Recipes for Encaustic Wax Medium

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Recipes for Making Encaustic Wax MediumIntroduction Quick Basics Skillet Batch Basic Recipes Beeswax Paste

Cold Wax Paste

Encaustic paint needs to contain wax &colour. The quality of these components& the way in which ingredients interactdefines the final character & behavior of

the paint. Heat is the solvent for theencaustic medium on this site, so noevaporating solvents are needed nor

discussed here.NOTE: In antiquity it is likely that cold wax pastes

were used as well as heated wax colours..

Recipes for Encaustic Wax Medium http://www.encaustic.com/techniq/fineart/fineart_recipes/fineart_recipes.html

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This section describes some modern"home studio" ways to melt and make

encaustic medium using domestichardware or currently available heated

tools.

If a bulk amount of medium is made firstthen it is easy to remelt and add colours

to suit your needs later.* The red sub-index above will take you

to the related pages quickly.

The simplest encaustic paint could be a basic mixture of beeswax and some pigment. However,there are many other types of waxes, each with their own unique heat curve and character. Thereare also resins that can be mixed with waxes to alter final working qualities of hardness, meltingpoint and flexibility. Pigments (and dyes) offer a multitude of qualities apart from the colour theyimbue. The particle size can change the flow character quite dramatically for some application

methods. There are many possibilities in formulation. Up to Index

QUICK BASICS of MAKING ENCAUSTIC WAX MEDIUM

MAIN WAXES...often used in encaustic medium

include: BEESWAX,DAMAR RESIN,

MICRO Crystalline,CARNAUBA

& PARAFFIN .

One"classic" recipe for making your own encaustic w ax is to melt together 85% beeswaxwith 15% damar resin. This will result in a strong and quite tough wax medium into which youcan gently mill / blend your chosen pigments. However, there are many waxes available anddifferent blend of formulation will yield many varieties of character in the encaustic medium. It isnot a fixed idea.

In essence making a heat soluble wax paint is simply amatter of melting together the formulation's ingredients inthe right proportions and at a temperature that effects themixing, but does not exceed the safe zone in which theingredients remain at their best. Excess heat will damagesome materials and cause dangers of fuming andpotentially even fire. Controlled heat is vital and sensibleventilation is also a firm requirement.


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Here is a simple small desktop mix for one colour. Ahotplate is the heat source and the working container is astainless steel measuring cup - like a small saucepan.

Ingredients: Beeswax, carnauba, damar resin, redpigment.The beeswax is measured into the heated cup whichstands on the hotplate.

This begins to melt and the smaller amount of carnauba isadded.

Once all that is molten the damar is also added and satback on the hotplate to melt.

Stir all the molten ingredients together ...

... then add an amount of pigment and stir this into themolten wax.

Pour it out into a mold and leave to cool.


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De-mold the now cold an set wax colour piece and youhave some encaustic paint ready to use.

But let's look at the whole process in a little more detail inthe next part of this page where a "Skillet Batch" is made.

MIXING A SKILLET BATCH OF ENCAUSTIC WAX MEDIUM

This skillet is an electrically heated pan with a built inthermostat controlling the maximum temperature :imperative to avoid any over-heating.Ingredients in this recipe are roughly measured in the cupvolumes as:

* 6 x refined beeswax* 1 x damar resin with a little carnauba included in thecup too

First plug in the skillet and set the temperature to amedium to get it hot quickly.

Measure out the cup of damar resin crystals. Here weadded a little bit of carnauba wax into this cup to complywith our chosen recipe. The carnauba is brittle and meltsaround 80C, similar to the damar. However, it is a naturalplant wax that offers a very high polish shine, so can add alittle of that quality into the mixture. It also smells a lotbetter than damar resin. The wooden mallet is to crush thisstuff into a more powdery form.

Place the cup full of damar / carnauba into a double plasticbag, ready for the crushing to be done. This processenables the damar to melt faster.

The plastic bags are to constrain the materials whilst theyare being smashed into finer pieces with the mallet. Somedamage will occur to the plastic bags as the sharp crystalspierce the plastic.

So seal the bag, ready to crush ...


