Drying time for Ubeaut traditional wax

[Dengue]

This is probably another stupid question. After applying and wiping off Ubeaut traditional wax, is there any drying time for this wax before it hardens? I don't wish to collect finger prints on unhardened wax polish.

[antiphile]

Hi Jill

I'm a huge fan of wax finishes and have used an awful lot of different types. The Ubeaut Traditional Wax seems to be similar in many respects to many "cabinet maker's waxes" and is a delight to use. Yet I agree it tends to be prone to fingerprints etc.

These days, I like to put a few light coats of pure carnauba wax over the top at the end. Then after a week or so, I just buff it one more time (without putting any more wax on) and it seems to give me good long-lasting results.

All the best
Phil

[Dengue]

hi Phil, thanks for this insight, but not sure about the 2nd sentence.

Do you mean you actually put carnauba wax over the top of Traditional Wax, or do you use carnuaba wax instead of Traditional Wax??

[DJ’s Timber]

After applying and wiping off Ubeaut traditional wax

Hi Jill, just to clarify, your saying you wipe it off but wax is actually meant to be buffed or rubbed off vigorously.

I usually try not to handle it for a day but it can be handled straight away.

[Dengue]

wax is actually meant to be buffed or rubbed off vigorously

Thanks DJ. I wouldn't say I buffed it, but I do rub it as hard as these arthritic thumb joints permit. It still has a very waxy feel to the finish afterwards, which made me think that there may be a hardening time, hence this thread

[antiphile]

Sorry for such a slow response, Jill.

To clarify, I use 2 thin applications of Traditional Wax first. Then, I put two thin layers of carnauba wax over the top of the Traditional Wax.

Of course, each of the 4 coats is buffed before any further wax is put on. For the buffing, I have a very inexpensive setup using a bench-grinder, threaded attachments for the arbor, and a cotton polishing mop. I got it all from Bunnings for less than $100 but, in my opinion, it is well worth it and saves a lot of blood, sweat and tears! (I also discovered the arbor on the cheaper Ozito bench grinder isn't long enough to take the threaded attachments, so I got the Ryobi.) I've added a pic so you know what I'm talking about.

Cheers and all the best
Phil

[Dengue]

Thanks for this Phil, it looks really interesting. I see what you mean now about buffing each coat. I was in Bunnies today looking for hand drill buffing and polishing wheels, but could not find anything suitable.

Do you apply the waxes with the wheel, or just polish the workpiece after the wax is rubbed on?

Can you please tell us the type of wheels you use? I thought they were mainly used for polishing metal.

One last question, how do you clean the wheels?

[antiphile]

I only ever apply the wax by hand, and use the cotton wheel (often called a "mop") to buff it off.

The wheels I have on hand that are used for timber are the Josco Cotton wheels from Bunnings, and they can also be used on metal. However the ones I use for buffing waxed timber are only ever used for that purpose. I also keep a set of wheels for metal polishing, but these ones never ever go near a piece of wood. In my opinion, metal polishes and timber waxes should not be mixed.

Since the mop only ever buffs wax, I don't clean them because they never get "cross-contaminated" with anything else.

One more thing I should mention. If you want the ultimate result, it costs very little more to buy a softer polishing wheel called a swansdown mop. Ubeaut sell these, as do many other woodwork stores.

Cheers

[Dengue]

thanks for this info, antiphile, you have been very helpful, and I am sure there are many of us on this forum, like me, who have learnt lots

[Dengue]

thanks antiphile, very much appreciated. Back to Bunnies for me

[Dengue]

well Phil, went to Bunnies, and only found calico polishing wheel and the rag buff wheel. Are these the ones you use?

PS Only realised next day that calico is unbleached cotton !! duhhhh.... bad day yesterday

[antiphile]

Hello again to all fellow waxers (I hope "fellow" is not a misogynistic* term)

I know I'm often not very good at explaining things clearly, so I took a few pics yesterday to help clarify things better.

The first pic shows my rather meagre metal polishing kit. All of these I got from Bunnings at various times - and I'm hauling the names from the deep canyons of my warped mind so please don't hang me if I get some wrong. I also better add that I'm not an expert but these techniques seem to give me a result that I happy with.

I mainly use the metal polishing for maintaining my tools like rust removal and leaving the surfaces smooth to minimise the rust returning. This covers speed-bores, saws, circular saw blades, old hammers, chisels & screwdrivers etc etc. I start with the sisal wheel (the black one) and the Penetrene Oil (I find it more cost effective than WD40 or RP7) to remove any surface rust. There are probably faster/better ways to do it, but I worry about Mr Stupid heating things up too much and changing the temper of the metal. Then, if there is any slight pitting of the surface, I'll use the white polishing compound on the same wheel. For this, I hold the stick of polishing compound against the sisal wheel while it running to coat it, then press the metal tool onto the wheel. When I'm happy with the result (or if I don't need to use the white compound), I go on to the rouge polishing compound. Apply it to the sisal wheel, then gently press the item against the wheel to get a smoother surface. If you need to do a lot of either of these compounds, keep some water handy (I use an old plastic 4 litre ice cream bucket with some dishwashing liquid in it), and regularly dip the piece in to keep it cool enough to comfortably hold and control.

