Melting Wax in an Oven
Preheat an oven to about 150 °F (66 °C). Let the oven warm up for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the wax. Wax has a low melting point, so keep the temperature low to avoid burning it. If your oven doesn’t have a lot of low-heat options, use the lowest setting available. Different types of wax melt at different temperatures, but you never need a lot of heat. At most, set the oven no higher than 180 °F (82 °C).
Cut candles or crayons into small 1 in (2.5 cm) pieces. Try using some leftover tea lights or a pack of crayons you no longer need. Slice them up to roughly the same size. Also, pull out any wrappers or wicks as you come upon them. The exact size you cut the wax to isn’t that important, but keep in mind that smaller chunks are easier to work with and melt faster. The best candles to use for your skate wax are ones made out of paraffin, although any type of waxy, oily product tends to work. You should also try to use a wax that's more solid as opposed to one that's crumbly.
Place the cut wax into an oven-safe bowl. Cake baking bowls are the perfect size if you have them. Make sure the bowl is big enough to hold all of the melted wax. If you’re making a lot of skate wax all at once, put some of the wax in a second container to prevent it from spilling. If you’re uncertain about using a bowl, flip it over to check it for an oven-safe label first. You could also melt wax in a microwave. Some metal containers are not safe for use in the microwave, so look for a safety warning on the container to avoid a scorched mess.
Pour about 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of cooking oil in with the wax. Vegetable oils like canola oil work well in skate wax. The oil makes your skate wax smooth and easy to scrub on your board. You don’t need much of it, but make sure you have room for it in the container. Less is more when using the oil. If you add too much, you end up with a soft and brittle wax.
Melt the wax for about 10 minutes in the oven. The wax likely will begin melting right away, so keep an eye on it. When it melts, take the container right away to prevent it from overheating. Consider giving the wax a brief stir to ensure the oil mixes evenly with it.
Put the bowl in the refrigerator to cool overnight. The wax gets pretty hot in the oven, so consider setting the bowl aside for 5 minutes to let it cool a little. Then, leave it uncovered in your refrigerator. Wait for the wax to feel cool and completely solid to the touch. If you take the wax out too early, it can fall apart. You won’t be able to use it, so the extra wait is worth it.
Pry the hardened wax out of the container with a knife. Once your wax chills, it’s ready to be used on your skateboard. Flip the bowl over and try to pop the wax out with your fingers. Sometimes the solidified bar is a little stubborn, so wedge it out with a knife as needed. Another way to remove the wax is by cutting into it with a sharp knife. You could also heat the container a little, such as in the microwave, to melt the edges of the wax.
Mixing Wax on a Stove
Choose some small candles to use for the skate wax. Paraffin tea lights are a great choice for making your own skate wax. You can also cut up crayons and other types of candles. Get about 2 or 3 candles, usually enough to make a single bar of skate wax. Get additional candles or crayons if you plan on making more bars. Keep in mind that making lots of skate wax on a stove is tough, so you may need to make one bar at a time. Crayons and colored candles are useful for coloring your wax bars. You can mix them in with basic white candles. Mixing and matching is okay.
Cut 1 in (2.5 cm) wax pieces into a metal container. Cut them up roughly with a small knife, removing any wicks or wrappers as you reach them. As you work, drop the wax into an empty container, such as an aluminum soup can or soda can. You could also use a heat-resistant bowl safe for use on a stove. To cut the candles into pieces that melt quickly, try scraping the wax with a knife. Hold the candle in one hand and drag the knife across it. Move the blade away from your body so you don’t cut yourself instead. If you’re using a soda can, cut it in half. Poke holes in the center first so you have a place to fit a pair of scissors. Then, use the scissors to remove the top half of the can.
Fill a saucepan with about 1 in (2.5 cm) of water. Choose a cooking pan that is big enough to hold the metal container you’re using. After you add the water, move the container to test your setup. The container needs to stay standing in the pan so the wax doesn’t spill out. The water temperature doesn’t matter, but warmer water boils a little faster if you’re looking to melt the wax as quickly as possible.
Melt the wax over medium heat after placing the container on the pan. Watch for the wax to begin melting within a few minutes after the water heats up. To get it to melt faster, find something to stir it with. Try using a plastic stirrer like a spatula or chopstick you can easily clean off or throw away when you’re done. Stir carefully! Make sure the wax doesn’t splash into the water. Anything in the water is unusable and might even burn when the water begins to boil.
