Newbie finishing question

[stonepecker]

So far in the learning process we have used wood stain from Minwax right out of the can. We haven't gotten to the experiment stages yet.

With that said...... We have been watching the educational postings from all over. In more then one, we see what appears to be wax/mineral oil mixed together and the put on the piece with what looks like a small piece of sandpaper.

Are we seeing this right? Has anyone done this here? What is the reason for using the sandpaper?

Thank you for the help. W

 

[Leatherman1998]

I think what you see is a sanding wax.

IMHO If you use it on every grit and then use a paper towl and buff it out you will get a satin finish on your pen.

Levi Woodard
Woodardwoodworks.com

Sent from my Galaxy player using Forum Runner

 

[nativewooder]

My 2 cents: There is never a reason to use mineral oil except as a laxative!

 

[monophoto]

It's fairly standard to see a mineral oil and beeswax combination used as a finish for items that will be used with food - because the components are unquestionably 'food safe'. Unfortunately, that combination produces a fairly soft finish that is notoriously not long-lasting, and has to be refreshed periodically. The basic reason for the short life-expectancy is that mineral oil does not polymerize (cure), and beeswax is very soft.

A variation on that theme is boiled linseed oil and wax - usually carnauba wax - and usually thinned with a solvent such as turpentine. That is a fairly fast finish to apply, and because it is based on carnauba wax (harder than beeswax) and uses boiled linseed oil (a 'drying' oil that does cure), it lasts a bit longer. Even so, it does wear faster than other finishes. I use that combination for tool handles and shop jigs and fixtures.

A third similar finish is carnauba wax thinned in shellac. This can be either a paste wax (Johnson's is a well-known brand) or a liquid - Meguiar's carnauba auto wax is one popular choice. This combination is commercially available as 'Shellawax', and is known for producing a nice gloss. But again, it's not a lasting finish.


What kinds of things are you finishing? If you are doing pens, then you want a fairly hard, long-lasting finish. Some people prefer CA (superglue), perhaps applied in combination with BLO. I prefer either a lacquer-based friction finish or wipe-on-polyurethane.

 

[Bezdomni]

Carl Jacobson has a lot of excellent turning videos on YouTube and a site at Wood Turning Projects & Tips | Carl Jacobson's Woodshop.TV, including several explanations of his oil-and-wax sanding/finishing technique. He is a big advocate of using a mineral oil and PASTE wax mixture during sanding because it nearly eliminates sanding dust.

I've used it many times and it produces a very nice soft finish. It couldn't possibly be any easier to make or use. Just pour some mineral oil into a partial can of clean paste wax, mix, dip your sandpaper into it, then sand through the grits. The exact consistency doesn't matter, just make it a usable mushy paste. It helps a little to wipe it off between grits but even that isn't absolutely necessary.

It's a cheap, easy, dust-free and quick technique that produces a nice finish. Those are good things in my shop.

Chuck

 

[stonepecker]

Thank you Chuck. That is the videos we have been watching. I just found the one where he discribes his "10to1" mixture. But we didn't understand the sandpaper. Thank you for explaining it.
Carl also said that if you didn't want to use mineral oil that there were other oils to try. So we have some experimenting to do.

Thanks everyone, W