[James Wright]

I have never used wax on a finish and have wanted to try it. What brand or type should I try first, and where do you purchase yours?

Topic

[Joshua Farnsworth]

#2028159

James, my favorite is “Mylands Clear Finishing Wax” You can find it here at this link. Definitely worth the price. Some top notch woodworkers recommended this to me.

 

[Sides]

#2028337

 

You should try making your own. It isn’t difficult, and it gives you more control over the final results. The link should start you off in the right direction.

 

Wax

[James Wright]

#2028338

I have thought about it. what is your recipe?

[Sides]

#2028339

 

I got it from the link I posted above. I had to convert the proportions to english.

4oz beeswax

2oz mineral spirits

6oz turpentine

I melt the wax in a washed out soup can. I hold the can with pliers in a pot of boiling water. when it’s melted pour it into a larger container holding the mineral spirits and turpentine. Stir it up a little to mix it up, then let it cool. It will be about the consistency of peanut butter.

I apply it with 0000 steel wool, buff with a clean cotton rag.

Make sure you use good turpentine. The stuff in the big box stores sucks. Full of impurities, but it here.

Turpentine

[James Wright]

#2028341

Nice. I love asking people because everyone has a recipe they swear by, and most of them are very close.

[Darwin Richards]

#2030483

There are many available in the market today that you can choose depending which you prefer, but I am using turpentine for my wooden type entry door.

http://caldwells.com/

[David Cover]

#2077585

I used this beeswax formula on a desk recently but it may not have been the right finish. Although it’s been over a week and I was able to let the tabletop sit in the sun for a day as well as sitting near the heat of a woodstove, the wax finish is still a little “tacky.” Even a few drops of liquid mar the finish.

Does a beeswax finish ever harden like a varnish? Can I use a product like a spar varnish or urethane over the bees wax?

Thanks,

DC

[PaulieBoy09]

#2079300

I have made my own for 50 years . Equal parts refined beeswax , gum turpentine and linseed oil . For many years I used raw linseed and added a few drops of terebine . Terebine is now considered hazardous and I can’t buy it where I live in Australia so I now use ‘boiled’ linseed which has added driers . I melt the beeswax , then add the other two parts . Stir and leave 24 hours . Ready to use . It dries  to a good hardness on previously polished surfaces and I often buff hard with a shoe brush . It can be softened a bit and used on raw timber too. Hope that helps .

[Emy Jackson]

#2079339

you must try beeswax

[Author]

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