Add about 0.33 oz (9.4 g) of butter to the wax. As soon as the wax melts, scoop out a small pat of butter with a knife or a measuring spoon. You need about 2 teaspoons for a single bar of skate wax. The butter softens up the finished wax so it’s easier to rub on your board. Stir it around in the wax until it finishes melting. Some people use alternatives in their skate wax. Soap is a decent replacement, even products like deodorant work. Use butter as sparingly as possible. Too much butter makes the skate wax way too soft to use on your board.
Stir about 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of cooking oil into the mixture. The final ingredient you need is whatever cooking oil you have on hand. Vegetable oils like canola oil are perfect for skate wax and you probably have some in your home. Pour the oil into the wax mixture, stir it around for a minute, and let it heat through for 2 or 3 minutes. This part can get a little dangerous. The water in the pan is probably boiling ferociously at this point. Watch out for oil spatter and consider covering your hands to avoid burns. Adjust the amount of oil used as needed to change the skate wax’s consistency. Normally, using less oil is better so the finished bar isn’t too soft.
Pour the wax into refrigerator-safe containers or molds. Steel yourself for the trickiest part where you have to handle hot wax. Get your containers set up before you take the can off the stove. When you’re ready, pick it up with potholders, then gradually fill the containers one at a time. Some examples of containers to use include rubber ice cube molds, aluminium cupcake wrappers, heat-resistant bowls, and even empty deodorant or glue stick containers. Keep the wax away from any drains in your home. If the wax goes down the drain, you might end up with a big plumbing emergency.
Chill the wax in the refrigerator overnight. Keep your potholders at the ready as you carefully move the containers to your refrigerator. Clear out space for them first before picking them up. After fitting them in the refrigerator, check back in the morning to see your finished skate wax. Make sure the wax solidifies completely before you pry it out of the molds. Leave it alone for as long as a day to ensure it comes out at the right consistency.
Using Paraffin Wax Bars
Choose pure paraffin and beeswax to make better skate wax. Most homemade bars of skate wax are made with repurposed candles or crayons. A paraffin and beeswax mixture is closer in quality to what you find at skate shops. You need a single bar of 100% paraffin wax as well as a bar of beeswax. If you’re planning on making a lot of skate wax at once, get more. You can buy good paraffin and beeswax online, but also check hardware stores and craft supply stores in your area. These places may also carry the coloring wax you can use to customize your bars.
Add the paraffin and beeswax to a metal pot. Get a big, metal cooking pot to fit on your stove or an electric burner. You could also try melting the ingredients together in the oven or microwave, but it’s easier to do on the stove. Then, drop both bars of paraffin and beeswax into the pot. You don’t have to cut them up, although breaking them up makes them melt faster. For the perfect skate wax, try making your mixture 60% paraffin to 40% beeswax. If you purchased bars of both ingredients, using the whole bars is fine. The beeswax softens the finished bar of skate wax, so don’t add more beeswax than paraffin. The paraffin is the main component that gives skate wax its shape.
Melt the ingredients together over medium heat. Wait for the pot to heat up. Once the wax begins to turn into a liquid, stir it around using a wooden spoon. Keep stirring the paraffin and beeswax until they are melted and well-mixed.
Add candle dye if you wish to color your skate wax. For the highest quality skate wax possible, purchase 100% natural wax dyes. The dyes look like small pellets of wax. They look and act the same way as the paraffin you used. Toss them into the pot and stir them around as they melt. The color of the mixture changes as soon as the dye melts. To avoid darkening your skate wax more than you want, add the dye in small amounts, waiting for each batch to melt before adding more. There is no set amount for how much dye you need. It all depends on how you wish to customize your skate wax. You could even leave out the dye if you don’t mind the brownish color from the beeswax.
Pour the wax into container or molds to shape into finished bars. Set up your containers on a table close to the pot. The wax is very hot, so put on gloves or potholders. If you’re making a big batch of wax, consider scooping the wax out with a measuring cup to easily pour it into the molds. Then, fill each container completely as much as possible. Cupcake wrappers are great for creating small puck-shaped bars of skate wax, but you can use many other types of containers. For instance, ice cube molds work well, but so do heat-resistant containers and even metal cans.
Leave the wax in the refrigerator overnight until it solidifies. Chill the wax until it forms a solid bar you can easily remove from its container. The exact length of time this takes depends on the size of the bar you plan on making, among other factors. Larger bars of skate wax can take up to a day to set, so give the wax some extra time in the refrigerator if you need to. Be careful when moving the hot wax to the refrigerator. Cover your hands and move slowly. If you have a lot of wax to move, let the molds cool down a little bit first, or leave them out until the wax solidifies.
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