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... then find a solid under board - here we used a piece offlat scrap timber plank ...

... but wait, don't use the mallet yet or greater damage willoccur to the plastic and crystals or dust might scatter ...

... so we used an old tee-shirt as a buffer to soften theimpact and contain any dust that might escape.

Check the progress of the crushing every few strokes ...

... then when you are happy with the state of the damar /carnauba particles stop and retain the ingredient until it istime to add it to the molten wax.

Notice how the plastic bag has been damaged?

But the large hard crystals are now far smaller and willmelt more quickly into the final wax medium.

Beeswax can be natural (raw) or refined, where theimpurities have been removed. We are using refined whitebeeswax bought in bulk sack quantity in pellet form. This iseasy to handle and easy to measure.

The skillet is warming up now, so the beeswax can beadded.

We used 6 measures of beeswax and poured them straightinto the skillet.

Beeswax melts at around 62C (about 145F). Refining doesnot alter this melt point.


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In the next few minutes the beeswax melted. Stirring wasnot strictly necessary but it did speed up the process a bit.

Now the crushed damar and carnauba measure is added.

Notice the slight dust (click on thumb for a bigger image).Protect yourself with a mask if you are exposing yourbreathing to any dusty conditions. Some materials,especially some pigments, can be dangerous, so err on theside of caution.

These harder materials also have a higher melt point ataround 80C, so stirring help to mix them into the beeswax.They can take a while to melt.

Notice how the damar is now a syrupy consistency. It is noteasily melting into the liquid beeswax because the skillettemperature is just a little on the low side.

The damar and carnauba need things a little hotter to turninto their liquid forms.

So up the temperature a bit, but not too much. Better totake a while longer for things to melt than force theingredients through too high a temperature.

If things get too hot fumes will rise from the mixture.Overheating is dangerous!

As the temperature rises so the stubborn crystal shardsmelt into the liquid mixture.

All those bits of woody looking stuff are from the damarresin that we used. It is a natural tree resin and this batchturned out to be quite polluted with small woody dross.


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Once everything is molten check that the temperature is aslow as will hold the liquid form of this wax medium.

Notice now how the syrupy damar has become liquefiedand fluid.

Stir all the ingredients together so that they are thoroughlyblended.

The encaustic wax medium is now ready to be poured intothe final molds.

These molds (on left) are actually plastic food containersused for carry out (take away) hot foods. They aredesigned to withstand high domestic temperatures and arean ideal mold for larger blocks of encaustic medium,especially as they come with fitting lids that keep dust offduring storage.

Carefully pour out the molten wax into the standingcontainers. Some wax may dribble onto the surface, soensure that you have protected that with some disposablepapers before you start.

The wax will shrink very slightly as it cools, so fill thecontainers to a reasonable level.

Pour the wax out carefully so that any dross or rubbish thathas been liberated during the melting process remains atthe bottom of the skillet.

Of course, if there is a lot of impurity in any of theingredients it will be difficult not to have some enter yourmolds.

Here is the unwanted dirt that came from the impure damarresin.


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Clean the skillet out whilst it is still warm using disposabletissue.

The dirty tissues can then be thrown away and the skillet isready for another day.

The dirt is visible at the bottom of the mold. You may findthat your ingredients are pure and this issue does not arise- that is the best way!

But if there are impurities then this is a way to deal withthem that normally work out well.

Notice that, just as in the skillet, the dirt has sunk to thebottom.

So in effect it is only the bottom layer of wax that is holdingthese impurities.

As the wax cools it begins to congeal and cloud back to itssolid colouration. This is the base colour of your newencaustic medium. If we had used natural beeswax thenperhaps the overall colour would have been moreyellowish.

Once the wax is congealed it can speed up the cooling upto place the molds by a cool airstream like a window sill,tilting the bottom up so air can get all around.

When totally cooled the wax should be quite easy toremove from the molds. This shows that the adhesion toshiny plastics is poor!

The top is perfectly clean encaustic wax medium, but thebottom surface is contaminated with all the woody rubbishfrom the impure damar crystals.

Breaking off a piece continues to show that thecontamination problem only exists in the very bottom levelof the medium block.

This can easily be dealt with now.


