Waxing my wood; 101

[Ericfg]

So I'm entering in to the beeswax world today. I'm gonna wax some of my wood; knife & fork handles, a kitchen tool I made, and maybe cutting board or 3. But I need some tips, please.

From what I've read so far we dilute the beeswax with oil, mineral oil in my case. Can we use good tung or linseed oil as well? I've seen oil to was ratios from 4:1 to 10:1. I mixed mine at about 5:1.

I melted the wax in a water-bath on the stove, added the oil, and got that back up to temp. So far so good.
Then I poured the mixture over my sacrificial tool for my first attempt. I did it over the sink and thank dog I did because it went everywhere!

This is an image after I tried running hot tap water to clean up the wax. What are some clean-up tips please?

Here's the tool in question, post-wax application, over the water-bath with the slowly separating wax mixture in the background.

What do I do next? Buff with a cloth? Paper towel? 40 grit sand paper?

I tried searching for a waxing thread but came up short. Maybe this can be a tutorial for new waxers?

 

[Bear]

You should put it on like paste wax, after its mixed and cooled. You really shouldn't need much at all. As far as the sink is concerned scrape out the hardened wax with a plastic blade or putty knife and you could try denatured alcohol if that doesn't work try a stronger solvent. If your married I hope for your sake that wax didn't go down the sink.

 

[tostadas]

For my boards I use around 10:1 ratio so that when cooled to room temp, the mixture is similar consistency to soft butter. It's more for ease of application than anything else. I apply with a small rag, let it sit overnight, then buff it with a cloth or paper towel before use. That's it. If you try pouring it when it's still hot and liquid, it will make a mess.

 

[superworrier]

Made caneles with beeswax once... never again. The moment it touches anything it solidifies and the melting point is relatively high and it doesn't pry off as easily as I'd like. And I like the result with clarified butter better anyway.

 

[Delat]

As noted above, let it cool and solidify before using, then apply like car wax. Keep stirring while it’s melted so it doesn’t separate. Eventually you’ll notice it starting to look like a snow globe then it’ll firm up quickly from there.

If you plan to oil the handle first then apply the wax, use the lower end of the ratio. If you don’t oil, then use the higher ratio.

Linseed and tung should be fine but be careful to get pure versions. Stuff at Home Depot, etc are frequently a combination of oil and polyurethane (or sometimes even just straight thinned poly).

Poly is generally considered bad for partially-treated woodworking applications that might get wet. The untreated section on of the wood (e.g. the machi) can potentially absorb water/moisture which won’t be able to escape via the poly-sealed handle.

 

[M1k3]

Giggity

 

[Choppin]

What I do:
- 5:1 mineral oil to beeswax ratio
- Heat it in a small sauce pan until everything blends in
- Pour into a glass / mason jar
- Clean up everything WHILE STILL HOT. Usually I wait a minute so I don't burn myself, then clean the pan thoroughly with paper towel, then wash it

Applying:
- Sand the handle with 400 then 600 grit sandpaper and clean it well
- Apply your wood butter generously and leave it for 15-30min to absorb a bit
- With a piece of cloth, buff it vigorously. You want the wood and butter to heat up a bit to seal in better. I do the same when restoring old furniture

ta daa

 

[Einco]

Personally, I’d keep that mixture away from the drain. I’d be worried wax could harden in there and clog your sink.

 

[Ericfg]

Thanks for all the helpful insight!

 

[Vdark]

What I do:
- 5:1 mineral oil to beeswax ratio
- Heat it in a small sauce pan until everything blends in
- Pour into a glass / mason jar
- Clean up everything WHILE STILL HOT. Usually I wait a minute so I don't burn myself, then clean the pan thoroughly with paper towel, then wash it

Applying:
- Sand the handle with 400 then 600 grit sandpaper and clean it well
- Apply your wood butter generously and leave it for 15-30min to absorb a bit
- With a piece of cloth, buff it vigorously. You want the wood and butter to heat up a bit to seal in better. I do the same when restoring old furniture

ta daa

Is the 5:1 ratio by weight or by volume?

