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mdf191 · 12-23-2007, 06:10 PM

Has anyone ever melted wax beads for coating the tops of their bottles? What is the best way to go about melting this stuff...? In a put it in a pot direct to a burner....or maybe use a double boiler? Will the wax mess up the pot it is melted in?

z987k · 12-23-2007, 06:28 PM

how long do you plan on storing these things? Wine bottles I hope?

**RichBrewer** · 12-23-2007, 07:15 PM

I waxed my pumpkin ale last year. I wanted them to be special for gifts.
I used a double boiler as I feared the direct heat would burn the wax. I put the melted wax into a empty, cleaned, and dried, vegetable can. I dipped the bottles in at an angle to give them more interest. I also tried to let the wax run down the side when I tipped it back up. If you do this show us the results!
EDIT: I messed up the pan doing this. Try putting the wax beads into the can and place the can in the double boiler. That should make a lot less mess!

wihophead · 12-23-2007, 07:33 PM

My wife makes candles....the best/safest way is to use a double boiler. You can melt it in a pan directly on a burner but pay very close attention to it because you could reach the flash point of the wax....I have seen it happen...

**Yuri_Rage** · 12-23-2007, 08:20 PM

I just ran a little "proof of concept" experiment in the kitchen.

I melted four of those cheap tea-light candles in a double boiler. I added 1/4 oz of petroleum jelly (about 18% of the total weight) to the mix, then dipped a few bottles. The color is less than impressive (translucent white), but it seems to work well.

In the future, I think adding about 30% petroleum jelly by weight would make candle wax just a little more flexible. So, here's my idea - rather than buying bottle wax, I'll just buy a cheap unscented candle in a color I like, melt it, add some petroleum jelly, and seal away. I hear crayons can be pretty effective as wax dye, so I may try that in case the candle color isn't brilliant enough.

A couple more tips:

You can make a sort of "crucible" by forming a double layer of aluminum foil inside a drinking glass. Then use your makeshift crucible as the inner portion of the double boiler - no ruined pots/pans that way.

Cover the countertop/workspace with waxed paper to avoid a waxy mess all over the place.

Use room temperature bottles. The ones I pulled out of the fridge didn't look nearly as nice as the ones I had at room temp.

tnbrewer371 · 02-16-2011, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yuri_Rage

I just ran a little "proof of concept" experiment in the kitchen.

I melted four of those cheap tea-light candles in a double boiler. I added 1/4 oz of petroleum jelly (about 18% of the total weight) to the mix, then dipped a few bottles. The color is less than impressive (translucent white), but it seems to work well.

In the future, I think adding about 30% petroleum jelly by weight would make candle wax just a little more flexible. So, here's my idea - rather than buying bottle wax, I'll just buy a cheap unscented candle in a color I like, melt it, add some petroleum jelly, and seal away. I hear crayons can be pretty effective as wax dye, so I may try that in case the candle color isn't brilliant enough.

A couple more tips:

You can make a sort of "crucible" by forming a double layer of aluminum foil inside a drinking glass. Then use your makeshift crucible as the inner portion of the double boiler - no ruined pots/pans that way.

Cover the countertop/workspace with waxed paper to avoid a waxy mess all over the place.

Use room temperature bottles. The ones I pulled out of the fridge didn't look nearly as nice as the ones I had at room temp.

sorry for the thread revival but yuri this sounds promising!!!! any final thoughts on this process as im thinking about sealing the bottles on my imperial stout im getting ready to bottle next week.

MoeIPA · 12-31-2012, 03:51 PM

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/bottle-seal-wax-beads-gold.html

**banik** · 12-31-2012, 04:09 PM

http://www.reddit.com/r/Homebrewing/comments/12xk3d/waxing_bottles_crayons_vs_bottle_wax_a_tutorialama/

That's a really great tutorial/comparison that an acquaintance of mine did.

**Yuri_Rage** · 12-31-2012, 04:39 PM

Sorry I never replied to the above from last year. I've since used bottle wax very successfully and abandoned the candle/crayon method. The real deal isn't very expensive and works very well. The Reddit link above talks about multiple dips to build thickness. However, the key is not multiple attempts, but rather temperature control. If the coating is too thin, lower the wax temp (and vice versa).