Hardwax Oil

[Thom Sturgill]

While reading a recent copy of the British magazine "Woodturning" I noticed an advert for 'Hardwax Oil' from a company named Treatex. It claims to be water and alcohol proof and suitable for flower vases.

It apparently is a mixture of several oils and several waxes. I have not seen it advertised in the US (probably not being imported) and have no experience with it. As the old ad says 'curious minds want to know..' Do any of you know anything about it? I would assume that it classes as what we in the US would call a varnish.

[Roger Chandler]

Hey Thom.....you could get some and be our lab rat here......report back your findings?

[terry mccammon]

As no doubt everyone else has done, I asked the google. This is apparently a generic name for a combination of waxes and oils (as you said) manufactured by a number of companies and aimed at the flooring industry. I notice that mention is made of renewing the finish (obviously a floor gets more wear than the average turned object). Mention is also made of water resistance and so forth might well be worth trying for vases and the like. The several manufacturers I looked up all reference carnauba wax as part of the formulation. I would not put it on an object I was planning to eat from, but that is just me and I don't need a fight about that. Whether a plant would be effected by the finish if put in a vase is outside my knowledge base.

[Brian Kent]

Whether a plant would be effected by the finish if put in a vase is outside my knowledge base.

I would guess that, once fully cured, I could kill a house plant just as fast in a container coated with it as without.