Wax attack!!

[Eric Gourieux]

When I was buffing this myrtle burl after applying General's Woodturning Finish, I noticed some not-so-glossy areas developing. I figured out that it is wax that was pulled out of the burl while buffing. I had applied shellac before GWF but must have failed to seal the deeper inclusions. Does anybody have any suggestions for removing the wax? I assume I could eventually buff it away, but it seems that the more I buff, the more wax comes out. Should I seal it again with shellac and then reapply GWF? Any suggestions would be welcome.

The waxy areas are difficult to photograph. It is most visible around the light reflection on the right.

159.JPG

[Neil McWilliams]

I'm sorry but I am confused. When did you apply the wax? Or do you mean that some natural resinous exudate is working its way through the GWF? If the latter, then removing the GWF in those areas and reapplying the shellac should solve the problem. I am not workingly familiar with GWF but would presuppose that it has no chemical conflict with the cured shellac undercoat.

[Scott Conners]

Are you sure you're seeing wax and not just buffing through the finish? I've done that more times than I'd like to admit, especially when hurrying. I've also seen that kind of result when I've buffed the finish and gotten it too hot, or when I rushed and the finish wasn't properly cured. If wax is actually under the GWF, buffing more is just going to show you the weak spots that would eventually fail anyway. If it's more than one or two bad spots, you might be better off sanding and re-finishing from clean wood.

If it's wax for sure, you might use DNA or another solvent to remove it (and the shellac) from that area, then re-shellac and re-finish. Or just sand and re-shellac then finish that area.

[Eric Gourieux]

Thanks, guys. Yes, it is definitely wax - from the sealing process for the original wood blank. I assume it was dipped in some sort of wax after the blank was cut, causing wax to infiltrate the voids in the burl. It can actually be scraped off with my fingernail, revealing intact finish underneath. Now that the was has come out to the surface and has been smeared around with the buffing process, nothing will adhere to the area. I tried sanding lightly and reapplying WTF, but it just beads up where the wax is. Since WTF is water-based, I assume DNA will remove it (the WTF). I think I'll have to do that to get back to bare wood and start over. My guess is that shellac would not even seal the wax that remains down in the voids, because it won't adhere to the wax. I'll start over with shellac, then WTF and buff more LIGHTLY.

Scott, WTF worked well over the shellac, so I don't see a conflict there. I guess I could sand, reapply shellac and then WTF without going back to bare wood. But, I'm not sure if I'd get as clear of a finish as I would if I went back to bare wood.

If anybody has any other suggestions, fire away. I'm open to any other suggestions.

[Reed Gray]

You probably need to sand it down to bare wood, and give it several soakings in mineral spirits to dissolve the wax out, then refinish. I am not sure if DNA will cut the wax, or if you need some thing stronger. Maybe apply a solvent based finish first as the solvents may also remove the wax, or at least thin it out enough for your other finish to adhere, and seal.

robo hippy

[Larry Pickering]

Mineral spirits with a tooth brush