how can i disolve wax

Xylene dissolves wax. I think d-limonene (Citrusolve and similar solvents) will also dissolve wax but leave an oily film that takes longer to evaporate..

RWL

Asp wrote: i am looking for a fairly fast drying solvent that will dissolve wax. i would like to try making a coating that i can brush on (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^^ Woodturners use a product which is a wax-in-water emulsion, for sealing the ends of green logs. If you use a solvent, you will be evaporating it into the air you breathe. The emulsion dries to a waxy surface, with practically no odor, and, therefore, I assume, no health hazards. I think you could make this by melting your wax and blending it with hot water, using some detergent in the mix. The emulsion looks about like white glue.

Why not melt it in a crock pot and brush it on hot? It will penetrate the end grain a little better if you warm it up- think heat gun.

Ted

I suspect it may depend on exactly what wax you have. But paint thinner will dilute parafin.

Dan

What kind of wax? An old woodturning finish was beeswax dissolved in turpentine. I imagine that mineral spirits will do the same with paraffin or petroleum-based waxes, you might have to apply some heat, steam or electric, of course... Some of the older woodworking manuals have some other wax-based solvent-type finishes. It all depends on the type of wax.

Stan

I dissolve wax (paste wax, that is, e.g., Butcher's) in paint thinner. I have different solutions - thick to rub on, thinner to paint on, and thinnest to dip in. The "dip" one is a gallon paint can half full and the consistency of thin paint/shellac (about a pound of wax to 1/2 gallon of thinner). When I'm de-rusting small parts with muriatic acid I dip the part right after rinsing it. I wipe it to get a thin coat and let it air dry for a thicker one. Bigger parts get painted. I suppose one could spray it if thinned enough.

I suspect that most petroleum based solvents would work and you could pick the one that gives the drying time you need. Xylol, acetone, lacquer thinner, or naphtha would probably be the fastest. Paint thinner is by far the cheapest, though ($1.99/gal on sale). Since you "... have 70 pounds of wax to play with.", cost is probably important.

BTW - I've noticed an interesting phenomenon: the solution gets thicker as it stands. And not from evaporation - it's in a sealed can. The can of shellac-like solution thickened in about a week to paint-like. The paint-like one has thickened to catsup-like.

Bob