# Boiled linseed oil and beeswax



## rtsquirrel

Have been building my TBHs and am ready to prep them for the outdoors. Was thinking that Boiled Linseed oil and Beeswax was a Natual Alternative to paint.
Not so sure after perusing many many threads.
Any thoughts on the BEST Natural , short of pricey dipping teq's?

For those of you who have done B.L.Oil and Wax, can you recommend ratios and mixing techniques? how about application? brush or rub?


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## odfrank

From an old thread:

Beeswax paint
Beekeepers and delamination should be an oxymoron, we all have access to the finest waterproofing around: beeswax. Buy a gallon of turpentine (the real stuff distilled from trees, not the mineral turps from coal), heat turpentine in a crockpot and add beeswax until you get 25-50% of the volume. Higher wax content is fine when applying warm from the crockpot, but not when cold. The more wax, the more waterproofing but the stiffer it is to apply cold, and it is not as effective on end grain because it is not absorbed as well.

Turpentine is the penetrant, carrying wax into the pores of the wood/plywood/exposed surface. Brush or roll on boxes, lids etc and pay special attention to the exposed grain/plywood edges. Works better on a hot day when the wood is warm as you get deeper penetration. Keep treating endgrain until no more is absorbed (if it needs more than three swipes use more wax in the mixture). This is nowhere near as effective as dipping in heated wax, but it is simpler.


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## PatBeek

Here's a video I saw on youtube last night regarding this:


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## PatBeek

.

Also, regarding sealing or painting the hive, I found this interesting article on Corwin Bell's site:

*Should I weatherize my new top bar hive?*

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## PatBeek

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Here is a simple method from e-how:

*How to Make a Beeswax Wood Finish*

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## PatBeek

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Does anyone have a huge problem with applying a good natural beeswax - by itself - such as the following?

*Daddy Van's All Natural Unscented Beeswax Furniture Polish*

http://www.amazon.com/Daddy-Vans-Na...3?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1327279613&sr=1-3

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## windfall

Pure beeswax is way way too hard to be applied directly to wood. You can apply it melted, but it is tricky and a lot of work to keep it from glopping up the surface. And it will normally fail to bond well to the wood, unless the wood too is warm enough to keep it melted for a time allowing it to soak in a bit.

Normally the wax is cut with either an oil (linseed, walnut,tung mineral...) or a solvent (turps, mineral spirits, naptha...) this will soften it enough to be applied at room temp and allow excess to be buffed off. Solvents will evaporate off after time, oils will remain, and tend to create a darker finish.

Also, Boiled linseed oil is no longer "boiled" but instead has had driers added to speed the oxidation (curing/drying) of the oil. Most of these are heavy metal salts and should not be used in a "natural" finish, if by "natural" you mean non-toxic. Raw linseed is better suited if you want non-toxic...but it takes a long long time to dry.


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## PatBeek

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Windfall,

Your input is very much appreciated.

So using raw linseed with beeswax seems to best way to go, from what I gather so far - at least to keep things as natural or non-toxic as possible.

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## PatBeek

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Milk paint?

Tung Oil?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

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## rtsquirrel

I'm really loving all the input here. Seems like there's not much out there that is "natural." I was trying to apply the qualifier of "if you wouldn't put it on your skin, don't put it on you hive." I guess boiled linseed is no longer natural, with heavy metals in it now. I might as well ust the napthenate i bought two years ago.


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## PatBeek

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http://www.realmilkpaint.com/products.html

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/facts.html

*Can Real Milk Paint ® be used outdoors?*
Real Milk Paint ® is very durable to the weather. For furniture we recommend painting to your liking and allowing the furniture to sit under a covered porch for about two weeks before full exposure. The paint will continue to get tougher as the moisture passes through the paint. For exterior use, a few weeks without heavy precipitation is recommended.

*Is milk paint dangerous?*
Milk paint is very environmentally friendly, you can throw old paint on your garden without harm. Caution should be used while painting to prevent paint from getting in the eyes. Burning may occur because of the lime content. Also, wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. Always flush and wash eyes and hands thoroughly with water.

*What will milk paint stick to?*
Real Milk Paint ® is best applied to raw wood or unsealed walls or wall board. When refinishing antiques, be sure the surface is very clean, a light sanding would be necessary. Tri Sodium Phosphate is a good cleaner after a piece of furniture is stripped to remove any impurities left on the surface. Milk paint does not stick well to new metal surface, plastics, or oil base paints or finishes.

