The glandular secretions of honeybees can do more than divide the cells of a hive; beeswax-based paint-coated walls in Ancient Greece and copies of the Magna Carta were delivered in 1215 bearing a beeswax seal. These days, it's mostly an ingredient in candles and cosmetics, but you can visit a craft store or a farmers' market, pick up a cake of it, and put it to work around the house as well. (taken from This Old House)
Ways to use beeswax:
1.As a traditional paste for plastering walls. It is breathable and leaves the surface with a beautiful luster.
2 Unstick a drawer. A thin coat of beeswax on wooden rails makes the wood drawers on Granny's old bureau slide smoothly. It does windows, too. Use wax to lubricate sashes.
3. Wax wood. For structural elements that need to look good but take no wear (such as exposed ceiling beams), heat equal parts beeswax, linseed oil, and turpentine. Apply with a burlap rag while the mixture is still warm.
4. Polish concrete counters. Give a sealed, dark concrete countertop a muted, natural luster by rubbing melted beeswax over the surface with a chamois cloth.
Ways to use beeswax:
1.As a traditional paste for plastering walls. It is breathable and leaves the surface with a beautiful luster.
2 Unstick a drawer. A thin coat of beeswax on wooden rails makes the wood drawers on Granny's old bureau slide smoothly. It does windows, too. Use wax to lubricate sashes.
3. Wax wood. For structural elements that need to look good but take no wear (such as exposed ceiling beams), heat equal parts beeswax, linseed oil, and turpentine. Apply with a burlap rag while the mixture is still warm.
4. Polish concrete counters. Give a sealed, dark concrete countertop a muted, natural luster by rubbing melted beeswax over the surface with a chamois cloth.
