I love the feel of wax on furniture and have been using Johnson's paste wax for years. The big problem with paste wax is it smells fucking awful, like opening a gas can. This is no surprise since it is made from petroleum.
After my venture into milk paint I decided to see what else I might be able to do to detox my finishing options. Making my own wax seemed like a good place to start.
After a little bit of research I found a few recipes, almost all of which were the same-- one part beeswax and four parts oil, by volume. I used beeswax pellets which can be found at craft stores or online, though you could use blocks or even refine your own from comb surplus if you happen to know a beekeeper. Just cut it up so it melts easier. For the oil, typically you will see folks use linseed oil for this, which is hard to find, unless it's flax in which case it's super expensive.
I went to my local crunchy food store to try to find some flax oil and was shocked to find it's like 40 bucks a quart-- so instead settled on a $12 bottle of culinary hemp oil.
Most recipes call for heating the oil and wax together in a double boiler, then pouring it into the final containers. This is unnecessary and makes a mess-- pick a nice wide mouth glass jar to hold your finished product, then put the oil and wax in the jar and put the whole thing in the microwave. After a couple of minutes the oil will heat up enough to melt the wax, and when it's completely melted give it a stir and throw a lid on it-- boom you're done. No mess.
After it's hardened it can be used like normal paste wax. And folks let me tell you-- the hemp blend smells amazing. Don't be put off by the light green color-- it doesn't transfer at all.
It is a joy to use and the beeswax leaves a superior finish to the petroleum waxes, it's very grippy and smooth in the hand. I also love that I can eat it with no ill effects. The paste wax feels like it has to be aired out overnight just to let the smell dissipate.
You can also add pigment to it-- I added black iron oxide to a small jar and used it on all of my hand planes. Here is a before and after on my cheap scrub plane:
The black wax works it's way into the pores in the grain, creating a patina. I have also tried this with brown iron oxide and the effect is similar though it leaves a warmer and less muted finish. You can also add the same pigment that's in the milk paint of your choice, and get a really nice effect with the colors popping.
I am using the black wax on my tool chest-- more to come on that here very shortly
that is killer. I used to have maker space at my last place and intend on it again in a few years.
for a time, I got to mess around with wood working and most used oil or water based polyurethane finishes for some basic furniture.
I was really into stains, especially once I learned the pigment didn't have to be some shade we associate with wood. I found specialty wood working store that carries a shitload general finishes stains and did a deep purple on a birch ply table top.
then I got real weird and ordered some water soluble primary pigment powders (gnarly shit) and mixed up some ratio to make a blue green and stained some shelving I had slapped together hastily.
now it's like 7-8 years later and I'm much more fascinated by stuff like this (natural, locally sourcable dyes/pigments and ingredients) for smaller projects.
in a few years, I should be back in a situation where I can build the furniture for the space I will eventually retire and die in, and I am so looking forward to building bespoke tables, shelves, containers and whatnot in a highly functional maker space. that is how I want to spend chilly winter days in my 50s and 60s.
I don't think pigments have to be that gnarly, the pigments I am using are mostly metal oxides and non-toxic. The black, red and brown for example are all iron oxide, and the blue I'm using for the chest topcoat (spoiler alert) is copper oxide i think.
It really is amazing how we let the chemical companies get away with fucking everything up, from our gardens to our cupboards to our paints. I don't know why it took me so long to realize "hey, maybe everything doesn't need to be covered in plastic,"
It's very nice to be able to finish without VOCs. I had my son with me earlier in an enclosed garage helping me apply a 1# cut of shellac flakes in everclear. No way I would have let him in there if I was applying minwax
I use this stuff, it's great: https://www.triedandtruewoodfinish.com/products/original-wood-finish/
It really does, it has this phenomenal nutty aroma. Not weed like at all. It smells like toasted hazelnuts, it's so nice. Infinitely better than the ghastly smell of Johnson's paste wax
I hate commercial wood finishes. I recently made a rolling standing desk for working outside when it's nice and I wanted to be lazy so I used a single stage dye/finish for the wood desktop. Color preferences aside, it still stains when it gets wet and when it's humid and warm it's just slightly tacky. Awful. I need to sand the finish off and do something else.
They smell fucking awful
I'm just now starting to mess with the homemade stuff so have no insight on your desk. Does it stay inside, or live outside?
If it doesn't have too much stuff on it and you want to get wild with it you could try soap. It leaves a really nice perfectly matte finish. Not durable but easy to maintain. You just grate up a cups worth of a bar of soap (or use soap flakes if you can find them!) and dissolve in 4 cups of boiling water. Cool overnight and it becomes a mayonnaise like consistency that can be wiped on with a rag then buffed off when hazy
It's apparently a very popular finish in Scandinavian countries and particularly good on light woods like pine, spruce etc. I would love to do my desk with it but it has too much shit on it. The soap needs a weekly application probably and I couldn't be bothered to keep taking everything off then putting it back on
That soap finish is very interesting, looks nice too. I might give that a try - thanks! I never would have found that on my own. This desk stays outside so it does get a little wet when it rains.
