We have often been asked where the wax comes from. Well, there are many types of waxes. Beeswax has been around for a while. There are many mentions of beeswax in historical writing, such as the myth in which Icarus, son of Daedalus, put on wings of wax and, flying too close to the sun, melted and Icarus fell and died. The more experienced father flew closer to the ground and arrived in Italy. In Roman times, Pliny lived from 23 AD. C. until 79 d. C. and described the white beeswax obtained by boiling yellow beeswax in salty water. This was later used in broth and food for those with dysentery, it was also used as a skin softener.

Some beeswax to this day is used in cosmetics. Virgil, the great Roman poet (well, I don’t think the material is that good) wrote about an invention of Pan, who was the keeper of the bees (an ancient beekeeper) made a flute out of reeds joined by beeswax. During the Middle Ages, the wooden panels covered with beeswax were noticed by Homer, a Greek poet. Many Romans were honored to have statues made of themselves in beeswax and therefore today we have the Movie Land Wax Museum in Los Angeles. The Romans also wore death masks occasionally. The Egyptians used wax figures of deities in funeral ceremonies and placed them in tombs. In 400 a. A., The Greek historians say that the covered bodies of Persia were a form of embalming. Did the Assyrians cover the bodies with beeswax and then dip them in honey? Hey honey, who knows? In 181 a. C., when the Romans defeated the Corsicans and imposed a tax of 100,000 pounds of beeswax.

The Romans demanded beeswax when they conquered the city of Trebizond in the 1st century AD. In medieval European times, wax was a unit of exchange in exchange for taxes or others. In 1330 farmers in a region of France paid 2 pounds of beeswax a year. In 1632, records show that the French monastery asked for a rent of 600 pounds. of beeswax per year. Also in 1371 a petition was presented to the London Court of Councilors on behalf of the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers, which established them as the oldest English guild in the world. In 1483, the company received a Royal Charter with authority to oversee the craft of wax jewelry. And when faults were found to punish the offender, which included seizing the wax.

Beeswax candles were required by the Roman Catholic Church as the only and exclusive candles. The bees were brought to Puerto Rico by the church and the first priests and conquerors. These same bees, although dwarfed in comparison to the original bees, still live on the island today. Today, beeswax is sometimes used in car waxes, but it is typically used more in furniture wax and polishes. You can make your own wax very easily, just like my ancestors did on the Cape Cod plantation. First you need a couple of boiling pots and a pot of hot water. Liquid beeswax furniture polish is simple, use a quarter cup of ivory soap, a quarter pound of beeswax, 1 cup of turpentine, and a half cup of water. Dissolve the soap in hot water, put the shaved wax in the turpentine and then slowly melt, then pour the soap mixture into the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon, once well stirred pour it into a glass jar and you have it, very easy. Beeswax cream furniture polish, which can also be used in cars with a smaller amount of turpentine, is made by using and mixing a quarter pound of beeswax, 2 cups of turpentine, a quarter cup of soap Ivory liquid, 1 cup of warm to boiling water and a quarter cup of pine oil. The only difference is that you have to make sure that all of the beeswax dissolves first and cools down, then mixes it with the warm soapy water until frozen and then reheat and dissolve. If you reduce the turpentine content, you can also use it in your car. Keep it smooth and it works well. Although, I am a supporter of Carnauba car wax for its ease of use, but from a realistic protection point of view, carnauba only lasts for three months while melted beeswax could last a bit longer.

To polish solid beeswax furniture, which is preferred by the antique dealers we place on the back roads of NH, VT, and Maine, all you need to do is use equal amounts of linseed oil, beeswax, and turpentine. The finished product is golden brown, transparent and looks rich in content. You have now smelled lemon oil in furniture polish, which can easily be added to boiling water during the process. There are plenty of good car waxes that you wouldn’t put on surfboards, furniture, or statues. Wax is also found in the human ear. There are two different types and your genetics dictate which one you have. Most plants also have a thin protective layer of wax. Most fruit and citrus trees and vegetable plants have wax in the fruits, leaves, and vegetables they produce and eat. Waxes are also produced by animals and also some fish. Other components of wax are found in minerals and petroleum products and distillates. There are Polymeric or synthetic, manufactured by man in various types of waxes. We actually get waxes from a variety of sources.

The Carnauba we are talking about is a wax preferred by many retailers. Carnauba wax is found in the leaves of the carnauba palm trees. The best Carnauba wax comes in my opinion from the Palms of Brazil. You can see good carnauba wax by the water droplets you see when detailing your car. Candelilla wax comes from a plant that grows in parts of Mexico, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, and sometimes in the southwestern United States. It is a brown wax and not only do people use it in cars, but it is also used in phonograph records, floor dressings, and candles. Although it is the main component of candle wax, it is normally mixed with other waxes in the candles that we use in our homes.

Polymeric wax includes the very popular Teflon, yes, a brand of polymer used by Dupont. Polymeric wax is a chain of compounds made from petroleum sources and today from corn products. Polymers, which are bonded together, are generally applied in specific thicknesses for automotive clearcoats, and depending on the mix, they can be quite incredible. In fact, they are so good that they are often called sealers and some last up to a year when applied in the proper mixes and thicknesses. The word Polymer is very vague in this sense, as polymers are used to make plastics, coatings, and many other products.

Generally, short chains of ethylene polymers are of the type used by professional auto detailers and similar auto detailers. Many in the aviation industry use it when performing specialized aircraft cleaning. We estimate that 80% of all commercial aviation aircraft and auto detail cleaning wax is petroleum-based wax. Petroleum wax is chemically inactive in a sense and that is probably why it is so preferred. It’s also cheaper to make than to harvest, and it has a ton of uses. You can’t smell it unless cleaners are added, which is usually the case, but it still won’t react to cause an odor.

Cranberry wax, which comes from the berries of the shrub with that name, is also used in candle making. How does this happen? From bees, the same wax to make hives. Beeswax is used for many things that are common to man; things like candles, polishes, cosmetics (mostly makeup), crayons, flowers (artificial kind). Bee’s Wax is another wax that you can use in your car and it is difficult to spread and will give off a great shine. The problem is that the dust collects too quickly, but it looks good.

Animal wool wax is also common in man. Lanolin, it is called, after purification is used in soaps in industry, and also in cosmetics, as well as in certain ointments for first aid and what medical things. Petroleum wax can also be hardened and then we get a new type of wax. Paraffin; used in paper products (cups, paper plates), graffiti and petroleum jelly. All synthetic waxes are composed of hydrogen, carbon, oxygen and / or chlorine. Chemists will always try to make the perfect wax for cars, boats and planes to protect us from the harsh climates on the surface of this little blue planet.

And these chemicals are driven by desire and need, and the possibilities are endless as new compounds are added to existing ones to spawn entirely new mixing ideas – some will revolutionize our industry, but most will just be bogus. Some will be promoted even though they don’t really solve a problem or need. However, the race continues to find the best and we should think about what that product contains before putting it in a car, boat, plane or possession of a customer prize. This is what the professional detailer does, which is why we are auto care experts and we call ourselves Auto Detailers, Rejuvenation Specialists, and Professional Auto Detailers.

There are so many types of waxes that we really know. Of the discussed organic waxes that contain carbon materials, they melt at fairly low temperatures. The chemical and biological makeup of waxes is so diverse and complex as well as consideration of grades, properties, surface uses, and shelf life that waxes really understand in depth, but hopefully this has cleared up some of complex wax-related problems. , how it is made and where it comes from.