Sturdee's secret hard wax recipe.

[Sturdee]

As requested here is the secret recipe to make a hard furniture wax passed on to me by an old master furniture restorer.

Mix together equal parts of beeswax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax to make 1 kg.
Add heat to melt the wax,
Add 500 ml linseed oil,
Add 500 ml pure turps,
Add 500 ml vegetable oil (any brand will do),
To colour add a small tin (approx. 125 ml) of black oil stain or dye.
Stir whilst cooling and when cold it will form a hard wax.


To use rub onto furniture using a small soft rag and leave for about 20 minutes before polishing. Sufficient time to have a cup of coffee. :D Allow sufficient time for it is hard work and time consuming to polish out the wax. :eek: The wax will stay soft for a few days and each day whilst drying give it a good buff. After about 3 or 4 days the piece is finished and will have a deep and hard finish.

I have waxed furniture that I French polished about a year ago and have not yet needed to rewax, all I have done is occasionally buff it with a clean cloth and its shine is still as good as when applied.


Peter.

[NewLou]

Thx Sturdee,

Sounds like a beauty..........I can't wait to try it out!!!

REgards Lou

[vsquizz]

:( Just had to have a hobby that involved lots of hard work;)

Thanks for the recipe Peter

Cheers

[ozwinner]

:( Just had to have a hobby that involved lots of hard work;)

Thanks for the recipe Peter

Cheers
Come on you puss, whats wrong with a hobby thats hard..........?

Commmmmon!! To quote some horrid Sth Oz.

Al :D

[Sturdee]

I forgot to mention that a little bit goes a long way. I 'm still using the freebie :D I got from the class, but when I run out I would make about a quarter of that quantity.


Peter.

[JackoH]

You competing with U-Beaut?

[Sturdee]

You competing with U-Beaut?


Not at all, mate, for I'm not selling it. :D

In an other thread on hard wax I mentioned that I did have a recipe but in deference to U-beaut I would not post it. Then Neil came on and suggested that I post it as he would be able to sell the ingredients. :D


Peter.

[Stylesy]

Peter,

Do you need to add the colour? If so, does it have to be black, or could you experiment with other colours?

Cheers, Craig.

[Sturdee]

The reason black colour is added is so that the piece has a more aged antique look. I also found that the colour assisted in polishing out any little spots of wax remaining giving a very smooth surface.

So there is no need to add colour and no doubt you can experiment with others. If you do let us know the results.


Peter.

[outback]

A Brazillian eh..... I know a few blokes who have a Brazillian on top

There's a few top Brazillians I'd like to get ...... errrr:o I mean

I'd like to have a brazillian on top ...............errrrr:o no that's not it


As a bloke a appreciate a top Brazillian. There that's it. :D

[ozwinner]

There's a few top Brazillians I'd like to get ...... errrr:o I mean

I'd like to have a brazillian on top ...............errrrr:o no that's not it


As a bloke a appreciate a top Brazillian. There that's it. :D
I was going to say something witty too.
But like yourself, I couldnt think of anything.

Al :D

[ubeaut]

A Brazillian eh..... I know a few blokes who have a Brazillian on top.
Was a bit of a leading statement wasn't it. Oh well...... :D

[JackoH]

I just knew Neil wasn't far away!
Brazil-Thats where the nuts come from, isn't it?

[Harry72]

As requested here is the secret recipe to make a hard furniture wax passed on to me by an old master furniture restorer.

Mix together equal parts of beeswax, carnauba wax and paraffin wax to make 1 kg.
Add heat to melt the wax,
Add 500 ml linseed oil,
Add 500 ml pure turps,
Add 500 ml vegetable oil (any brand will do),
To colour add a small tin (approx. 125 ml) of black oil stain or dye.
Stir whilst cooling and when cold it will form a hard wax.


To use rub onto furniture using a small soft rag and leave for about 20 minutes before polishing. Sufficient time to have a cup of coffee. :D Allow sufficient time for it is hard work and time consuming to polish out the wax. :eek: The wax will stay soft for a few days and each day whilst drying give it a good buff. After about 3 or 4 days the piece is finished and will have a deep and hard finish.

I have waxed furniture that I French polished about a year ago and have not yet needed to rewax, all I have done is occasionally buff it with a clean cloth and its shine is still as good as when applied.


