Wax finish

[Jim Baker]

Just to try out something new, I tried finishing a couple of small, fairly meaningless projects with Minwax Wax finish. To cut to the chase, I hate it. I'm sure it's more of a reflection of my abilities and understanding, but the results were not what I would have liked.

After allowing it to dry for about 15 minutes, I wiped off the excess and buffed it. It still looks very streaky, not the soft shine I waas hoping for. Also, there are small bits of wax in inside corners that are nearly impossible to get out and make look nice. Also, the effort required to buff it out was much larger than what I had expected.

Do any of you wax users havce any pointers? So far, I think I will leave the wax on the shelf next time.

[Jim Becker]

I have a number of projects that I've used wax as the finish including my wife's cherry desk (hey, I didn't know any better at that time...a film finish would have been better on that one!) and a lot of decorative items. (More appropriate there)

The one thing about a wax finish is that you really need to do a bit more prep work before you do the wax thing. Sand well beyond what you would normally do for a film finish so that the wood itself is already silky smooth. Otherwise, you'll tend to use too much wax and that doesn't look all that good. Many of my wax finish items also had a coat of BLO prior to the waxing which also helps "slink" the wood up.

I also use "just wax" on some of my turnings...specifially those I don't want to have as much of a color change as I would with oil. I've done this with Ambrosia Maple and just tonight, on two spalted norway maple bowls. Both were sanded up through 600 prior to applying the wax and buffed later in the evening with the Beall system.

[Jim Baker]

The one thing about a wax finish is that you really need to do a bit more prep work before you do the wax thing. Sand well beyond what you would normally do for a film finish so that the wood itself is already silky smooth. Otherwise, you'll tend to use too much wax and that doesn't look all that good. Many of my wax finish items also had a coat of BLO prior to the waxing which also helps "slink" the wood up.

I sanded to 220 before applying the BLO. Appearantly that isn't fine enough? I probably did use too much wax. SWMBO says I always put on too much of all finishes. I have trouble getting full coverage with thin layers of anything, so I tend to apply entirely too much to ensure full coverage (I think it reflects my shortage of patience). Obviously, I need more practice.

I wasn't too worried about these projects. I used some less than stellar cherry and oak from a coworker and did some experimenting with different combinations of finishes to see what I might like on some future projects. I still have the info from the finishing company that you gave me, but I'm waiting for some upcoming "real" projects before consulting with them.

[Ken Salisbury]

I assume you are referring to Minwax Finishing Wax. I use it on most of my projects - especially bowls and turned boxes and find it an excellent product.

On turnings I sand to 600 grit followed by burnishing with the object's chips, followed by application of one or more (usually more - 24 hours between applications) coats of oil.

Then apply a light coat (and I emphasize light) of wax using a folded paper towel, waiting 10 minutes and then buff with a soft cloth. If the sheen is less than you want - apply another light coat of wax. I use the same procedure on flat stuff except sanding to 400 grit.

I normally use Minwax Tung Oil Finish or Minwax Antique Oil.