BEESWAX FOR SHIP MODEL RIGGING

[guillemot]

Someone asked about melting beeswax in turpentine. I've done this to use it as a painting medium. Basically you need a double boiler, a bain Marie, or similar. You need to be very careful though as the gasses given off by hot turps is probably flamable and very likely a bit, um, toxic. do it outside. Makes a great furniture polish too!

F

[HIPEXEC]

I've already bought my beeswax even though I am no where near rigging.

[Sonofagun]

Just running through this thread and noticed someone had quoted an author as using turpentine or benzene to dissolve beeswax.

Please note that benzene is a known carcinogen with any type of contact you may have with it.

By the way, I use conservator's wax. Very easy to use. Will liquefy at very low temperatures. A little goes a long way.

[Ulises Victoria]

(Big smile: ...) however: Running the line over beeswax does not "eliminate" fuzz on it, just hides it. To really eliminate the fuzz, I clip one end of the line in a small clamp permanently fixed on my bench and while holding the other end with my fingers, run a really quick pass of a lighter flame over it. Every single line that goes on my ship, receives this treatment.

Just another option. 

Edited February 17, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[guillemot]

(Big smile: ...) however: Running the line over beeswax does not "eliminate" fuzz on it, just hides it. To really eliminate the fuzz, I clip one end of the line in a small clamp permanently fixed on my bench and while holding the other end with my fingers, run a really quick pass of a lighter flame over it. Every single line that goes on my ship, receives this treatment.

Just another option. 

Needs a bit of practice before you stop burning line too! Ask me how I know...

[Ulises Victoria]

Needs a bit of practice before you stop burning line too! Ask me how I know...

 Like everything else.

Key word here is "Quick"

Edited February 17, 2014 by Ulises Victoria

[allanyed]

Drake,

Before using  lip balm, take  a look at the ingredient list and then make sure they are compatible with the rigging line material you are using.  There a number of  oils  and fragrances. and other chemicals, some of which may be harmful to the rigging line over time.  Bees wax by itself has no payoff on the lips, it is much too hard so softeners are added.

 

Allan

[Jerry C]

My first rigged boat was built 45 years ago and I used beeswax on all of the rigging. So far there has been no sign of any degenerating. Age as cause some of the lines to loosen a bit but they are still sound.

[jud]

Jerry C, from what I have read, beeswax does not directly have a negative impact on your rigging or other parts in a ventilated space. The problem develops over time when the models were kept in a closed viewing case. The study done to determine what was happening indicated that wax was producing a caustic gas that remained in the closed environment of the viewing case. Don't think it was determine as to the whys of the wax breakdown in the first place, the breaking down of the wax may also be caused by the closed environment and the wax reaction to aging wood. Don't believe beeswax, used on the rigging creates much of a risk to your models, If you case them, just provide ventilation and  that should be all that is needed.  Don't think that the damage to the cased models  happened in the modelers lifetime, it took much longer.

jud

[KevinR]

I have been following this discussion because I am about to start my rigging. The conservative wax sounds good but I thought it was to expensive and not easy to find. I decided to go with the beeswax for the time being and upgrade on later models. i went to Joannes's Fabrics to pick up the beeswax and came across a product called "Thread Heaven", next to the beeswax. It is suppose to Prevent tangling and fraying, won't melt, Acid Free and safe for all threads and fabrics. It was only $2 more, so I decided to give it a try. Has anyone else used this product before?

http://www.threadheaven.com

[Q A's Revenge]

Looks like you've found a winner there, have to see if I can get some!

[Ulises Victoria]

Amazon has it.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_13?url=search-alias%3Darts-crafts&field-keywords=thread%20heaven&sprefix=thread+heaven%2Caps%2C262

[guillemot]

Thread heaven sounds great, but AFAIK, not available, like Microcrystaline wax, here in Portugal. Amazon tell me I can't have it sent here either - the new idiotic UK Post Office rules.....damn.

[Q A's Revenge]

Several on ebay as well.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thread-Heaven-thread-conditioner-for-cross-stitch-embroidery-/120934583831?pt=UK_Crafts_CrossStitch_RL&hash=item1c28434e17

[jburchfield1@wowway.com]

K, I asked this question elsewhere and have not yet received a response.  Maybe here.

 

How (or maybe what) glue is used to "set" the knot on a line that has been treated/soaked in bees wax?

 

Doesn't the wax prevent the glue from penetrating?

 

Total newbie here so don't yell please.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Pops

[fnkershner]

Pops, Not a stupid question. When I did my rigging. I used beeswax. my frustration was the kinks in the lines. So I would take about 6 to 10 feet of the thread and run it back and forth thru the beeswax then I would drag it across a 40 watt bulb. This took out the kinks and made it lay properly. Now to your question - When I had tied my knots and the lines were properly run I would use a diluted (50%) solution of Elmer's (PVA) to hold the knot. There were rare times I had to use a very small amount of CA. I never found an issue of the wax rejecting the glue.