Peter.
Im doing the 20 minute thing as I type(only its iced coffee!).
I couldnt find any carnauba wax, so I subsituted with some Meguires liquid carnauba wax(car stuff) Im unsure what this will do as it has some polymers/neutriants in it?
I dont think it would hurt to much, I've used this stuff on cars before and it one of best for abrasion resistance it will last upto 12mth's before water beading starts fading away(remembering its on a car thats in the weather 24hrs a day)... and it smells nice, like banana's!

To make it up I divided your secret recipe by 10,
33g Carnauba(meguires liquid)
33g bee's wax
33g parafin
50ml linseed
50ml pure turps
50ml veg oil
teaspoon of ebony stain(turps base)

Give us a few days and I'll report back with the results...

[barnsey]

Listen - I've got a brazilian on top and SWMBO thinks it's cute - so don't ruin her thinking - please :eek:

I can see that the black colouring might be good if you want an aged look on older furniture but surely some less stark colouring might be good on newer pieces that need some character :cool:

I'll try the recipe and get back but I've used a Stephenson wax with colour and was very happy with the result. Anyone else tried it?

[Sturdee]

I couldnt find any carnauba wax, so I subsituted with some Meguires liquid carnauba wax(car stuff) Im unsure what this will do as it has some polymers/nutriants in it? .. and it smells nice, like banana's!

...

As I'm allergic to the smell of bananas so I'd never use that. :D :D :D :D Looking forward to hear if the liquid carnauba wax works.


Peter.

[Harry72]

Seems to work Sturdee, tried it on some oregon didnt come out real shiny as the piece was only sanded with 180g paper... and only one coat/application. Couldnt realy capture the shine very well with the shed lights.
The surface seems to be harder than the raw wood, its harder to mark with the fingernail.
How many times should I apply it, just the once?(I've only sprayed with polyU and precat lac before...)

Can it be cut with finer paper after its been put on, or will it just clog the paper? What about mechanical buffing, I have a large 9" Mac'buff that I use on cars, what could I use to clean the pad after the jobs done... or should I invest in a couple more spare pads?(hook"n"loop pads)

Does the black stain look to heavy, sure brings out the grain very prominately!

[Sturdee]

Harry,


I use it mainly after french polishing. As the final coat is very shiny I dull it down a bit by rubbing it lightly with whiting powder and a brush before waxing.

It leaves a wonderful shine and is very hard. Apply only the once as the pieces I did last May are still okay and only needs regular dusting with a clean cloth sofar. When it starts to dull you can reapply over it or use a good furniture wax like Ubeauts traditional wax.

Don't know about mechanical buffing, I tried the swansdown mop but this wasn't quite succesful, try it and let us know.

The black stain gives a more antique look which is great if you don't want the new shop bought look. However it is a matter of personal preference. Looks great with the grain brought out.


Peter.

[timnruth]

As anew member, it's interesting to see what you all chat about.... One might indeed learn something new !!! To quote an old mentor of mine...there are three types of people in this world, those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happened.

[Sturdee]

......there are three types of people in this world, those who make it happen, those who watch it happen and those who wonder what happened.


So tell us a bit more about yourself. Which of the above types are you?


Peter.

[outback]

So tell us a bit more about yourself. Which of the above types are you?


Peter.

Sorry, you say something, errr, type of what. :D


Sorry couldn't resist.

[Sturdee]

Outback, so you must be the wondering type then. :D


Sorry, couldn't resist either.


Peter.

[Harry72]

Done a direct comparison with your recipe, got some acacia(I think?) from the parents fire wood pile and resawed it on my Bsaw.

1st pic shows F&W canuarba wax/bare wood/sturdee wax
2nd is close up... the F&W is more shiney but yours shows out the colour heaps better!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/ST170ish/woodwork/waxed.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v725/ST170ish/woodwork/waxed2.jpg

[Sturdee]

Thanks Harry for the pics. I agree it does bring out the colour and grain of the wood beautifully.

Did you use it straight on the bare timber as I've only used it after french polishing.

BTW I just love the tin you store it in.


Peter.

[Harry72]

Yup straight on bare timber planed scraped then sanded too 800g, I thought you'd like the billy! Its been photoshoped, but it is the tin its stored in... maybe I should buy some sticky paper to print on!
Would I be correct in thinking this wood is Acacia carnei?

[Studley 2436]

Feast Watson make one called fine buffing oil that is similar it is bees wax carnauba and tung oil you can see it here http://www.feastwatson.com.au/ClearFineBuffingOil.asp

Stevo