When I got started sculpting it was right around the time Willow Wax went under, and I couldn't find any comparable products so I just made my own wax. I think most sculptors do this, but I'm not sure. It's kind of like yeast, once you get a start with it, you can pretty much just keep the same wax indefinitely. I throw all my wax scraps and wax parts (after making master molds) in the my wax melting pot. When I need to pour a wax casting, I just put it on low heat, stir it up and strain it through pantyhose. I also create a solid block in a wax-lined dixie cup to use as sculpting wax (make sure its cooled a little). It's also great because you can tweak it to fit your needs. For example, my last batch was too soft from some of the wax sheet and wax sprue scraps I threw in the pot, so I need to add more carnauba wax to make it harder.
I don't know about ratios, but the materials I use in my wax are:
beeswax, paraffin wax, injection wax, carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax, crayons, and coconut oil. I think that's everything >_>
It's not that hard to do since it's a very inexact science. It's also cool, because it can really be whatever color you want; injection wax comes in a variety of colors, and then you can throw some crayons in for color. My initial batch turned out too deep of a red, so that's why I thought of coconut oil to make it more of a flesh tone.
I'm sure there are some good products out there too. I know castilene is popular, but I'm not sure if that's a wax or something else; and I once heard that it can be quite delicate.
I would be interested to know what most people use for wax too.
Lemme know if you have any questions about DIY wax.
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