steamshovel
Member
Does anyone have the formula for a bees wax finish & I lost mine & I forgot?
Preston
Preston
Charlie that is what I also use.We use a Mineral Oil/Beeswax mix (on kitchen items and cutting boards) if that is what you are referring to.
25% beeswax melted and mixed with 75% food safe mineral oil. Once mixed, it will not separate. For. Thicker mix, increase the Beeswax %.
I use Tung oil instead of Linseed oil and Bee's wax warmed in a bowl over near-boiling water then add a quantity (say 10% or so) of Gum Terpentine/Turpentine (not mineral turps, different animal all together) The Terpentine/Turpentine is rather flammable so no smoking or naked flames anywhere near the mixing pot. It needs to be rubbed in, easy to do on the lathe, otherwise a lambs wool power buffer helps. The heat gets the mix to soak into the timber and seems to Harden it off a bit so it's not sticky. And it smells really nice, like something your grandparents would have used.A further thought -
Several years ago, I watched a demonstration by a bowl turner at a craft fair. After completing the shaping of the bowl, he sanded briefly (but not excessively - I think he stopped at 320 grit), and then applied a coat of pure bees wax by simply crayoning it onto the spinning bowl, and then burnishing the wax into the wood with a bit of paper towel. When asked about this, he said that it was a quick and inexpensive finish that was ideal for food-service items where 'food safe' might be an issue. I've used that approach with blocks of beeswax, Liberon carnauba wax bars, and even blocks of canning paraffin from the supermarket.
The downside of this finish is that it is not permanent, and will eventually wash off of food-service items that are washed after use. Of course, it can be easily renewed (although applying a pure wax is best done at the lathe where the item can be spun and the wax burnished into the wood. On the other hand, there are a number of commercial beeswax and mineral oil finishes that can simply be wiped onto the piece and rubbed in without the lathe when renewal is required.