# Woodenware HOT-dipped in WAX and ROSIN?



## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

So after a year and half the hive boxes I made, primed painted and decorated are still good as new except for the corners that get chewed up when i open the hive-DAYUM.....

SIX months or so after using ECCO-Wood Treatment those boxes are warping, finger joints are spreading and making a less than content beekeeper even crankier.

SO, in my locality, I have a resource that can wax dip my hive boxes with claims these will last 20 years....( I'll letcha know in 20 years)..they cook them in a wax solution for 10 minutes which leaches out water and absorbs the wax.


OKAY...WHO HERE AND THERE HAS THEIR WOODENWARE DIPPED in this manner and what are your thoughts onthis process?

Priming and painting doesn't bother me in the least.


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## Munson (Mar 16, 2014)

Its's wood. You live in a hot humid place... On the other hand, it sounds cool. If it don't work try cypress.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I use cheap ass pine boxes, primes and painted without a care.....then I got all fancy pants listening to some respectable beeks in my area....who knew.....and again I am lured by the same beeks to do the wax dipping....cypress or ceadar is spendy....thanks for the post!


Munson said:


> Its's wood. You live in a hot humid place... On the other hand, it sounds cool. If it don't work try cypress.


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## Munson (Mar 16, 2014)

I've been using cypress for the bottom boards and slatted rack. Machines nicely. Than again, no one round here is set up to boil woodware in wax and pitch. The pictures look cool. I think I would get 5/4 lumber and build heavy duty mediums specially for that if some one would boil boxes it round here for a reasonable fee.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>OKAY...WHO HERE AND THERE HAS THEIR WOODENWARE DIPPED in this manner

I do.

> and what are your thoughts onthis process?

http://www.bushfarms.com/beesdipping.htm


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## D Coates (Jan 6, 2006)

What are your thoughts of it since you did it? Does it hold up better than paint? Is it worth the extra effort?


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

Isn't the 5/4 a construction lumber and thus pressure treated? Some get their veils all bunched up when you talk about pressure treated woodenware but that is a topic for another post eh?


Munson said:


> I've been using cypress for the bottom boards and slatted rack. Machines nicely. Than again, no one round here is set up to boil woodware in wax and pitch. The pictures look cool. I think I would get 5/4 lumber and build heavy duty mediums specially for that if some one would boil boxes it round here for a reasonable fee.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

So okay...we see the process....I like the branding!!! So your copyright for the page was 2007....I think we'd love to see these same frames in 2015. My beeks in the area are claiming 20 years they will last....nothing lasts 3-years.....When are you coming to our neck of the woods and speaking to our club MB?


Michael Bush said:


> >OKAY...WHO HERE AND THERE HAS THEIR WOODENWARE DIPPED in this manner
> 
> I do.
> 
> ...


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## ProfessorBob (Jun 17, 2015)

vdotmatrix said:


> So after a year and half the hive boxes I made, primed painted and decorated are still good as new except for the corners that get chewed up when i open the hive-DAYUM.....
> 
> SIX months or so after using ECCO-Wood Treatment those boxes are warping, finger joints are spreading and making a less than content beekeeper even crankier.
> 
> ...



I have wax-dipped boxes I bought off a former beekeeper. He was convinced they would hold up much better than having to paint every few years. I would go for it if I were you... I think you'll be happy you did.


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## Uberwilhelm (Mar 7, 2013)

Are there any issues with the coating getting soft or weeping if in direct sunlight all day in the summer?


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

vdotmatrix said:


> Isn't the 5/4 a construction lumber and thus pressure treated?


5/4 (and 4/4 etc) is a reference to lumber _thickness_. It doesn't address whether lumber might be treated or not. More here: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/tips-tricks/what-does-44-mean-when-talking-about-lumber/


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

REALLY? hahahaha, I know but here the only 5/4 is pressure treated stuff for decks and steps....


Rader Sidetrack said:


> 5/4 (and 4/4 etc) is a reference to lumber _thickness_. It doesn't address whether lumber might be treated or not. More here: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/tips-tricks/what-does-44-mean-when-talking-about-lumber/


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## knute (Mar 10, 2013)

I have several years of experience with dipped hive bodies from Country Rubes, and I love them. They use Shastina woodwork, and then assemble & hot dip in paraffin & rosin. Beautiful, long-lasting waterproof finish.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

OKAY I am sold!!! THANKS


knute said:


> I have several years of experience with dipped hive bodies from Country Rubes, and I love them. They use Shastina woodwork, and then assemble & hot dip in paraffin & rosin. Beautiful, long-lasting waterproof finish.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>I think we'd love to see these same frames in 2015

After eight years of being in Nebraska weather:
http://bushfarms.com/images/Hives1.jpg
http://bushfarms.com/images/Hives2.jpg
http://bushfarms.com/images/Hives3.jpg

The painted ones I had for several years before I dipped and dipped them even though they were painted.