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Use a knife blade to gently scrape off the thing dirty layer.

Pick out any slightly more embedded or larger pieces withthe knife tip.

After this scraping has been done all over the base thedirty wax shavings can be discarded. In reality this is a verysmall portion of the wax that has been made in this batch.

Without melting, it can be difficult to cut the thick encausticwax medium which is now a tougher product than theoriginal beeswax.

But a sharp hit with the mallet will do the trick. However,remember the tee-shirt used when crushing the damar.This is laid over the wax before striking with the mallet tosave bits flying all over the room!

Then the wax breaks into pieces that can be used to makesmall amounts of differing colours etc.

Finally, the natural state of our encaustic wax medium isclear. Colour, hardness, melt-point, flexibility, smell,polishing qualities and so on all become apparent. Eachrecipe you develop can bring different qualities to yourencaustic medium.

It can be remelted at any future time to add pigment.

Next, find out about Adding Colour

Bigger batches can be achieved using commercial doubleboilers, often used for heating water in catering situations.These can have internal fitting containers (second from left)that are protected from overheating by the surroundingwater in which it is immersed. More about this on theEquipment page

* Just one thing; it is impossible to get the cold setencaustic medium out!


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You must decant or pour it out whilst in the molten state.

The process is exactly the same as in the skillet batchabove, except that quantities can be increased. This waterjacket double boiler is the safest way to heat wax as it isimpossible for it to become dangerously hot - the waterlimits the achievable temperature range to within safelevels.

SOME BASIC RECIPES TO START MAKING ENCAUSTIC MEDIUM S

Beeswax &Damar

+Carnauba

BeeswaxPaste

WaxEmulsion

+ ParaffinsPunicWax

Alternatives

Ancient Approaches : http://www.dieter-obrecht.info/encaustic/encaustic_ancient_techniques_1.htm

Beeswax & DamarThe "classic" recipe for making your own encaustic wax is to melt together 85% beeswax with15% damar resin. This will result in a strong and quite tough wax medium into which you cangently mill / blend your chosen pigments. Caution: Some pigments are very toxic, especially byaccumulation through breathing in their dust. BE CAREFUL and wear a mask if in doubt! The lessrefined the beeswax the less uniform the resultant wax medium. This is largely due to the naturaloils within raw beeswax that can affect the surface tension of the molten wax. This can causeblotchy areas and varying viscosity within even a single batch of wax.

Some people prefer to add Carnauba wax (a natural plant leaf product) to the beeswax in placeof the damar. This produces a wax that will polish well but is more brittle than the damarformula. Carnauba wax melts at around 80 degrees Celsius and is brittle. It has the effect ofhelping to raise the melting point of beeswax (around 62 degrees Celsius) to a higher level - adesirable improvement for a wax paint medium. Carnauba wax also polishes to a high sheen.

Recipes therefore vary, but a combination of bleached (refined) beeswax, damar resin and / orcarnauba wax seems to be the most common mix. Some people add micro crystalline waxes aswell. These can be obtained at various melt points and also varying hardness, so the characterof a resultant wax can be natured toward a more specific set of qualities.

The process is easiest if some of the beeswax is first melted, usually in a metal container eitherover a very controlled heat source (hotplate) or a double boiler where the water in the centralspace avoids overheating past its own boiling point (100C). An open flame is not advisable.Electric cooking rings are able to get very hot, too hot, so again, unless you wish to riskoverheating, smoking and even flammable dangers then stay with low heat and heat limitedoptions.

Once the beeswax is molten then the damar resin crystals can be added, but it is best to makethese as small as possible by crushing first.To CRUSH place the crystals in a strong plastic bag then cover this with a cloth and place on asolid robust surface. Either use a wooden mallet or even a wooden rolling pin end to smash downon the underlying crystals to shatter them. Same thing with the carnauba, which is very brittleanyway and will shatter into shards quickly.Slowly blend in the crushed ingredients, stirring at times to help them dissolve. Add more waxand continue in this manner until all is molten together. Then stir and pour out into moulds to


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create sensibly sized pieces for future remelting and for blending in with colours.

