Peter Dillon wrote:

> Would be most grateful if somebody could indicate a good method to make
> un-coloured boot/shoe polish based on beeswax.

You better be grateful since I scoured the house looking for my copy of
Super Formulas by Elaine C. White. A wonderful present for beekeepers
but who loves beekeepers enough to give them a present? Why should I go
out of my way for someone? Spend an hour looking for it? Oh well, in
keeping with the season:

On page 46, Shoe Polish (which you can also use on wood! Or Beekeeper's
foreheads, which is the same thing)

3 oz beeswax
1/2 oz carnauba wax
1/2 cup mineral spirits
1 tbl spoon soap
1/2 cup water
Oil soluble aniline dye, or lamp black (if you want color)

Melt the waxes in the microwave or double boiler (I love the caveats
since most beekeepers will just melt it directly on the flame and burn
the house down). Dissolve the soap in hot water. Dissolve the dye in
turpentine. Remove the wax from heat and stir in the turpentine/dye mix.
Stir in the soap/water mix. Stir until it cools (at least 108F) and pour
into tins.

Since you do not want color, my guess is you could skip the turpentine
and dye, since it looks like the turpentine is only there to dissolve
the dye. (Peter probably does not want dye since he is from the "Great
White North". Those Canadians....Grumph) You will have to add something
to make up for the lost liquid, so maybe just leave the turpentine or
substitute mineral oil, which is odorless.

Most polishes like this one are variations of the basic hand cream
formula, which is 4.5 oz beeswax, one pint mineral oil, 1 tbl spoon
borax, and 1 1/3 cups water. You dissolve the beeswax in the mineral oil
(over heat) and dissolve the borax in hot water then pour the water mix
into the wax mix and pour into jars. The borax, like the soap in the
polish recipe is just to emulsify the wax in the water so you will have
a uniform mix and it will not separate.

There are lots of variations on this basic recipe- add lanolin, aloe,
perfumes, color, whatever. Also change the amount of water to make a
thicker or thinner cream.

It is best plain, IMHO, and is the best lip balm and skin conditioner
for winter in Maine. It will heal cracked skin on your fingers. You can
also use it on shoes to make them fairly water resistant. Wife loves it
on her face on a winery, cold windy day. It is amazing stuff. I get lots
of requests for it, especially from people who have to have their hands
in water. It stays while Vaseline Intensive Care and other lotions
disappear.

So, crawling back into the comfort of my Lazy boy in order to condition
myself to the grueling number of football games I must watch this
weekend (Beat Army!), I bid you a cheery Bah, humbug.

Bill Truesdell (whom engineers also said could not fly, but seems to
make it fine on United. Documentary to follow.)
Bath, Maine

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