20 kg of Bees' Wax

Over the years I have accumulated a fair amount of bees' wax which, from my point of view is a moderately valuable by-product of producing honey. There was a time when I periodically made the kitchen very messy by manufacturing honey comb foundation to which the bees, would add the cell walls that turn it into the complete honey comb. It was hard work and would take me about a day to produce enough to support one colony for a year. Ideally, it was a task that I undertook when Herself was away from home, using a process that few can master; the equipment used is third or fourth hand having been passed down through a chain of bee keepers who thought it was a good idea but hadn't managed to make it work. For the last three years I have been caring for a population varying between three and seven colonies, with the intention hope of stabilising at six, which makes the self-sufficient ideal a little tedious, so I now buy the ready made foundation.

A good friend put me in touch with an artisan leather worker (thanks Chris) who needs a steady supply of bees' wax in his craft; I'm unsure of the details but they seem to involve making leather tankards beer-tight. He refuses point blank to buy the stuff and insists on bartering to the extend of refusing to give me any hint of how much custom made leather goods he is prepared to exchange for 20 kilos of wax. Mrs TD isn't much help as she isn't really into recreational leather wear.