Colouring options are really to use dry pigment or pigments already in oil (oil paints). The latterwill introduce some oil into the final encaustic wax blend, so in pure encaustic this is notsomething seen as desirable. It is not "wrong" but does seem to defeat the primary idea of usingheat as a solvent. Oil will also soften the final wax to some degree, even if that is a very slightaffect it is still involving another medium type unnecessarily.

To blend in the pigment for production a useful volume of wax paint some molten encaustic waxmedium needs to be melted in a heated metal container. If the container has a flat bottom then itmakes it easier to mill in the dry pigment carefully and a little at a time. For instance, on ahotplate a flat bottomed baking tin can be used to hold the molten wax, then dry pigment thathas been milled as fine as possible is added and stirred in. A large flat domestic cooking palletknife is a good tool to mash the pigment and wax together on the flat bottom of the baking tin,using strokes that press down and spread sideways, a bit like spreading butter onto bread. Thiswill ensure that al the particles in the pigment get "wetted" and become contacted by the moltenwax. The better this process is done then the more even the consistency of your final wax paint.The coloured encaustic wax can then be poured out into molds to cool and be used in the futureor it can just be used there and then.

Small amounts of any colour can be made by melting some medium on a hotplate and thenworking in a little pigment - even by dabbing the waxed brush head into a pot of dry pigment,then coming back to the hotplate and working it into the wax until it reaches the rightconsistency.

Of course a hotplate is an ideal mixing place that keeps the wax molten and can also be used tolay your tool on top of so that they too remain ready warmed for instant use.Up to Index

Beeswax Paste - colour with oil paint or dry pigment* CAUTION: Many solvents are highly flammable and over heating them is DANGEROUS.

NEVER expose solvents to open flame. BE AWARE OF SAFETY FIRST!!!

Two methods for the same ingredients are listed bel ow "cold or heated".INGREDIENTS *NOTE : the term "unit" means an equal quantity by volume.8 units beeswax (white purified gives best clarity to the wax paste)3 units solvent - turpentine * alternatives like citrus based products are MUCH SAFERModern solvents are available that are not flammabl e nor so toxic as volatile existing turps or white spirits -Choose the less damaging ones wherever possible.CHECK your chosen solvent's safety data sheet for s pecific details.

The amount of solvent for a workable wax paste is usually best between 25% to 30% dependingon how soft a paste you want so adapt to suit needs.

NOTE: the ratio of turpentine to beeswax will affect the softness of the working paste - more turps makes a softerpaste which takes longer to dry and is a more flamable product - it is best perhaps to start with less rather than moresolvent in the mix - take great care and experiment cautiously to get the right consistency for your approachto this medium!!

COLD METHOD (safe and easy)


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Measure and put the beeswax in a sealable container - a jar with easy screw lid is ideal forsmall quantities.Measure and add the solvent to the beeswax. Leave the mixture stand to allow the waxtime to absorb the solvent (which will penetrate). This need not take long so very ifbeeswax pellets are used - +/- 6 hours for a half jar quantity ( approx. 1/2lb /225gms)test the paste by mixing through with a spatula or palette knife blade. If too stiff after all thesolvent is absorbed then add a little more.If too loose and wet then add more beeswax.

HEATED METHOD (temperature control and ventilation essential)

Melt the beeswax in a suitable double boiler or controlled heat pan. DO NOT OVERHEAT -only heat sufficient to melt the wax. Remove from the heat (extinguish open flames) andcarefully measure out, add and stir in the turpentine - GODD VENTILATION REQUIRED.Before it cools too much decant into suitable sealable containers - tins or jars.

USE OF WAX PASTEFor direct painting, combine the mixture on a palette with tube oil colours or dry pigment - mixwell. Complete works can be built up through thin layers - dry each layer overnight then fusewith a strong direct heat (torch flame is ideal - or hot air gun) but be aware of the dangers ofigniting any solvent residues - Also beware of fumes so work in a well ventilated area withproper fire safety awareness). Continue with another layer ...

Coats can be applied over oil, tempera or other paints but it is best to explore on a small piece ofexperimental work to ensure good adhesion and suitable results before embarking on a largersurface or artwork.Note: the oil paint formulation helps to set and strengthen the final product. Dry pigments canbe used but then the binders are not introduced and so a slightly different final result can beexpected.

