I'm trying to figure out the safest and most effective way to heat tung oil and beeswax together. I know using the microwave might not be a good idea because of the solvent vapors. Any suggestions on methods or techniques to do this safely?
4 Answers
You could snag an old coffee maker from a thrift store like Goodwill; it works surprisingly well for melting. Alternatively, a mini CrockPot can do the trick—really efficient for this kind of project!
You can microwave just the beeswax to melt it, then mix it in with the tung oil once it's liquid. Keep in mind that the amount of beeswax you use will affect the thickness of your paste wax. For a harder finish, I usually go with a 50/50 ratio.
For a healthy alternative, I use mineral oil since I can heat it without the worry of any harmful vapors. Just a heads up—pure tung oil is actually food safe, and the same goes for beeswax!
My go-to method is to set up a double boiler using a canning jar in a saucepan. I tried using the microwave for my mineral oil and beeswax before, and it took forever. The double boiler can melt it all in about three minutes!