I was watching a video on turning wood. The person kept saying that when he was done he used wax and then rubbed it in. What kind of wax would he be using? Bee's Wax? He used it as a finish instead of stains or varathane. Any help please.
Don't know which video you saw, but beeswax over mineral oil is a classic. It's a friction rub, so it won't work well on irregular things like natural edges, but on spindle work or flowing curves it's a gem. Dave in Fairfax
Yes, most likely it was beeswax or a mixture of some kind. You can easily make your own too or buy any number of commercial preparations. Remember that any kind of finish has it's advantages and disadvantages. Use it when it makes sense.
- Andrew
For the past several years, I've been using a wax finish product called, "Kerf's Wood Creme." This is a bees wax base finish that works very well as the sole finish on many things. I believe it is available from both Woodcraft and Craft Supplies USA. The stuff is made about 75 miles from where I live and I try to keep a few jars on hand to avoid running out.
Richard Raffan used bees wax and mineral oil in some of his videos. I've found this also to be a nice finish.
Fred Holder
anybody know if vegetable oil/olive oil would work well as a finish? what about Carnuaba(spelling?)/other waxes in a combination friction stick, I've heard they are good.
Reyd Dorakeen wrote: clip) anybody know if vegetable oil/olive oil would work well as a finish? (clip) ^^^^^^^^^^ Unfortunately, they turn rancid. If they did not, they would have made all the discussion about food safe finishes unnecessary.
Hi Reyd. It's good to see you're so inquisitive and willing to ask questions.
The only times I've use veggie (corn or canola) or olive oil is for food items like kitchen bowls, stirring paddles or cutting boards. Some folks use mineral oil for these items as it's rumored that the veggie oils will go rancid. I've never had that experience - maybe it's because the items are used so frequently, washed, wiped and generally get a fair bit of wear and tear. One can't consider veggie or mineral oils as much of a protective finish - they don't cure hard like other oils, varnishes, lacquers or whatnot - so reapplication of the oil regularly, or whenever you remember to do it, is necessary.
The nut oils (like tung and walnut) and some others like peanut and flax (aka: linseed) polymerize and cure to a hard finish with time. Though these alone still don't offer much protection.
Take a look at this link - it's done by a fellow who posts here on occassion, Russ Fairfield, and is a very well done set of chapters on all types of finishes, their applications, pros and cons:
(You also might be interested in his article on homemade tools - follow the link back to Russ's Corner.)
_____ American Association of Woodturners Cascade Woodturners Assoc., Portland, Oregon Northwest Woodturners, Tigard, Oregon _____
Reyd I use a 50/50 mix of vegetable and mineral oils on a lot of kitchen turnings. It does not give a lot of protection and needs to be replenished from time to time. Some say it may go rancid over time, but not in my experience (an anecdotal measure) and any information I can find to the contrary is at best anecdotal. I tell people buying that the items need a periodic reoiling with the vegetable oil of their choice.
Carnuba wax works well on bare wood as well as on oil.
Carnuba wax works well on bare wood.
Thats what I thought, but 2 books recommended it, Foundation woodturning, by K. Rowley(I think) and so did another books, and they said it wouldn't turn rancid, and was a good finish for things like salt dishes.weird books.
Hi Reyd. As I mentioned in my other response, I've not had any problems with rancidity (?). It may be due to the very thinness of the amount of oil that is actually retained on the wood. I think if it's a situation where the wood is oil soaked and then perhaps stored away without much air circulation it could foster a rancid-causing condition.
Rowley is pretty darned knowledgeable. Mike Darlow, author of The Fundamentals of Woodturning, is a stickler for the "science" behind turning and on page 72 mentions using vegetable oils to enhance color.
Just some more to think about - if you haven't guessed already, no matter what stance you may choose on any given turning subject, someone else successfully does the opposite.
_____ American Association of Woodturners Cascade Woodturners Assoc., Portland, Oregon Northwest Woodturners, Tigard, Oregon _____
While vegetable oil does turn rancid, olive oil does not. Nor does peanut oil IIRC.
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The only reference to using any oil for finishing that I was able to find in Rowley's book was Danish Oil. Do you have a page or chapter reference for where he recommends vegatable or olive oil for finishing?
Tim
Reyd Dorakeen wrote:
there was a chart of different finishes, with they're pro's and con's on that chart it said the pro for vegitable oil was that it wouldnt go rancid.
Leo Lichtman wrote: Unfortunately, they turn rancid. If they did not, they would have made all the discussion about food safe finishes unnecessary. ^^^^^^^^^^^ This comment of mine, which was made earlier, was not based on any scientific knowledge--it was "folklore" which I accepted because the view is widely held. I did not know there were experts holding the opposite view.
Perhaps it would be helpful to ask: can anyone report an experience in which salad oil or olive oil turned rancid and created a problem on a bowl?
I won't argue the point too strongly but my understanding is that just about any oil you use, including vegetable oil, will not go rancid. It will evaporate first. A bottle of oil may go rancid due to its volume. But on a bowl, very little is used and it will all evaporate within a day or two, leaving only the solids.
My understanding is that any oil finish is food safe once it has dried because, again, the oil itself, evaporates.
Earl
Thanks for all the replies and info. I will try beeswax. Is it safe to use on food items such as bowls? Will it discolor over time?
I've had some beeswax darken over the course of a year on a piece. I know it wasn't the wood, as I have two of the same wood sitting here- one waxed, the other unfinished.
Also- never had a problem with food-safe issues. I use a beeswax mix on my 20+ year old salad set, periodically refresh some wood chopsticks that see almost daily use, and use it on my chopping board. Never had a bad reaction in the 20+ years of use.
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