[Chuck Seiler]

Like many in this thread, I had heard that beeswax s slightly acidic and non-good for rigging over the long haul.  In addition to that, I don't like the way it squishes down the line.  I got some conservator's wax (microcrystalline) called "Renaissance Wax" on Amazon.  A little pricey, but not overly so.  I tried it on some of my Syren company line and I am happy with the result.

[jburchfield1@wowway.com]

I was just doing some research on the web and found this:

 

http://www.dickblick.com/products/crystalline-clear-museum-wax/?wmcp=amazon&wmcid=feeds&wmckw=24200-1622

 

Looks like the same stuff, removes with mineral spirits so could be thinned with the same if necessary.  

 

Pretty cheap too!

 

Think I'll get some and try it when I get to a rigging point.

 

And it appears my "fears" about gluing the knot are basically unfounded so another point cleared up for me.

 

Thanks for your responses.

[mtaylor]

Pops,

 

When you hit that point, do some testing... the 50-50 mix of white glue and water works well, as does matte lacquer, and fabric glue.  It's all about what you feel most comfortable with.

[fnkershner]

I have not had a chance to try it. But I can't wait, I have purchased some rope from Chuck and I am told it does not need wax. It is beautiful stuff and hangs properly. I hope to be rigging soon. so we will see.

[Chuck Seiler]

Floyd,

    I agree.  The Chuck-rope I have is fuzz free and hangs well.  Rigging starts in earnest on PHILLY tomorrow, so we shall see.  I wanted to test to see if the microcrystalline detracted from the look of the line, as my experience with beeswax had.  It did not. 

[robnbill]

I will have to say Chick's one is great. However, I have a mixed bag of line, some from Model Expo, some from Mamoli, some from Chuck, and some from the local fabric store. I have been following this thread and after having read this from other sources as well decided to try dissolving Beeswax in turpentine. What I read was shave the beeswax, put it in a jar, and put turpentine in it. Use as much wax as the turpentine will dissolve in 48 hours. Then you can filter any unmelted wax out.

 

I tried this and what I ended up with was a very thin paste. The wax dissolved well. So far I have used it on my shrouds which are being made with Mamoli supplied thread. After I cut the thread to length I dye it with India Ink. Once this dries, I place the thread in the serving machine and run the beeswax solution over it. This soaks into the thread very well. Then I serve the area to be served and run a bit more wax solution over this. Then I hang the served line to dry overnight.

 

What happens is the turpentine evaporates leaving the beeswax completely throughout the thread. 

 

When I was making my hammocks yesterday I was using disposable hand clothes which are paper but feel a bit like cloth. after staining the cloth with a tea/coffee to make it less than bright white, I rolled small pieces up . I coated my fingers with the beeswax solution which soaked into the cloth and made it roll easier. 24 hours after installing the hammocks in the cranes, the turpentine is completely gone leaving the fabric soaked in wax and firm. 

 

So in my limited experience, I like the beeswax/turpentine solution. It cuts down on the fuzzies, and leaves the line totally saturated with the wax. It looks and feels better than just running the thread through the wax and penetrates much better and more evenly than using a lightbulb and heat.

 

On a side note, the article discussing the deterioration of models in airtight cases that I read was discussing the deterioration of lead. They were attributing the breakdown of the lead to be from the acidic environment caused by the glues and other chemicals used in model making. Their recommendation was that all cases have ventilation. This seems to fix the problem. Not sure if this was the same article being referred to above, but it seems like a common issue that ventilation fixes.

[tkay11]

There are furniture creams made up of beeswax and turpentine -- a recipe for furniture polish that goes back centuries. The mix seems to be exactly the same as Chuck's recipe. I have a couple of bottles of Stephenson's Olde English Furniture Cream made of this, but that brand is no longer made. However there are plenty of others such as Lochinvar at http://www.johngrahamhardware.co.uk/stephensons_old_english.html) and also Stone's furniture cream made up in the same way. There are probably lots of others if you do a search on furniture creams.

 

Tony

[GLakie]

Was browsing my favorite toy store and found this wax called Crystalline Museum Wax and wonder if anyone has experimented with it.

 

Cheers

[Maury S]

George,

Museum wax is used to keep objects from moving / tipping over.  A few little dabs on the bottom of a vase or other object will keep it from moving (someone  jostling a case or minor earthquake), yet it is not permanent.  I would not use it like we do beeswax.

Maury

[Dwaing]

I have used a product called Thread Heaven for a number of years. It is silicon based. It is thought to be the only product that was created to condition thread especially for hand sewing. It is available from sewing and internet stores.