Renaissance wax for finish

[vaddoc]

Hi all, I am thinking of using Renaissance wax for finish. I will probably be painting the exterior of my boat but leave the interior unpainted. 

The reasons for considering wax is that it does not raise the grain, further coats can be applied as needed and I avoid the difficulties of varnish (waiting to cure, brushmarks, dust etc). Previously I also used pure Tung oil which is very nice but takes days to harden.

I am thinking of sanding to 400 grit and then just apply the wax and buff. Of course I will do a bit of testing first on scrap wood. I would be very interested for your comments.

1. Is there any reason not to use wax?

2. Should I apply the wax as is or dilute with mineral spirits, apply and leave to dry?

3. If glueing or painting is later needed, will it be possible?

4. What would happen if I first use sanding sealer and then apply the wax? Would this make easier to remove the wax if needed?

[vaddoc]

I guess that there is not much experience with this. Anyway, I did some tests and I must say I like it very much.

Mineral spirits can dilute the wax but not well. I mixed some wax with a generous quantity of MS but even after much shaking there were chunks of wax still floating. I applied the mixture to wood sanded to 400 grit and when dry it showed white streaks. However a coat of wax with lint free cloth produced good results.

I applied 3 coats of wax to two pieces of wood, one with sanding sealer and one without, both sanded to 400 grit. The results were almost identical but the one without sealer was much smoother. The wax does not alter the colour at all and dries as a very hard, very smooth film. The wax is very easy to apply, needs tiny quantities and dries almost instantly. It does have a rather strong unpleasant smell but this does not last long. Buffing with a rotary tool brings on some shine but I think that this is not necessary. 

Overall I think this is a brilliant finishing option and I will most likely use it in my current built. I will test as well how it responds to painting and glueing. 

[robnbill]

I use that wax on my cast iron workshop tables. I am also thinking about using it on my Connie's display case. I have liked it in the shop. Very hard wax.

[vaddoc]

An update on glueing, I can confirm that neither super glue nor PVA work on Waxed surface. The pieces separated with very little force. I tried a second piece which I lightly sanded first with 240 grit. Again, CA glue did not create a good bond but PVA worked fine producing a bond stronger than the wood. It seems that at least on pear wood and probably all hardwoods renaissance wax does not penetrate too deep and can be easily sanded off.

The smell takes 24 hours to completely disappear. I suspect the boat in the meantime will be a bit flammable.

I don't think there is any point testing paint over the wax, I am sure in this case sanding plus primer would be needed.

[vaddoc]

Do you polish it somehow Brian? My test pieces show some streaks when held against the light, not too much though. I tested buffing with a buffing wheel and the Dremmel but it does not work great. Polishing with the hand does not feel the same as with other waxes as this dries very hard.

[Ulises Victoria]

I use Renaissance wax extensively on my wooden turned pens. Never thought about using it on my ships. Something to think about! Thanks!

[Remcohe]

Vaddoc, it's better to use turpentine instead of mineral spirits. Is smells a lot better and if you warm it up a little (not too much be careful as it is flammable) the wax will solve better. I tried it and the finish is nice but will not harden completely, you can indeed forget glueing or painting parts afterwards so plan ahead when you are going to apply the finish. In the end I switched to heavily dissolved tungoil, thin coats dry within a few hours.

 

Remco

[vaddoc]

I think you are right Remco, turpentine  should work better but compared to low odour Mineral oil which in essence is odour free it is very unpleasant to use. Either way, just rubbing the wax with cloth I found works brilliantly.

Pure tung oil is great, really brings out the beauty of the wood. I think though it will darken the swiss pear I am currently using.

How do you buff the waxed surface? 

[Remcohe]

I 'like' the odour of turpentine better than mineral spirit.  

I never buff the surface, I want a dead flat finish

 

Remco

[Izzy Madd]

Hi all, I am thinking of using Renaissance wax for finish. I will probably be painting the exterior of my boat but leave the interior unpainted. 

The reasons for considering wax is that it does not raise the grain, further coats can be applied as needed and I avoid the difficulties of varnish (waiting to cure, brushmarks, dust etc). Previously I also used pure Tung oil which is very nice but takes days to harden.

I am thinking of sanding to 400 grit and then just apply the wax and buff. Of course I will do a bit of testing first on scrap wood. I would be very interested for your comments.

1. Is there any reason not to use wax?

2. Should I apply the wax as is or dilute with mineral spirits, apply and leave to dry?

3. If glueing or painting is later needed, will it be possible?

4. What would happen if I first use sanding sealer and then apply the wax? Would this make easier to remove the wax if needed?

As a retired cabinetmaker and restorer wax is one thing I have used a lot.

1. The main problems with wax is the build up in couriers, but that can be lessened by warming the wax in a none flammable way such as a bowl of hot water.

2. The softening applies to the application rather than dilute it which can be a nightmare if you get the wrong solvent. If it's pure beeswax true turpentine if you really want to thin it. Get it from the art shops. Not turps substitute. Don't bother with Renaissance wax over priced and only needed if you want your model to survive 500 years or more. A normal low odour wax for furniture is fine. IMO I would just use raw beeswax. Mixed with two parts turpentine. And warmed to soften it. That will give you a warm soft glow without too much colour change. Wax will darken woods slightly and doesn't stop uv damage. Nothing does other than not puttingitin the sun.

3. If gluing or painting is needed then you'll have to remove all the wax from the relivent part. But turps substitute will dissolve it. Weird I know. If it's on wood use sparingly and allow to,dry for around three days. If it's a safe surface then just wipe down with alcohol before painting as the turps substitute leaves an oily residue.

4. With saying sealer the wax will polish to a great shine so long as you cut back the nibs. Which is the air that's trapped in the waning sealer as it dries.

 

One last caveat beeswax can be sticky if not refined properly. Adding a little carnauba wax 10% max will ease this and give an even deeper polish. But don't be too quick to re wax. As it will build up and look awful remember wax only comes of if rubbed. It never evaporates.ask the Egyptian mummies. They were waxed and still around now. So beeswax isn't that harsh.

 

Hope this helps

 

All IMO of course

[tkay11]

There are a few furniture creams already made up of beeswax and turpentine, e.g. Stephenson's Olde English Furniture Cream (although that particular brand is no longer made, I have a couple of jars of it from my mother who used it for her antique furniture).

 

See http://www.johngrahamhardware.co.uk/stephensons_old_english.html.

 

Tony

[Izzy Madd]

The only reason for the turpentine is to make the wax soft enough to wipe on. It can also be done with hot wax but this is harder as the room has to be hot as well or else the wax sets as soon as it touches the wood. But if you gently warm any paste wax and apply it with a paint brush. You can get a really thin coat which is what you want. Also if you use a coloured wax paste such as briwax then it will fill the gaps such as those between deck boards and give an overall look of instant age. Just be careful to keep evening it out with a rag as you go or you'll end up with streaks. But if you do get streaks a hair dryer will help soften it so you can spread it out again.