Fixin Wax

 I wanted to make a short post about Fixin wax. While it was not originally included in Nessmuk's ditty bag (he used shoemakers wax), I felt that it was a solid substitution since I couldn't readily find shoemakers wax.

Fixin wax is very simple to make and there are various recipes all over the internet for it. Most of them have lots of various ingredients that i don't see as being necessary. While I haven't been able to find what he used to the shoemakers wax for, I know that wax of any variety is good for coating high carbon steel knife blades, and leather sheaths. Both of which I'm sure Nessmuk had to do account for. Blades during his time were not stainless steel, so carrying something that he could coat a high carbon blade with would have been essential. Knowing this I didn't see any reason to add essential oils, or fragrances of any type, which man y recipes called for.

I opted for a simple formula, one part beeswax, to one part lard. These things are great for protecting a high carbon blade, and work really well to protect and treat leather. To make the fixin wax, simply use a double boiler ( a mason jar in a pot of boiling water works best ), containing both ingredients and allow them to melt. Once melted allow the mixture to simmer in the jar for around 10 minutes. this will allow the wax and lard to mix thoroughly. I recommend stirring the mixture periodically with a spoon or stick. Once you are ready, pour the liquid into metal or glass containers. I don't recommend plastic as it can melt and deform. Allow the mixture to cool, and you're all set. 

To use the wax, simply get some on a piece of cloth and wipe it along your knife or axe blade to give it a light coating. For leather I recommend working into the leather by rubbing it on in circular motions. Do this over the entire piece of leather and wipe off any excess. 

There are a lot of other used for fixin wax, too many really to discuss in this post. I've personally used it as a seam sealer for a tent, knife, and axe blades, leather sheaths, leather boots, and even on my hands when they get dry in the winter. 

If you have any ideas for uses, let me know in the comments section. Once I have a pretty thorough list I may make a post dedicated to the uses of fixin wax.

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 10, 2021 at 7:37 PM

    The recipe I found for shoemaker's wax is 60g pine rosin, 30g bees wax, 2-5g tallow. Combine over heat then dump into warm water and start kneeding until it's uniform and pale yellow.

    This is a sticky wax as apposed to his plain bees wax that would be more slick. Cobblers use it to wax their thread and help lock their stitching on place.

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