Making your own bottling wax (I do it, how do you?)

[Arpolis]

Hello all

I do not always wax my bottles but I do for special occasions and when I am bored. A couple weeks ago my wife and I attended a wedding and as a gift I provided a 2012 Ginger Mead that I thought turned out really well. To make it fancier I waxed the bottle top and added a nice label and bow. I just wanted to share my home made bottle wax recipe that I think turns out super well with good color, no chipping & easy to remove while sticking well to the glass.

3oz bees wax or paraffin
2 small hot glue sticks
1 crayola crayon of color of choice

This is enough for about 4-5 bottles if done in a small enough pot to not spread it out too thin for dipping.

Just make a big pot of water and get it to boiling and put the small pot in the water. Keep the temps high. The glue stick melt last and take some working with a spoon/spatula to get mixed with the wax. Takes about 20+ min of prep but the results are great.

 

[RegarRenill]

+1, great info, thx!

 

[On-target]

I always wanted to try this, thanks.

 

[fatbloke]

Too lazy to make my own. I just buy it in, in whatever colour I want/need......

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

Too lazy to make my own. I just buy it in, in whatever colour I want/need......

Well that was a useful post.

Gonna try this out for my barleywine.

 

[ill4delph]

This is basically what I used for mine. I waxed a few bottles that I gave to family as gifts. I used a clean soup can to melt the wax...it really was the perfect size and you don't have a mess to clean up, just toss the can in the trash.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Arpolis]

This is basically what I used for mine. I waxed a few bottles that I gave to family as gifts. I used a clean soup can to melt the wax...it really was the perfect size and you don't have a mess to clean up, just toss the can in the trash.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Home Brew mobile app

Soup can is a great idea. I never thought of that. I will use that next time.

 

[ill4delph]

Soup can is a great idea. I never thought of that. I will use that next time.

i have a gas burner stove and just put put the can right over the fire and kept the flame at medium/low. Make sure you have a pot holder handy because the can will obviously get pretty hot.

 

[garlicbee]

Good tips

 

[fatbloke]

Well that was a useful post.

Gonna try this out for my barleywine.

Yes........I thought so......

as useful as barley wine.......in the mead forum, but YMMV......

happy christmas !

 

[Fuzzymittenbrewing]

Yes........I thought so......

as useful as barley wine.......in the mead forum, but YMMV......

happy christmas !

Oh internet morons. Theyre everywhere

Sent from my LG-LS720 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[mbbransc]

Can someone post some result snapshots? I'll be brewing a bourbon imperial stout pretty soon and planned on all bombers for bottling, and aging for 6-12 months. Wax tops sound like the extra mile to make'em special.

thx

 

[joyceman]

3oz bees wax or paraffin
2 small hot glue sticks
1 crayola crayon of color of choice

You're talking about the sticks for a hot glue gun, right?

Where can you buy beeswax or paraffin?

 

[poptarts]

You're talking about the sticks for a hot glue gun, right?

Where can you buy beeswax or paraffin?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=beeswax+
To keep up with the troll spirit in this thread

And to have my post be usefull
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/hot-glue-bottle-wax-experiment-127485/index4.html
Here is a massive thread that doesn't use beeswax.

Here is mine; I used 2 crayons : 1 glue stick (10" x .44")

 

[joyceman]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=beeswax+
To keep up with the troll spirit in this thread

And to have my post be usefull
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/hot-glue-bottle-wax-experiment-127485/index4.html
Here is a massive thread that doesn't use beeswax.

I was wondering if they were usually commercially available at a grocery/drug/craft or hardware store, but thanks for the useful link.

 

[Arpolis]

You're talking about the sticks for a hot glue gun, right?

Where can you buy beeswax or paraffin?

Correct just the sticks for a standard glue gun.

I buy paraffin and bees wax from Michele's in 10lb and 1lb blocks. I usually make candles but chip of bits for bottling from time to time. If you have no Michles near by then many craft stores have paraffin at least.

 

[mbbransc]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=beeswax+
To keep up with the troll spirit in this thread

And to have my post be usefull
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/hot-glue-bottle-wax-experiment-127485/index4.html
Here is a massive thread that doesn't use beeswax.

That looks awesome! How long do they take to harden?

 

[poptarts]

I havent done it before but I would assume about as long as it takes regular hot glue to cool? 5 - 10 mins would be my guess.

 

[ostensibly]

I just finished capping 2 different batches - I used the 1 crayon:3 small glue sticks ratio and it turned out very well. The wax was hardened just from running under cold water, but not brittle.

 

[mbbransc]

Is that how you stop it from running all the way down the bottle?