Dipping advice
Hand finishing your bottles with sealing wax is easy and can be done with a minimal amount of inexpensive equipment.
Other than sealing wax and bottles to dip, you’ll need;
- Melting tank or wet/dry Bain Marie system
- Something to stir the wax – short 6mm⌀ steel rods work great!
- Thermometer – for the purpose of measure surface temperature of the wax. (optional but recommended)
- Tear strips – optional depending on bottle design
Preparing The Wax
Fill your melting tank with wax, prior to the wax melting, set the tank to high heat. Once melted, turn the heat down to medium and allow the wax to cool to the optimal working temperature of around 68-72°c.
These temperatures result in a smooth coat and application, quick set times, and if you have to re-dip the bottle for any reason the wax is easy to remove.
The Dipping
Once the wax has reached optimal temperature you’re ready to start dipping. Generally speaking, dipping the bottle in and out in one motion works great. However, depending on various factors, you may need to hold the bottle submerged in the wax for a few seconds for the desired results.
By design, commonly used wooden stoppers will often create a small crevice between itself and and glass. This will create trapped air that’ll try to escape, resulting in an air bubble.
Don’t worry though, It’s easy to keep these air bubbles uniform at the back side of the bottle. With the front of the bottle facing the ground, dip at a 60° angle, straightening up once the bore has been submerged in wax. This will force any air bubbles to the same spot every time.
Things To Note
While sealing a bottle in wax sounds simple, there’s various complexities and nuances involved depending on factors including temperature, environment and bottle design. That being said, with a little practice it becomes easy, north of 500 bottles a day is light work.
As a general rule, the hotter the wax the thinner the coating, the cooler the wax the thicker the coating.
If the wax applied too hot, it’ll look extremely thin, effecting the colour density. It’ll also make the wax difficult to remove and can potentially cause unwanted issues with air-bubbles.
any dips you’re unsatisfied with can be removed and recycled back into the pot once the wax has cooled.
Please handle hot wax with caution. The recommended working temperature is relative safe, anything higher may burn the skin. please note, hot splashes of wax will permanently stain clothing.
don’t be afraid to experiment with the wax for drips and runs. It can also be stamped with logos, names, cask numbers
If you’d like more specific dipping advice or recommendations on equipment, please feel free to get in touch.
