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Encaustic Art Wax Blocks
These wax blocks are made to the highest standards possible and are designed to be safe to use by anyone. The pigments are as light-fast as we can get them to be and meet the strict toxic controls implemented in the USA. They are labelled with the HL health label which means that the waxes are safe in content but care needs to be observed when using them with the heated tools because these implements might inflict light burns if carelessly handled.
The encaustic Art Wax Blocks come in 27 colours with the darker hues tending to give a thicker & more viscous consistency when molten ( around 65 degrees Celsius) than the lighter colours which tend to be more liquid. These alternative viscosities within the range allow for interesting interaction between the differing waxes. Pleasing and effective combinations are easily discovered. These waxes can be polished when the artwork is finished or they can be varnished over with the wax sealer which will keep their sheen (stops blooming of the wax) and also affords protection from light abrasions e.g. finger marks.
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Classic Recipe
The "classic" recipe for making your own encaustic wax is to melt together
85% beeswax with 15% damar resin. This will result in a strong and quite
tough wax medium into which you can gently mill / blend your chosen pigments.
Caution: Some pigments are very toxic, especially by accumulation
through breathing in their dust. BE CAREFUL and wear a mask if in doubt!
The less refined the beeswax the less uniform the resultant wax medium.
This is largely due to the natural oils within raw beeswax that can affect
the surface tension of the molten wax. This can cause blotchy 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 place of the damar. This produces a wax that will polish
well but is more brittle than the damar formula. Carnauba wax melts at
around 80 degrees Celsius and is brittle. It has the effect of helping
to raise the melting point of beeswax (around 62 degreesCelsiuss) to a
higher level - a desirable improvement for a wax paint medium.
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Wax Emulsion
Beeswax 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 tempera paintings.
http://wax-egg-oil.port5.com
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