tinted beeswax

[Andy Maldoror]

anyone have recipes for tinted beeswax polishes a la Gilboys?
also are there comparable polishes available in the US? Gilboys is English.

[Steve Schoene]

I have never used Gilboys, but I have used Antiquax, which comes in both clear and dark brown. In particular it smells nice while initially being applied. It includes both beeswax and carnuba, as does Gilboys.

[Ted Phillips]

I have tinted my own wax/oil blends using Transtint dyes in the past. My base recipe uses a mixture of shellac and bees wax mixed with stand oil (basically a heat-polymerized linseed oil - get it at art supply stores). Stand oil cures much quicker than raw linseed. The shellac wax gives the beeswax some durability and hardness. Add a couple drops of dye to the warm wax/oil mixture after you've dissolved the wax and oil in a double burner. Don't overdo it - add a couple of drops at a time until you get the color you want. Mostly, I use the Transtint "Reddish Brown" color - it is absolutely beautiful on darker woods like walnut, mahogany and cherry.

[Andy Maldoror]

Thanks for the recipe. I have flakes and most trans-tints. I'll look into the stand oil and think I'll try this out. what are the proportions of shellac to wax to oil? and what cut? just looking for consistency?

[Ted Phillips]

Here's a basic recipe to start with - toy with the proportions until you get it the consistency you like. More shellac wax with make a more durable finish, more beeswax will make a softer polish suitable for rubbing out a finish. You can also vary the solvent to get different effects. Stand oil cures a bit harder, mineral oil and turps are useful for rubbing out the finish with 0000 steel wool.

30g Shellac Wax
15g Beeswax
120g Stand Oil, Mineral Oil, or Gum Turpentine

You can also play around with adding synthetic polymers to get a tougher finish. I sometimes make my version of Don Williams' "Mel's Wax" by adding 25g of Paraloid B67 acrylic resin to the mix.

(all measure by weight)

TedP