 

[Choppin]

Is the 5:1 ratio by weight or by volume?

By weight. It’s a ratio someone here mentioned and I started doing.

But I’d say if you eyeball it based on volume you can’t go too wrong… I see people using different ratios from 4:1 to 10:1, so anything in this range probably works.

 

[TB_London]

Mineral oil and beeswax gives a soft wax that will give a muted sheen.

If you add a small amount of carnauba wax it will give a bit more gloss.

Tung and linseed are drying oils whereas mineral oil isn’t. You’ll find that they build in the wood more, so will start to build a sheen. I use linseed on my tool handles, the 20 year old tools now look varnished, but it’s just the polymerised oil.

They aren’t neutral smell or taste wise though so worth considering whether that will transfer from the item to anything you’re cooking

 

[Ruso]

Waxing and then polishing my wood is very satisfying.

 

[martchap]

If you don't want to mix your own recipe, there are plenty of ready-made cutting board/wooden bowl (food-safe) wax products used by woodworkers, that generally cost about $9-10. One example is Walrus (brand) Wood Wax, "Handcrafted with Beeswax, Coconut Oil, Mineral Oil, and Vitamin E.", — and there are definitely other brands also containing a mix of mineral oil and beeswax.

 

[Jovidah]

Wasn't sure what to expect at this title...
Personally I'd stick to a non-hardening oil if you intend to make a bigger batch most of which you intend to store. Whether to go for mineral oil or something like grapeseed oil is another discussion. Personally I've recently moved away from using mineral oil on food surfaces. Yes, medical grade is safe enough to be used as a laxative, but I still can't come up with any good reasons why I'd want to pollute my food with laxative...
Can't remember the ratios I used in the past but I always went for something that resulted in a creamy buttery substance at room temperature. That way you can just use and apply it cold. I'd always oil stuff beforehand though and only used the butter for finishing, that way you don't have to fudge with how to optimize it for penetration.

 

[Delat]

Wasn't sure what to expect at this title...
Personally I'd stick to a non-hardening oil if you intend to make a bigger batch most of which you intend to store. Whether to go for mineral oil or something like grapeseed oil is another discussion. Personally I've recently moved away from using mineral oil on food surfaces. Yes, medical grade is safe enough to be used as a laxative, but I still can't come up with any good reasons why I'd want to pollute my food with laxative...
Can't remember the ratios I used in the past but I always went for something that resulted in a creamy buttery substance at room temperature. That way you can just use and apply it cold. I'd always oil stuff beforehand though and only used the butter for finishing, that way you don't have to fudge with how to optimize it for penetration.

I’ve been using fractioned coconut oil, aka MCT instead of mineral oil. There doesn’t seem to be any definitive study about how stable it is over the extremely long-term (i.e. decades) but it’s been fine on my cutting boards for about 2 years now. Definitely would not use any kind of regular vegetable oil though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X1CFM1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Curmudgeon]

I’ve used both Obenauf’s LP and/or Leather Oil for years. All the propolis is antibacterial and the beeswax base keeps the wood in good nick. It’s completely food safe, applies easily, soaks in well, and dries reasonably quickly. Obenauf’s is one those truly great products that’s works on everything. A small tin on a camping trip will treat leather, wood, and even light a fire when it’s rubbed on t-shirt scrap or piece of cotton wool.

 

[Jovidah]

I’ve been using fractioned coconut oil, aka MCT instead of mineral oil. There doesn’t seem to be any definitive study about how stable it is over the extremely long-term (i.e. decades) but it’s been fine on my cutting boards for about 2 years now. Definitely would not use any kind of regular vegetable oil though.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X1CFM1K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I've heard about it... looked good on paper at least... but I struggled to find it at a really acceptable price here. Considering none of my cutting boards are really all that expensive, and hordes of people are using normal vegetable oil on their cutting boards without issues I figured I'd take the gamble and start using grapeseed oil. Worst case scenario maybe I'll have to replace my board 10 years from now.... but even that might work out financially considering how much cheaper the grapeseed oil is vs the fancified stuff.