Re: [Harp-L] Heating wax over direct heat - dangerous

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

This sounds dangerous (see post below).

Some on the list may remember that harmonica customizer "G" was badly
burned in a wax fire while heating wax over a direct flame to treat
wooden combs. He needed extensive skin grafts and nearly lost two
fingers. I think his kitchen was also damaged in the fire. Here's a
link to a post he wrote about 18 months after the event:

http://harp-l.org/mailman/htdig/harp-l/2003-September/msg00338.html

Dave, you may be following good protocols to avoid fire and the bodily
injury and building damage that may result, but not everyone reading
this may be mindful of the hazards, hence this note of caution and
mention of alternatives.

All the instruction I have read on melting beeswax on a stove includes
the warning to use a double boiler to avoid fire.

An alternative is a double boiler is to use a low-heat electric warmer,
like the kinds used to warm potpourri or wax for hair removal. These
work slowly at a low temperature but will melt the wax. However, these
may be too small to soak a harmonica comb without pouring the wax out
onto another surface. Another solution is a slow cooker like the
Crockpot and similar devices, or an electric fondue pot. These again
will hear wax slowly at a safe heat level, and some versions may have a
large enough bottom surface to allow for placing the entire comb
surface on the  wax at once.

Winslow

--- "Dave Payne Sr." <payneoutdoors@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Here's how I do it. You don't want the beeswax too hot because first
> you don't want a fire and secondly, you don't want to warp the wood. 
>    
>   I keep a cast iron skillet dedicated to beeswax, cause it is almost
> impossible to get cookware clean enough after a waxing to use for
> anything else. I use cast iron because it distributes heat better. 
>   The skillet has about a quarter inch of beeswax in it. I turn on
> low heat until it all melts but a small circle, about an inch or two
> in diameter of solid wax floating in the center. Then, I turn off the
> heat and wait for the rest to melt from the residual heat. Once
> that's done, I put the comb in there and leave it for a couple
> minutes to soak up some wax, then I flip the comb and let it sit some
> more. When I'm ready to take it out, I stand the comb on its bottom,
> teeth up, so excess wax will drain. I pull it out and sit it on a
> piece of paper to cool, again with the comb teeth up, so the wax will
> drain down. Once it cools, I start scraping off the excess wax very
> easily, then go over it with a piece of sandpaper. DOn't scrape with
> a knife or anything sharp that will damage the wood. I use a little
> tool made from an old reedplate. 
>   Then you can use a toothpick or something to get all the little
> loose pieces of wax out of the chambers, so those aren't gumming up
> the reeds later. 
>   I use tweezers to get the comb in and out of the wax. I can't
> stress enough not to get hot wax on your hands. It burns and keeps
> burning. It's like harmonica Napalm when it touches you. The wax
> doesn't need to be and shouldn't be that hot. Just hot enough to
> where it has a thin consistency that the wood will soak up. 
> 
> 
> 
> __________________________________________________________________
> Dave Payne Sr. 
> Journalist and writer
> 1114 Charles St. 
> Parkersburg, WV 26101
>        
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