Honey Wax Mold Release Agent

Hi All,


Many say that honey wax is more durable than liquid agents. Does that justify the costs for these tins?

I checked many offers - it seems like many are really really convinced about thes specific wax. Why?


Cheers
Henry

 

It works and as a laminator told me more than thirty years ago,it can withstand being left outside better than any other wax he knew of.If your particular situation is not one where moving moulds outside from time to time may occur-use something else.

 

Thanks. Thats really interesting. What exactly do you mean with "outside"? You mean enviromental influence?
So interesting for big molds you can't have an eye on every second.

I found the following link - very interesting because of world wide shipping. http://www.ebay.de/itm/Honey-Wax-397g-Mold-Release-Compound-for-Fiberglass-Trennwachs-fur-Glasfaser-/231367250981?pt=Kunststoffe_Chemie&hash=item35de901425

Is that reasonable for a tin with world wide shipping? Have to ship it to a friend who is relativly price-conscious.


THANKS for your help and information.

 

Put simply,if you are in a situation where your workshop is not large enough to contain all the moulds you need to use then some may have to be moved outside.Honey wax seems to cope with this exposure better than the alternative waxes.If you have a very large workshop this limitation may not apply.

 

Carnauba wax is pretty good on polyester and epoxy, and this brand (Honey Wax) may be fine. Meguirs No 8 is good as well. Do not use a beeswax based wax if you want real effectiveness and certainly epoxy sticks through that.

Your German pricing is too high, in the UK I have seen it for £12.50 or so, you need to hunt around. Buy from the UK, if necessary, shipping should not be too expensive.

 

I also give a vote of confidence to the honey wax find it gives a harder waxed surface and you can also feel a better depth of wax on the mould if you know what I mean. As regards to exposure it is not unusual for moulds to be kept outside for weeks at at a time brought in, washed down, one or two coats of honey wax and away you go again. As to cost in the big scheme of things don't feel it is an issue. Just my thoughts.

Steve

Ps. This is the solid honey wax, as years ago I remember using a liquid honey wax,not so good.

 

The inside outside thing, & folks having confidence in this wax for such, likely stems from the fact that many liquid mould releases are designed to be water soluble. Like PVA, which is a commonly used (and quality one).

It's designed to be water soluble so that tricky/sticky moulded parts can be loosened up & taken out of the mould with the assistance of a hose. You just run some H2O into the mould, & as the PVA breaks down, the mild hydraulic pressure which develops between the mould & the part helps to break the surface tension holding the stuck part in place (theoretically anyway).

As to having confidence in being able to tell what part of a mould has been waxed, & what hasn't, I'll take the PVA. It dries to a translucent blue color. So unless your mould's a dark color, or you have really bad lighting in your shop, it's not hard to see it. Especially as in addition to it's color, it creates a dull haze on most surfaces which you put it on, just like most other waxes.

But yeah, it's an indoor thing. With the exception of parts which get laid in in the same day which the mould was waxed. As I'm guessing that just morning or evening dew/condensation is enough to cause you to "re-paint" the mold with it again.

 

An interesting point of view.

The Honey Wax usually comes as a cream coloured paste wax.You can easily see where it has been applied and then you wipe it off.It works well and unlike PVA-which I haven't seen in use in 30 years-it doesn't need washing off.

I know moulding companies who are fervent believers in semi-permanent release agents,such as Freekote.Its all a question of finding a release agent that works for you.

 

I think we should have a whole new thread / discussion as to the different types of waxes, which brands, release systems etc. Where the pro's and con's of one way or another could be discussed under one heading for future reference, which are suited to a particular application and where best to use.
There are so many different ways to suit and everyone has there own idea's, anyone with any problems or embarking on a new project could weigh up what might be best for them.
Any thoughts.
Steve.