Hive Products

No! Not More Honey.

This afternoon I made pure beeswax creamed polish for use on leather or furniture.  The kitchen smells warm like my grandparents' drawing room, the room only used at Christmas and when they had important guests as opposed to the sitting room that they used every day and which didn't have any distinctive fragrance.   It's only now that I realise their best room smelled of beeswax and turpentine furniture polish!

I tried to get Great Grandfather's recipe for Bionic Polish.  I recall Mum making it and I know it was a very soft polish made with beeswax and turpentine but I don't know the proportions or whether there were any additional ingredients.  She used to put it into bottles rather than jars.   Great Grandfather's (only) other recipe is for "Embrocation" a magic lotion used to treat both people and horses for sprains and strains.    Mum made both and famously rubbed Dad's back with Bionic Polish by mistake when the labels fell off all the bottles in a damp cupboard.   The Bionic Polish recipe appears lost for the time being so I resorted to Mrs Beeton's recipe:

Shred 8.5 oz beeswax into a large jar.

Stand in boiling water until melted

Add 1.5 pints of turpentine slowly.

Stir rapidly to mix well.

Pour into wide-mouthed jars or tins to set.

I had exactly 8.5 oz of beeswax from the cappings removed in the last honey extraction.   In the absence of a suitable jar, I used an old coffee pot which has lost its lid.  Coffee pots don't seem to be useful anymore so what a great way to use it.

Shredding the wax with a box grater took a long time but it was a satisfying task and Friday afternoon radio kept me entertained.  I carefully poured in the pure gum turpentine off the heat and stirred  rapidly, then the jug came in to its own, making it really easy to pour the liquid polish into the jars and the electronic scales made it relatively easy to get the weight right in each jar.  

I visited Bob at the Bee Shop last week and bought the jars and labels.  He only had labels saying "at least 90g", which is technically correct as the jars hold 250g.   For some reason, I like the warning labels more than the polish labels.   Perhaps it's the bold black cross on a bright orange background.

I wonder whether I will write another blog to report how the polish works?  To do so, I'd have to do some polishing.  Hmmm.   Don't hold your breath!