Wax and Oil mix

[Tim Boger]

Does anyone here use the wax and mineral oil mixture while sanding as a finish? I've been watching some videos on youtube where that was the method used. Sure seemed easy.

Also wondering about the recipe to make the mixture.

Thanks,
Tim

[Ted Calver]

Tim,
I haven't tried using it while sanding, but for a utility food utensil and bowl finish I use beeswax and Mahoney's oil at a ratio of 4 parts oil to one part wax. Make five equally spaced marks on the outside of a pyrex container and add oil up to the fourth mark, heat carefully in the microwave in 30 second increments until it is warm enough to melt the wax, then shave in wax until the liquid reaches the fifth mark. Let cool. I use this on my salad bowls and utensils and have been pleased. You can substitute mineral oil.

[Tim Boger]

Hey Ted,

Thanks for the info, the mixing process seems simpler than I thought it would be. Does the finish buff out with any sheen?

[Allen Neighbors]

I've used the mixture, and don't like it. I have a large-mouth pint jar over half full of it, you can have. I can't remember the proportions, it's been over 2 years ago, I think.
The mineral oil doesn't polymerize, so I quit using it. Matter of fact, I quit using anything on my own bowls. On bowls I sell, I sometimes sand with Danish Oil.

[Ted Calver]

Tim,
Beeswax is pretty soft, but it will hand buff to a pleasant glow. I usually Beale buff my stuff with tripoli and white diamond first, then rub in a couple of coats of the mix. We usually wash our daily use salad bowls with warm water and soap, then towel dry immediately. I reapply the wax/Mahoney's oil paste whenever the bowls start to look like they are drying out...about once every couple of months. I tried using mineral oil in it but that mix left an oily ring everywhere the bowl sat. The Mahoney's oil doesn't do that. YMMV