Re: [Harp-L] Sealing a comb with wax (was: plastic comb vs wood ?)

[Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

 As a small child I remember the movie 'The House of Wax' (starring Vinny Price). The fire in the museum scared the Bajeeeezes out of me.
smo-joe 

On Jun 9, 2013, at 1:06 PM, Michelle LeFree wrote:

> "Robert" wrote:
> 
>> Some have been burned seriously while attempting to seal the comb of their
>> harps themselves, melting beeswax on the stove. It's easy to spill, and as
>> far as I recall, it's also flammable. You have to use a double boiler, and
>> extreme caution. Not advisable for most.
> 
> Thanks for the warning, Robert. I felt it was important enough to merit its own thread so as to make it easier to find in the archives downstream. The hazard hasn't been mentioned for some time and doing so again might help avoid serious accidents in the future.
> 
> I remember years back when well known New Zealand on-line chromatic harmonica educator "G" severely burned his hand and set his apartment on fire heating beeswax directly on his gas stove burner. His burns required skin grafts and he was out of commission working on his chromes for months. In fact, he sort of faded away from the scene not long after that. He'd be the first to tell you that heating wax on a stove is definitely a No-No!
> 
> Please folks, there is no need to get wax anywhere near your stove, double-boiler or not. Use a microwave oven set on low power. No need to rush, it will take only a few minutes. Monitor the progress closely and as soon as the wax is fully melted you are ready to go. No need to heat it further. Wax can hold lots of BTUs so there's no need to push your luck by over-heating it. Once melted you'll be able to soak as many combs as you like. Just remember, even if it isn't on fire melted wax is still ~very dangerous~ stuff, so handle it like it is nitroglycerin. In fact it's best to not handle it at all. I just leave mine in the microwave throughout the process until it's re-solidified.
> 
> I store my sealing wax formula in a microwaveable container and just heat it up in the microwave oven when I need it. When I'm done, I let the wax solidify, put the cap on the container and put it away until the next time.
> 
> Please be careful with melting wax. In fact there are likely better ways to seal a comb anyway. Richard Sleigh advised me to ditch my wax and use several coast of lacquer. Others like polyurethane spray finish made for wood. Also, it's worth remembering that some folks have a skin contact reaction when they press beeswax-soaked wood to their lips for hours on end. Go figure.  ;^)
> 
> Michelle
> 
>