for the benefit of all members i wld like to list up replies from the
following people & their suggestions for a propolis solvent.
 
paul magnuson           washing soda (sodium carbonate)
 
joseph cooper           Rubbing alcohol
 
mike wallace            high proof grain alcohol ("Ever Clear")
 
robert rice             ethanol (>70%) or a petroleum based solvent
 
i quickly deduced that some form of high proof alcohol wld do the trick.
always works for me in other ways too ;-). and from a few mental calculations
plus a bit of experimentation (all done WITHOUT the alcohol!!!)  i wld like
to add one more to the list: methylated spirits.
 
it's cheap, readily available, and most nz households have a bottle of it
floating around in the garden shed. it's also good for starting the
barbeque...... WOOOOOOOOFFF!!!!
 
thanx to all for your help.
 
mark