There is much to explore & learn in this approach t o the encaustic arts!

Wax EmulsionBeeswax can also be formed into an emulsion for a cold application liquid medium. Visit the website of Jeff Bryant for lots of information, recipes, advice and examples of his wax temperapaintings.http://waxeggoil.atspace.com/recipes.html#waxrecipeUp to Index

Ancient encaustic approaches rediscovered in Rome:Michele Paternuosto introduces his methods to paint encaustic on wood, marble, slate, dryplaster, gesso and terracotta. http://www.morenart.it/TuttoEng.htm

Punic Wax 1

not tested by this site, so please

five gallons of fresh seawaterpure unbleached beeswaxpine resin (balsam and frankincense)


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check if you have access to othermethods for this process too!

alkaline salts (washing soda and borax)eggsraw linseed oilpans, boiling pots, sieves, whisk, scales.

Five days to process the wax with sea water. (Plinydescribed the process as boiling beeswax with salt waterand potassium carbonate, and then bleached by the sun,leaving the wax a paste consistency.)Then an hour of defolication with the alkaline salts tochange the physical properties of the wax so it wouldaccept being emulsified with the egg yolks.This was accomplished by beating the egg into theprepared foamy wax with a little linseed oil and a drop ofbalsam using awhisk. This will take a while.

You should get a creamy yellow paint.

More about encaustic: http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Encaustic_painting

Wax dissolves in turpentine, mastic, balsam and oils, but not water or alcohol. It's non-yellowingand forms an emulsion in lyes. The Greeks and Romans stored their pigments in small covered

containers and called them "waxes", pigments in wax and mastic. Add a little turpentine withyour brush and paint away! These ancients were pretty clever also.

They painted with pure melted encaustic wax and pigment too, this was probably the wax Plinytalked about, the punic or eleodoric wax. Three times melted and cured in salt water, when this

wax was applied on stone for decoration, it was called "ganosis". Traces of this wax are found onEgyptian sculptures and tombs as far back as 2500 B/C.

The early Greeks, before the "Dark Ages", around 500 B/C, were fond of decorating their statuesand the friezes of buildings, and probably a lot more places that were not so protected from

twenty five hundred years of weather. Traces of wax were found on the Trojan Column in Rome.AMMONIA-AND-WAX

Ammonia, NH3, is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen, a water soluble gas.

Ammoniac, a salt and gum found in the Qattara Depression 200 miles East of Memphis, Egypt.Ammoniac is the remains of a long extinct insect that lived in the area.

Ammonium, is the Egyptian city founded about 500 B/C, as a shrine to their god Ammon.Ammonium is also NH4, a radical that plays the part of a metal in the compound formed when

ammonia reacts with acids, ammonium salts are alkali.

Ammonium hydroxide, basic NH4OH is a weak alkali.

Carbonate, a salt of carbonic acid, as calcium carbonate or ammonium carbonate, made bymixing the ammonium alkali with carbonic acid. H2C03 is formed when carbon dioxide dissolves

in water.

Ammonium carbonate or ammonium hydroxide [common ammonia water], can be mixed withwhite beeswax 1:2 and boiled until the effervescence stops, stir the mix until it's cool. This will be


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a water soluble wax soap emulsion that will mix with casein, gum, glue, egg, gelatin, turpentine,resin, balsam, shellac or oil. The volatile ammonia alkali dissipates and the soap dries insolubleto water, like it was before you started. Put a cap on the container and it will store for a very long

time. Grind your store bought dry pigments into it as you need them.

Giotto added a little cherry gum to the mix and the Byzantine's added a little "milk of fig". This isthe ancient "cera colla' paint of the Dark Ages, except for the shellac, that was tested right here

on Maui, and it worked fine.

I attribute the discovery of cera colla to Egypt and their god Ammon not to Byzantium.

Potassium carbonate or caustic lye soda, is obtained in the impure form from wood ashes,potash [+IUM], are all the same alkali. It will emulsify wax, but will remain soluble in water, or

hygroscopic.

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Recipes for Encaustic Wax Medium