*After the non toxic paint has dried 3-4 hours you may top coat with varnish, oil finish, Pure Tung Oil, lacquer, or wax. *

*ADVANTAGES:*

Sticks to raw wood, plaster, dry wall, stone, unsealed brick and concrete
No Primer need on raw wood and porous surfaces
Sticks to latex with the addition of Ultra Bond
Easy to use, water-based formula
Each bag contains everything needed, just add water
Remains useable for a minimum of two weeks after mixing with water
Does not congeal to a blob
Environmentally friendly, non toxic paint
Non-toxic Paint
Does not contain radioactive Kaolin Clays as a filler
Traditional color palette, based on antique painted furniture
Virtually no odor
No residual odor after drying
Dries fast (30 minutes to 4 hours depending ambient temperature)


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## PatBeek

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The more I look into this, the more I think this may be the ticket. Plus, just think of all the wacky color combinations that can be incorporated. If you build these things, people would be DEMANDING them by the bus load !!!....(ok, well depending on your art skillz, I suppose).

But check this out. He adds the tung oil DIRECT into the paint mixture. He claims that it will give the paint 10X longevity:













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## No-sage

I coated my THB with pure beeswax, inside and out. I used a heat gun (paint stripping type) to heat the wood so that the wood itself was hot enough to melt the block of wax. The wax gets absorbed into the wood. Just heat the wood until hot enough to melt the wax. Move the heat gun down to heat another area and follow with the wax block. So far it's only been one season, so I don't know the longevity.

I make wooden longbows for archery and have used parafin wax to waterproof them for years, using the same method. It keeps moisture out well, and needs very little maintenance. My bows are used outdoors for hunting, and moisture in the wood would ruin a bow, making it weak and unusasble. This is what led me to use the beeswax on my hive.


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## PatBeek

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In case anyone is curious, I have a few pics of my yard setup with the hive. The hive, of course, is not yet painted - so this is just a mock-up.

By the way, I went ahead and ordered the milk paint and tung oil. I chose sky blue as the color.

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## rtsquirrel

No-sage,
I would be very interested in seeing a longbow. What type of wood do you use?


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## rtsquirrel

PatBeek,
What material are you using as a lid? It almost looks like a melamine or cement board.


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## PatBeek

rtsquirrel said:


> PatBeek,
> What material are you using as a lid? It almost looks like a melamine or cement board.


It IS cement board. However, the cement board is screwed to the wooden lid, so there's no direct contact inside the hive to the cement board. So to me it seems like it's going to be a great barrier for rain, sun, etc. The overhang of the cement board will even protect the bees from rain when they walk out on the bee landing, and to minimize rain going into the hive through the opening.

It's a tad heavy, but not too cumbersome.

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## rtsquirrel

I like it. I was planning on using a different material for my lids, but I like the cementboard idea. I bet the weight of it will keep it on the hive.


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## Bush_84

Might be a silly question, but how warm does it need to get outside for me to start applying my linseed oil/wax to my hives?


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## PatBeek

Bush_84 said:


> Might be a silly question, but how warm does it need to get outside for me to start applying my linseed oil/wax to my hives?


Bush 84,

What do you think about the milk paint and tung oil?

Beware, if you get the boiled linseed oil, it will contain additives which may not be to the liking of the bees. You may want to make sure you find the raw linseed oil.

Regarding the optimum temperature needed to conduct these procedures, I'm not sure. Fortunately for me I live in Florida, so I don't really have to wrestle too much with that issue.


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## PatBeek

rtsquirrel said:


> I like it. I was planning on using a different material for my lids, but I like the cementboard idea. I bet the weight of it will keep it on the hive.


Yes, it's a very nice wind barrier as well. I was against the idea at first because of the material not being very bee-friendly, but that part of the lid does not contact the bees inside the hive whatsoever. I think it turned out to be a fantastic idea, thanks to my neighbor.


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## PatBeek

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I just wanted to show everyone the progress with my bee hive.

Today I painted my hive (just the outside only - no paint inside, of course) with non-toxic milk paint and tung oil mixed in, as discussed extensively in previous posts.

Yeah, I know baby blue (or is it sky blue?) is a bit strange, but I dig it. I felt I had to protect the wood to some extent but still keep it as natural as possible. I think I found a great balance.

Anyhow, here are the photos:


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## utahbees

Looks good you will have to let us know how the milk paint holds up.


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## windfall

cement boards are mostly quite porous and water absorbent. I think it might let a lot of rain water percolate through as well as hold damp on the hive top, especially with a flat top. Paint might help.

