Colored wax can be used to add overall color to a piece of wood, or it can be used to enhance the grain of the wood. An example of the overall coloring would be using a brown or dark red-brown to add to color a wood like Lauan (Philippine Mahogany). Enhancing the grain is when we add black or brown wax to a wood such as Ash or Oak. We call it "patinating" when it is black, and "liming" when it is white.
1 - Select the Wax
Select the color to enhance the grain.
Be creative.
Black is used here.
2 - Buff the Wood
Buff the wood vigorously with a scrub brush.
This cleans and compacts the surface of the wood and removed loose fibers and fuzz.
3 - Seal the Wood
Wipe on a liberal coat of Deft or Watco lacquer.
Let it dry for no more than 2 minutes.
Wipe it all off with a clean paper towel.
This prevents the dyes from leaching out into the wood
4 - Wipe on the Wax
Wipe on a liberal coat of wax. Use 2 or 3 coats if needed.
Rub it well down into the wood grain. The more wax in the grain, the better.
WAIT 15 minutes
The wax is dry when it can't be rubbed off with your finger.
5 - Wipe Wax Off
Wipe all of the excess wax off with a paper towel that has been dipped in an oil finish. I like the Watco Teak Oil, but the Watdo Danish works as well.
When dry the wax is sealed and the piece has an oil finish.
Wait overnight, buff lightly with 0000-steel wool and give it another coat
This small Ash platter has been enhanced with a black wax.
The Wax
There are several options available for either purchasing colored wax or mixing our own with either a commercial paste wax or one of those we have made from the recipes.
Do It Ourself
The advantages of doing it ourself is there are an infinite number of colors available, and it is easy to do. Color can be added to any paste wax. I add color to either the commercial Trewax, or any of the recipes for homebrew paste waxes. Always add the dye slowly, and sneak up on the color you want.
I have had the best success with acrylic pigments from the art supply store, TransTint, or a water soluble aniline dye powder that is mixed directly into the wax. A little goes a long way, so use an eyedropper to measure the TransTint and the tip of a knife to measure the powdered analine dye.
Heating the paste wax just enough to soften it will help with the mixing. Do not overheat.
Shoe Polish and Patenating Waxes
Purchasing the wax already colored is the easiest. The black wax from Libnron or Briwax are called a patenating wax when they are black, and a liming wax when they are white.
Shoe polish has the advantage that there are many more colors available. The only difference between Kiwi Shoe Polish and a commercial patinating wax is the commercial product has more thinners and it spreads easier.
Black, Brown, and Oxblood are attractive colors for bold grain patterns of Ash or Oax. White, or any of the lighter colors, goes well with any open grained dark wood. I think the black wax on Mahogany gives the wood a rich coloring.
Wax of any color will give new life to an otherwise uninteresting wood like Lauan (Philippine mahogany). Experimentation is encouraged.
Enhancing the Grain
black wax on a natural Ash
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5 Steps to Grain Enhancement with color
Enhancing the Grain
with a gold gilting cream on Ash that has been dyed black.
