> I'M from Fla and it is very common for beekeepers to mix water and wax
> togeather. We have done this with 100's of lbs of wax and our water is
> very hard.
 
Hard water can be acidic, neutral, or caustic.  Only caustic water will
make soap of your wax.  A little acid added does two things: keeps your
wax hard, not soapy, and lightens the colour.
 
Allen