top of page

Prepare your own cold wax recipe and save money!

​

​

Ingredients

​

  • 500 grams bleached beeswax. Bleached beeswax can be purchased from most art supply stores

 

  • 60 grams castor wax

 

  • 4 cups gum turps/odourless or odourless citrus based solvent. Odourless turpentine from the art shop can also be used.

​

Method

​

  1. Gently melt the beeswax (low heat - DO NOT HEAT OVER 210 Deg F, 100 C) in a large pan

  2. Add castor wax

  3. Stir occasionally until all particles are dissolved and you have a smooth honey like syrup consistency

  4. Remove from heat, allow to cool to lukewarm consistency, then add the turps

  5. When the solution begins to turn white and thicken pour into glass jars and seal tightly. The mixture will set within about 20 minutes

  6. The Wax paste is now ready to use. It does tend to dry out even when stored in a glass jar with a screw top lid, so I would recommend you only mix a small amount and use it within a couple of weeks

  7. When adding oil paints (for desired colour approximately 50/50 for strong colours however it depends on the transparency and depth of colour you desire.
    Remove a small amount of the wax onto a sheet of wax paper. Add the oil paint or dry pigment (if using dry pigment be sure to wear a mask). Use a spatula to mix the colour well, apply to you board immediately

  8. Be sure to keep the lid of the wax jar tightly secured as the wax will dry out quickly if left exposed

  9. If it starts to harden add a little more odourless turpentine and reseal

bottom of page