There are four ways to apply wax. We can apply the wax using friction heat to melt the wax onto the wood, we can apply it as a paste, we can use a buffing wheel, or we can apply it as a hot liquid. They all have their advantages.
Friction wax applications will be discussed on this page. Paste waxes and polishes are on Page 2 of 2. Buffing and hot waxes are on a separate pages.
Run the lathe at 2000 RPM, or as fast as you feel comfortable.
Hold the stick of wax against the spinning wood.
Move the wax across the surface until it has a uniform coating of wax.
Hold a piece of folded paper towel against the spinning wood until the wax starts to melt.
Move the paper towel across the surface to remove ALL of the wax.
Refold the paper towel to a clean spot, and do it again to make sure all of the excess wax has been removed.
Friction Wax
There is no better way to get the 2nd of the "3-Secrets" done on a small turning, less than about 3" or 4" in diameter, than a friction application. Being smaller in diameter, these turnings can be spun very fast in the lathe to make best use of the friction heat to melt the hard wax onto the surface. Larger diameter turning cannot be safely spun fast enough to generate and hold the heat required to melt the wax.
The application is simple. We hold the wax against the spinning wood, and let the friction heat the wax. Then we flow the wax onto the wood, followed by wiping it all off with a soft cloth or paper towel. All is done with the lathe spinning. This application allows us to use the harder waxes in their purer form, however there is one thing to watch out for.
Do not use a wax stick that is harder than the wood.
The reason should be obnvious. A hard wax, such as a Carnauba, has a higher melting temperature, and the harder wax can damage a softer wood before enough heat is generated to melt the wax.
Paraffin and Beeswax
In our rush to use waxes that have to be better because they cost more, we often forget the lowly household paraffin that can be purchased at the grocery store. If you don't want to make a trip to the store, use an old candle. They are 100% paraffin wax. White candles are preferred, but use any color if you wish. There won't be enough residual wax on the wood to see the color, and it there is, it may give the wood a nice accent.
Buff vigorously with a stiff natural bristle brush.
This compacts the wax on the surface, and gives it a higher gloss.
Inspect the surface for imbedded wax in the grain, and buff with the brush to remove them.
Use an old tooth brush, or a dental pick, if you have to get down into open fissures in the wood surface to remove the imbedded wax.
the 3-Secrets to using wax
Wax in any form is easier to apply, looks better, and lasts longer if we remember three simple rules.
1 - Thin is better.
And, the thinner the better. If it looks and feels like wax, it is too thick.
Most of us use way more wax than we should.
2 - Heat is good.
Heat allows us to use a harder and purer wax than we otherwise could. Heat also allows us to get a better coverage of the entire wood surface, even down into the pore and fissures in the surface..
3 - Beating is Good.
Wax loves to be abused with a brush. The brushing compacts the wax on the surface, and the compacted wax has a higher gloss and lasts longer than wax the is left alone. A stiff brush also removes any excess wax on the surface and cleans wax deposits out of the grain and fissures in the surface.
Wiping with a cloth is not good because we tend to just smear the excess wax around rather than remove it down to a thin layer, and there is no compaction of the wax on the surface.
There will be some heat generated, and that's OK. It has to get hot enough at the surface to melt the wax - 150F for paraffin and beeswax. That's hot enough to burn the fingers, and we fold the paper towel into several layers to make ot more comfortable to use.
Commercial Stick Waxes
Either paraffin or beeswax is added to the commercial stick waxes to lower their melting temperature and make them easier to use in a friction application. Be aware that the wax finish is softer and less durable from the addition of these softer waxes. Hut Products is a long time manufacture of these modified stick waxes. I am sure there are others.
The Hut Products waxes have a polishing compound blended into the wax. In the case of the Original Hut Wax, that is a Jewelers Rouge (also known as Tripoli). Hut Products also makes their Perfect Pen Polish (PPP) that is a pair of sticks, the dark colored one contains the Jewelers Rouge, and the Light colored stick has a finer White Diamond (Tin Oxide) abrasive in it.
These blended stick waxes can be used as the final finish on bare wood, or as a protective coating over another finish. I like to use them over shellac.
SCRUBBING, with a brush for a higher gloss, and to remove excess wax
All waxes will benefit from a vigorous buffing with a stiff bristle brush. The result is a harder wax that has a higher gloss that looks better longer.
Natural bristles are inportant.
Nylon bristles are sharp and can scratch the finish. Natural bristles are softer.
I use either a horse grooming brush or a cheap scrubb brush from the grocery
Scrubbing with the brush is sometimes necessary to remove the residual wax buried in the wood grain of an open-grain wood or in voids in the surface. It could also be that the piece wasn't sanded enough, and this can leave a white wax residue in a dark wood. The same residue will be dark in a light wood. If these wax deposits look good, they can be left there as an "enhancement" of the wood grain. If they don't look good, they are easilly removed with a scrub brush.
This video is the same as for the buffing application. The only difference between a buffing and friction is which is moving, the wax or the wood. They will both benefit from the same after-scrubbing.
The PPP and other stick waxes are applied the same as shown for the paraffine.
Do it twice, first with the dark wax, and then with the white.
Use a higher speed and/or more pressure because the melting point is higher than either paraffin or beeswax.
Do not use a wax stick that is harder than the wood.
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