I used to have fun with beeswax back when 35mm slides were
used for presentation graphics. With a little care and some
tweezers, one can apply a thin strip of clear adhesive tape
to align with the "theoretical results curve" on a slide of
a graph.  One can then use the tweezers to apply individual
metal filings as "experimental data points" to the slide,
using melted beeswax as the "glue".

Since slides in slide projectors are always upside down,
the slide drops in front of the lamp, and one has at least
20 seconds to get well into the explanation of the experimental
results before the wax starts to melt.  The wax melts, the
metal filings slide slowly downward on the slide until they
run into the adhesive tape, which results in the "experimental
results" data points moving up to exactly meet the theoretical
curve while you calmly continue speaking, of course never
glancing back at the slide yourself.

It may seem a "lame" joke now, but it was a real knee-slapper
back in 1979.


I also dip the "ears" of new frames into beeswax, and paint my
Stroller spacers and frame rests with a fine coat of melted
beeswax with a small paintbrush to keep the frames from getting
propolized.  More tedious than labor-intensive, but the coatings
last for several years.  As a result, I can shuffle through brood
chambers almost as fast as a Las Vegas blackjack dealer, so the
time invested pays back very quickly, and when time is most scarce.

When my sons were young, I would make them awards for meritorius
conduct that looked like imperial decrees from the Duchy of Grand
Fenwick, affixing varying wax seals and ribbons using nothing more
than some dyed wax and jar lids of various sizes.  Silly yes, but
their doting father would also mat, frame, and hang their art class
creations in the hallway "art gallery" rather than taping them to
the fridge.


Much less "strange", we never stopped using beeswax to polish our
furniture and woodwork. Fine old wood deserves the extra work, but
it is lots of extra work.  I sell the bulk of my wax in cakes
to furniture craftsmen, as a true hand-rubbed finish looks better.
They pay well, and they are not so picky about minor discoloration.
Much better money than any "wax for foundation" trade-in program,
and they pay less than they would pay to a woodworking supply
company for beeswax cakes.


                jim

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