$9.16
CLICK THE "LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ITEM" LINK JUST BELOW TO READ THE FULL DESCRIPTION FOR THIS ITEM.
*************************************************************
PROMPT REBATE ON ORDERS WITH 3 OR MORE “FreeShip” ITEMS! WANT TO KNOW YOUR TOTAL REBATE BEFORE PURCHASE? CONTACT US!
Carnauba wax, or "Brazil Wax" is the hardest known naturally occurring wax. Known as the "Queen of Waxes" because of that property it is very often used as a modifier to raise the hardness of other waxes in various formulations. "Pure Carnauba wax has the highest melting point of all natural waxes and is widely accepted as the hardest commercial wax known to man. Pure Carnauba, in its natural state, is harder than concrete. One of its most interesting properties is that it swells and closes its pores when exposed to water."
The above quote is from:
https://formula1wax.com/carnauba-wax-technology/
Because carnauba is so hard and because it can be added to liquids, pastes, (and other softer waxes such as beeswax) it's often used to form a protective film which can be polished to a high gloss on furniture, leather, floors, shoes, cars, and (you get the idea) many other surfaces.
Carnauba is a vegetable wax from the leaves of the "carnauba palm" tree in northeastern brazil where its called the "tree of life" for the useful waxes that come from it. The CAMEO online database for museum and art materials says it contains "ceryl palmitate, myricyl ceretate, myricyl alcohol along with other high molecular weight esters. 'Olho' wax is a pure whitish gray carnauba wax obtained from young leaves. Refined olho wax is called 'flora' wax. 'Palha' wax is a brownish wax obtained from older leaves. Palha wax can be emulsified with water to form chalky wax. Carnauba is used in floor waxes, such as Butcher's wax, on wooden floors and bowling alleys. It is also used in ...leather finishes, carbon paper, lubricants, metal casting, printing inks, varnishes, and rubber coatings."
There is a wonderful chart put together by CAMEO which gives properties for various waxes including melting points, source, acid number (TAN), saponification value (high SV means better usefulness in soap making), refractive index, density, and practical uses.
The chemistry of carnauba is rather unique among waxes, consisting of about 40% esters, 20% diesters, 1 to 3% hydrocarbons, and the rest being resin acids and fatty alcohols. It has a low amount of hydrocarbons (which a similar wax, candelilla, has a high percentage of).
Another major use is in wax based mold release agents, both paste and sprayable. It works on hard molds to release plastic resins, especially epoxy. The mold itself is often made of epoxy or unsaturated polyester reinforced with fiberglass or carbon fiber (with no undercuts, obviously). The mold surface is smooth so the wax can be polished. It forms a hard durable coating which often can be used for more than 1 pull cycle (often PVA is lightly sprayed over the wax for extra insurance. This same procedure has been in use for 40 to 50 years. One of the reasons carnauba works so well as a release agent is it's resistance to organic solvents (it contains few hydrocarbons). Polyester resin for instance, being one of the liquid resins cast against the mold walls contains free styrene monomer (hydrocarbon), which would tend to attack waxes with a significant hydrocarbon content.
Learning that gives me a raised respect for carnauba since I met my wife in Southern California at a company that used the above procedures.
More esoteric uses are as molds for semiconductors, printing inks, carbon paper, surfboard wax (along with coconut oil), an ingredient in "cutler's resin" (used to attach knife or sword blades to hilts), a component of investment casting waxes for metal casting, solvent resistant superhydrophobic films resistant to toluene, acetone, and other solvents.
Online Brittanica says that although it's been test planted in Sri Lanka and Africa, and other parts of South America, only in northern Brazil does the "carnauba palm" tree produce wax: "During the regular dry seasons in Brazil, the carnauba palm protects its metre-long (three-foot) fronds from loss of moisture by secreting a coat of carnauba wax on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. The leaves are cut from September to March and left in the sun to dry. The powdery wax is removed (by beating the shriveled leaves), then melted, strained, and cooled. The final product is yellow or brownish green, depending on the age of the leaves and the quality of processing."
1-2 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
We're sorry, but at this time we do not ship internationally.
If you would like a smaller or larger quantity of a raw material, click the "Request a custom order" button and tell us how much you would like. Or just contact us and let us know what you'd like. We'll get back to you ASAP.
This problem usually occurs with multiple items. We have free shipping on many of our items. In your cart items will have the sum of all embedded shipping costs. If you place an order for 3 or more "FreeShip" items, you will receive a "rebate" for the excess shipping. The more items you have the greater the shipping refund will be. You can also message us to ask what the total cost of your order will be when excess shipping is refunded before you purchase.
Or, if you see "Request a Custom Order" or "Message Seller", you can request a custom order and your items will be put in a custom listing with the correct shipping. You would purchase it like any other listing.
If you have a technical question about an item we've listed, please don't hesitate to ask. We enjoy helping people out with a material or a process.
We give anecdotal information in our listings if we have any. If you disagree with it or think we're being inaccurate or misleading please let us know that, too.
If there are discrepancies in any of our listings let us know, we make mistakes like everybody and we'd like to be set straight and get those mistakes corrected.
Feb 14, 2024
As pictured. Perfect for my project!
H S
Jun 7, 2023
Excellent product, came on time with no issues
Jackson
Apr 5, 2023
Maria
Dec 7, 2022
1st time trying this wax in a lip balm...OMG!!! Shipping didn't take long at all
Summer Butter
Sep 14, 2022
Shipped fast and packed well. The wax in two layers of plastic resealable bags weighed 232g, and I can reasonably assume those two thin bags were less than 7g together. I'm looking forward to incorporating this into furniture wax.
Flora