How to make Machinable Wax at home!



A major issue that I ran into when I first started working with my new CNC machine was the cost of raw materials to machine. Sure, a block of plastic is not terribly expensive by itself – but figure in the cost after you mess something up and the cost becomes quite unreasonable. For this reason, I began looking into machinable wax.

Machinable wax is a very hard wax that won’t gum up a cutting tool, is soft enough to machine quickly and most importantly is completely reusable! Since I am cheap, I decided to make my own, which is actually quite simple and could be considered environmentally friendly since we use recycled plastic bags. Be aware that this Instructable is DANGEROUS! We will be melting wax around 300* and this wax will be thick and sticky so it will literally burn your skin off faster than you can say “OUCH!”


(The basic recipe is 4 parts wax to 1 part plastic)


You will need:


- Paraffin Wax (Available at Hobby Lobby)
- Plastic Shopping Bags (HDPE or LDPE, Recycle symbol #2 or #4)
- Deep fryer WITH adjustable thermostat
- Candy Thermometer (to make sure your fryer thermostat is working correctly)
- Wood Spoon
- Leather Gloves
- Safety Glasses
- Molds (I’ve used Tins, Wood frames, and Cardboard)
- Strainer
- Wax paper is handy
- A scale to measure wax/plastic


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