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

I stand corrected about the 5/4" only being pressure treated. I thought I was going to make my boxes out of that beautiful CLEAR pine when I saw 5/4" lumber that wasn't pressure treated. Clear pine is about twice as much as #2....thank you for the link!


Rader Sidetrack said:


> 5/4 (and 4/4 etc) is a reference to lumber _thickness_. It doesn't address whether lumber might be treated or not. More here: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/blog/tips-tricks/what-does-44-mean-when-talking-about-lumber/


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## vdotmatrix (Apr 5, 2014)

That is outstanding Michael!!! I am having 7 new boxes I am making this weekend Dipped. I glue my boxes @ assembly, cutting finger joints in the morning, how does the waxing affect the glue? THANK YOU for taking the time to post these images...helped me decided whether to have mine dipped.


Michael Bush said:


> >I think we'd love to see these same frames in 2015
> 
> After eight years of being in Nebraska weather:
> http://bushfarms.com/images/Hives1.jpg
> ...


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

Can anyone tell me that answer to these questions please:
Can the wood be dipped and then assembled? This would be easier from a dipping tank standpoint. I imaging that the glue would no longer hold however? 
I thought the rosin was used to increase the melting temperature of the wax IF one was using paraffin? 
Is dipping previously painted wood still a way to get the preservative value out of this process? 
What would a ball park added cost be for the dipping solution? This is assuming one already has a tank, burner and time etc. 
Many thanks.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>What are your thoughts of it since you did it? Does it hold up better than paint? 

It looks better than paint. It never peels. I can't say how long the boxes will last, they last pretty well with paint too...

>Is it worth the extra effort?

It was to me.

>My beeks in the area are claiming 20 years they will last....nothing lasts 3-years.....

I don't know how long they will last.

>When are you coming to our neck of the woods and speaking to our club MB?

Here's my Schedule:
http://www.bushfarms.com/beesspeaking.htm

Looks like I'll be in Augusta County, VA March 12th and Charleston, WV Apr 9th. I don't know how close that is for you.

>Are there any issues with the coating getting soft or weeping if in direct sunlight all day in the summer?

Mine is beeswax mixed with Rosin at about 2 parts wax to 1 part Rosin. There has been no weeping. It stays dry and solid even in the hot sun in the summer.

>how does the waxing affect the glue?

The only glued parts I dipped were my covers and the shims are nailed and glued to the tops. There were not issues. They stayed attached.

>Can the wood be dipped and then assembled? 

Only if you figure a way to keep the pieces separated. The was won't run between two boards that are up against each other. I found it easier to just assemble it and then dip it. Otherwise it would require either a rack of some kind or putting them in a bundle with some kind of spacers.

>I imaging that the glue would no longer hold however? 

If you mean dipping before you them together, that is probably true.

>I thought the rosin was used to increase the melting temperature of the wax IF one was using paraffin? 

It changes the beeswax. Without the rosin the beeswax gets liquid in the sun in the summer and is kind of messy and very slippery.

>Is dipping previously painted wood still a way to get the preservative value out of this process? 

It seemed to work fine.

>What would a ball park added cost be for the dipping solution? This is assuming one already has a tank, burner and time etc.

I had the beeswax. I bought the rosin. I bought a used tank. I had an outdoor stove already. Beeswax is pretty expensive.


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## davidsbees (Feb 22, 2010)

I've just dipped 200 rebuilt supers in linseed oil with 20% pine rosin heated to 200 degrees. I let them soak for less then a minute each. The supers I rebuilt were made in the late 1950's and dipped hot linseed oil back then.


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## MTN-Bees (Jan 27, 2014)

What size tanks are you guys using? What is you're heating source for these tanks. I'm trying to figure out if the initial cost is a wise investment. It would nice if I could dip everything up to 4 way pallet size.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Mine is about 17" wide by 24" long by 12" deep. It was on top of a gas stove with a telescopic metal lid that exactly fits the tank and a fire extinguisher handy...

If I were setting up the ideal equipment, it would be steam heated (it takes a system that can handle about 20 pounds of pressure to get it hot enough). and I'd make it 24" deep so I could put four boxes (three high and one on end in the middle) and then it would be nice to have it three boxes wide...


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## challenger (May 27, 2009)

Can anyone offer the best supplier for pine resin?
I have a ton of pine trees and they all have scars etc but collecting enough might be a long job?
Thanks


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I bought all mine from Mann Lake who no longer lists it. I have not bought it from anyone else, so I have no actual experience with them, but others have purchased rosin from Pacific Coast Chemicals: http://www.pcchem.com/chemicals-list/gum-rosin-resins-maleic-esters or Diamond Forest Products: http://www.diamondgforestproducts.com/~shop/main.html


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