Because they are relatively dense(heavy) and thermally conductive(non-insulating) you night also get more significant condensation when the weather and temperatures swing abruptly in fall and winter....maybe not an issue in FL.

That said, there are several types and brands and I am not familiar with the properties of them all.


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## PatBeek

windfall said:


> cement boards are mostly quite porous and water absorbent. I think it might let a lot of rain water percolate through as well as hold damp on the hive top, especially with a flat top. Paint might help.


Thanks for that heads-up.

I'll ask my neighbor about the particular cement board he used.

I know he made a lighthouse mailbox stand out of the same material and it's still standing fine, but I suppose there could be moisture on the inside.

But you know, the surface of that cement board seems almost like a ceramic or porcelain. It seems it's not too porous, but I'll double check and paint it if need be.

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## windfall

Best to check...easy to test. It may feel like ceramic but it is cement...very different product. The boards don't mind the water...you can leave them submerged and they will hold up fine. It's your bees that may mind it.


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## taydeko

I use cement boards for my tops. They are "moisture resistant". I am painting the outside, just like the rest of the hive. They do have some insulative properties, but I am putting a piece of foam on the inside, as well as a ventilated air space to help combat condensation on top of the hive.


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## RiodeLobo

rtsquirrel said:


> I would be very interested in seeing a longbow. What type of wood do you use?


As an amateur bowyer I can give you a general answer. For longbows hickory (and other straight grain knot free woods) are the easiest to use, Osage orange is a great wood and looks good, but is more difficult. Yew is top of the line bowyer wood and is pretty spendy . For recurve bows you can use a single stave of wood or laminates.


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## rtsquirrel

@RiodeLobo: thanks for that. I'm familiar with Yew and Hickory for bows. Haven't heard of OsageOrange, of course< I do not make bows either, so...

@PatBeek: TBH looks good. I went with the BLS Oil and Beeswax mix. It was a little cool outide when I applied it, so I may take NoSage's tip about the heat gun. Although, they feel like they will repel water nicely, but I imagine a reapplication would be neccessary down the road. Probably not easy when bees reside within. Luckily, I scored an inexpensive 2qt crockpot at the Goodwill, mixes up nicely, and easy to store in.

@ all who replied: thanks for all the feedback, much appreciated. Cheers! (clink)


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## Lauri

I only read a few of the posts but thought I'd post a photo of this hive I sealed with beeswax/linseed oil mix. I burned the pine bottom deep hive body with my propane torch to bring out the wood grain-then while still hot applied the wax/oil mix. I burned it again until the wax and oil sizzled slightly and soaked into the wood. Then added another coat. It sealed the box very well -I am in Western Washignton where it rains a LOT. Just pay extra attention to the box joint ends or ends of the boards. They are very porus and need extra sealer.
Note the bottom box is done with the wax/oil mix. Top box was done with spar urithane, which I really like too.
Beeswax method is a lot more time consuming, but nice to go natural. Diamond aluminum was salvaged from a scrap yard and the silver upholstery tacks were purchased off ebay. This is actually a doube nuc in a deep box. Left a 'nose' for orientation


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## utahbees

those boxes look great!


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## rtsquirrel

@ lauri : Nice looking hive bodies. How much boiled/wax was on the surface when you did the second "burn"? I was thinking of doing that myself, on a Virginia Whit Pine TBH.


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## Tom Brueggen

I was thinking about using beeswax to seal the inside of a top feeder so it doesn't leak down on the bees (haha, would the care?). Anyway, I was thinking to just brush on molten beeswax with a paint brush. But will that get decent penetration, or do I need some oil as a carrier?

I see everyone saying that RAW linseed oil is natural, but if used, could it leach into the sugar water feed and hurt the bees? I'm not as concerned with penetration on the wood of the feeder as I am contaminants leaching back into the feed.

I know most people are looking for an exterior water sealer that can stand up to something like rain, but how would a beeswax sealer handle being submerged? History shows use to seal the hulls of ships, but was that pure beeswax? Likely it was mixed with tallow/oil of some sort.


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## Stan1951

I really like the tung oil that BeeThinking sells. Tried some from another supplier and it wasn't nearly as good.


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## Colino

No-Sage:
I think I'll use your idea in my swarm traps. I was just rubbing bees wax inside cold but I think this way it will be more permanent as an attractant. This may also be a way to stop absconding from a hive made with new lumber, what do you think? Thanks for the idea.


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