Which wax

[speeder1987]

I've just made a box and finished with multiple coats of Danish oil (pics to come when finished). I want to wax the box aswell. Which is the best wax to get which can be applied and buffed by hand? Are there different types?

The box is walnut, but would prefer a wax which can be used on any wood, light or dark.

Any recommendations?

Cheers
John

 

[Dodge]

Mylands Light Brown, use it all the time on all finishes/woods and have done for years.

 

[speeder1987]

Thanks dodge, I will give that a go

Cheers
John

 

[yetloh]

Bear in mind that the effect of wax on top of another finish is transient. That's Ok if you don't mind waxing it regularly but in my opinion it is better to get the level of finish you want eg silkiness, sheen, on the underlying finish and you can certainly do this with Danish Oil if you let it dry thoroughly then cut it back with fine abrasives or wire wool then burnish to the level of sheen you want. I have pretty much given up waxes except for a quick (and temporary) fix.

Jim

 

[nicguthrie]

Just throwing my tuppence worth in here. I don't know if you have much experience with Danish Oil, but the stuff I used for my last project (Rustins brand I think?) took about 6 months to dry and cure properly, in order to see the final finish come up on it and for it to stop feeling a little sticky in some temperatures and weather.

During that time, when I had not realised it wasn't fully cured, I tried to wax it to give it a final sheen, but the wax didn't take evenly, and came close to ruining the finish altogether. Fortunately, I guess, it impregnated so badly that it wasn't hard to take almost every trace of it off with some 0000 steel wool. Lesson learned. I'll not be trying to wax over Danish Oil till it's cured for ages in future - and I may take the tip of trying the Mylands stuff if it's good at sticking to the oiled wood.

 

[speeder1987]

I don't have much experience but I am actually quite happy with the finish I have got this time, its quite gloss and there aren't any shiny specks which I know can appear if you don't wipe off the excess quick enough ......

However I know what you mean, it still feels ever so slightly tacky, even after a week. Is it a bad idea to wax it now then?

John

 

[yetloh]

Yes, you have identified the other problems with waxing over oil - drying time and evenness of sheen. Many waxes are very difficult to apply really consistently even when the finish has fully cured - all the more reason to avoid them in my view. You may just have to give it more time.

Jim

 

[MIGNAL]

No Danish oil should be tacky after a few days drying. Months is unacceptable. I'm fairly certain that they all contain driers. Certain woods that contain a lot of Oil (like Rosewood) might retard the drying. Otherwise I can only think that the stuff is out of date or it needs a very good shake before using the stuff. I once used some of the Liberon Oil that never really fully cured and I'm convinced it's because I forgot to shake the contents, subsequent applications on another piece of wood, using the exact same tin dried fine. If you can get the wood into natural daylight (avoiding direct Sun) it should speed the drying/hardening process.

 

[nicguthrie]

Until now, all my work has been in a communal workshop nearby with a bunch of other rookies, so the oil could have been out of date, contaminated or anything. Hey, it looks good now tho, and I'm happy with the finish after it finally cured and I gave it a buff. Decided it didn't need waxed over the top in the end, it's a nice finish now.

Wish I'd known more before using it tho - Danish oil was lovely and easy to apply, I'll have to get some for my own workshop and see if it's more reliable in future. I don't think the wood I was using was a factor, it was some very old and well seasoned Yew.

I hope the tackiness goes away for the OP soon, I'd definitely recommend not waxing until it does.