lots of sunlight here in Florida. In fact we are the Sunshine State. I've got two pieces of shower door glass that I salvaged. What if I poured hot wax over the glass and left it out in the sun for a few days? Would a couple days in the sun make a difference?

The wax I bleached with peroxide was gray (didnt look like wax) I put it in a crock pot and broght it to a boil then poured the peroxide in maby a pint but when you do this watch it because it well boil over most of the bad stuff floats, after it boiled for a while I pured it through a paper towel and now the wax is NOT as nice as capping wax but useable for different things it doesnt make real nice candles (still darker than nice wax) the peroxide smell goes away after a day or so.

I have never tried to sun bleach it but I amy try it some day.

[Troy]

You boiled the wax? That is really hot isn't it? I thought one would get the wax up to 180 or so and then add the peroxide.

Does anyone know the peroxide technique?

Sounds to me like honeyman overheated the wax and that might be why it did not turn out so great.

[honeyman46408]

Well you got me to thinking (dangrous) and I bought a book on wax at "Lapp`s" yesterday when I picked up bees.
The part about bleaching wax refers to a more comercial deal than I will ever do but it says bleaching takes place at 350 degrees,with peroxide.
That is just part of the statememt and never thought of that high a temp.

[lake thompson honey]

Bleaching wax is a closely guarded industrial secret. You have to pay money if you want to find out how it is done. Do a search on the internet. If you heat wax up to 180 degrees you will darken it. 160 is about right for candle making.

[JohnK and Sheri]

I routinely bleach wax with sunlight. I pour the filtered liquid wax into large flat bakery trays, making thin sheets, about 1/4 " thick, 1/2 inch max. I spread these out in the sun and turn them once a day or so. The thinner the wax the quicker it lightens but of course it takes up more space doing so. If space is more of an issue than time, you can effectively sun bleach wax even 1" think, it just takes longer.
Candles will bleach out to fairly light over time, especially if left in full sun, but not evenly unless you turn them. While the bleaching won't go into the center of the candle it will penetrate from all sides and the darker interior may not be that noticable as they burn, especially if the wax was fairly light to begin with.
Sheri

[nursebee]

You need a higher percentage H2O2 to sufficiently lighten things. Yes it ought to be liquid, but not boiling. Talk to folks in the Rx industry. Try net sources for chemicals?

[Focus on Bees]

there's a place up here that has a 50% h2o2 very caustic and I'd almost be scared to use it.

[Mabe]

Like MB we found out accidently that the sunlight bleaches wax. You can get a very white wax by running it through your solar melter several times into a container of water. (We accidently made a solar melter too!)
:)Mabe

[Bizzybee]

Don't you love it when that happens!! Your thinking.... WOW I'm a genius and didn't know it!! :D

I think some folks may have misunderstood the Honeyman in his description of "boiling". Bringing the wax to the melting point will prompt the h2o2 to react. It isn't this violent boiling action that one envisions by reading this thread.

Not being a chemist I can't say what the reaction is that takes place between the h202 and the wax or more likely I surmise with the organics (particulates) possibly in the wax?

The end result is that the reaction (bubbling) of the h202 seems to coagulate the suspended and what even seems to be dissolved solids. Take care in the beginning because the action causes a foam of solids that rises quickly and will spill over if your vessel isn't very tall.

I don't know how efficient this is in the long run. I have only done it on small scale. Very small scale. But you can certainly take some nasty looking wax and knock it down a few notches in color very quickly like this. And repeating does remove more. You will get more solids out like this than you will with any kind of practical filtering.

But it does not need to be over heated and certainly not taken to the flash point so it explodes in your face, killing half the neighborhood! :)

I suppose this could be a precursor to using sun bleaching??

[honeyman46408]

OK I am bumping this to the top

I have found a way to use the wax without bleaching it add COLOR!

Our Grand Daughter ask me th make some candles for her "Madrigal" (Christmas Play) so I used wax that is not fit to use as regular candles.

I am in the process of makeing 36 10" tapers (red) so I killed 2 birds with one stone got rid of the discolored wax and still on the GOOD side of my favorite GD :D

[paulnewbee1]

Mabe said he made a wax melter by chance. how did you make a solor waxer by accedent ?

[Mabe]

Howdy Paulnewbee1,

Had cappings sitting in a metal can on the blacktop driveway on a hot sunny day....was pleasantly surprised to see that they had melted and run down to one side of the can and were quite lovely...so that's when we started experimenting with melters and haven't plugged in a cord since.

Mabe

[Troy]

I recently replaced my sliding glass door with a set of French doors.

Do you think I could pour wax in a thin layer over this glass and leave it out in the sun to bleach?

Do you think it would get hot enough to melt? My thought was that if I provide ventilation on all sides it would stay below the melting point of wax.

[berkshire bee]

How did you "accidentally" make a solar melter. I hope it wasn't by leaving a block of wax on the dashboard of your car:)

[RAlex]

On page 103 of "Super Formulas" Arts and Crafts by Elaine C. White has Wax Bleaching process. I have used this to whiten wax in the past . It calls for 35% peroxide which I found at a beauty supply store locally. For me not worth the time and trouble but had satisfactory results. Pm if you have questions ...Rick