Wash the piece off and dry thoroughly with a clean rag. Then I use the stitched calico wheel on the bench grinder. I apply a little Penetrene to the tool using a small piece of chux-like cloth, and I put a few drops on the stitched calico wheel while its not turning. Then I give it a very light buffing making sure I leave a thin Penetrene-layer on the workpiece to prevent further rusting etc.

For small pieces (router bits etc) and pieces with sharp bits etc, do not use a wheel. Use maybe sandpaper by hand, an old toothbrush with Penetrene or similar etc. Wheels have an amazing ability to fling things very far and very fast. While it may look rather comical to some, a router bit does not feel at home embedded halfway through the frontal bone of a forehead. Similarly, people should not walk around with the corner of a highly polshed hinge in their eye. Always wear good eye & other protection; preferably one with FULL face covering. It's a lot cheaper than neurosurgery. Enforce this for anyone else in the vicinity too.

The 2nd pick show the wood-polishing stuff. I very rarely use a stitched calico wheel for timber. If I've sanded it properly, I only use the unstitched cotton wheels. I didn't include the Traditional Wax in the photo cos I got half of a friend's jar and it's in a reused glass jar. All 3 wheels are Josco unstitched cotton in various stages of use and abuse. I'll use each of these wheels when polishing a piece, and finish with the "clean" one at the end with the very lightest of possible pressure. But you don't need three - one will do a great job too. I 'spose I'm a creature of habit (or obsessive compulsive )

Remember, this is just the way I like doing it. You'll probably want to experiment a find method that suits you better, but maybe it will help you find a starting point.

Cheerio
Phil


* That's my word of the week!

[LGS]

Hello again to all fellow waxers (I hope "fellow" is not a misogynistic* term)

I know I'm often not very good at explaining things clearly, so I took a few pics yesterday to help clarify things better.

The first pic shows my rather meagre metal polishing kit. All of these I got from Bunnings at various times - and I'm hauling the names from the deep canyons of my warped mind so please don't hang me if I get some wrong. I also better add that I'm not an expert but these techniques seem to give me a result that I happy with.

I mainly use the metal polishing for maintaining my tools like rust removal and leaving the surfaces smooth to minimise the rust returning. This covers speed-bores, saws, circular saw blades, old hammers, chisels & screwdrivers etc etc. I start with the sisal wheel (the black one) and the Penetrene Oil (I find it more cost effective than WD40 or RP7) to remove any surface rust. There are probably faster/better ways to do it, but I worry about Mr Stupid heating things up too much and changing the temper of the metal. Then, if there is any slight pitting of the surface, I'll use the white polishing compound on the same wheel. For this, I hold the stick of polishing compound against the sisal wheel while it running to coat it, then press the metal tool onto the wheel. When I'm happy with the result (or if I don't need to use the white compound), I go on to the rouge polishing compound. Apply it to the sisal wheel, then gently press the item against the wheel to get a smoother surface. If you need to do a lot of either of these compounds, keep some water handy (I use an old plastic 4 litre ice cream bucket with some dishwashing liquid in it), and regularly dip the piece in to keep it cool enough to comfortably hold and control.

Wash the piece off and dry thoroughly with a clean rag. Then I use the stitched calico wheel on the bench grinder. I apply a little Penetrene to the tool using a small piece of chux-like cloth, and I put a few drops on the stitched calico wheel while its not turning. Then I give it a very light buffing making sure I leave a thin Penetrene-layer on the workpiece to prevent further rusting etc.

For small pieces (router bits etc) and pieces with sharp bits etc, do not use a wheel. Use maybe sandpaper by hand, an old toothbrush with Penetrene or similar etc. Wheels have an amazing ability to fling things very far and very fast. While it may look rather comical to some, a router bit does not feel at home embedded halfway through the frontal bone of a forehead. Similarly, people should not walk around with the corner of a highly polshed hinge in their eye. Always wear good eye & other protection; preferably one with FULL face covering. It's a lot cheaper than neurosurgery. Enforce this for anyone else in the vicinity too.

The 2nd pick show the wood-polishing stuff. I very rarely use a stitched calico wheel for timber. If I've sanded it properly, I only use the unstitched cotton wheels. I didn't include the Traditional Wax in the photo cos I got half of a friend's jar and it's in a reused glass jar. All 3 wheels are Josco unstitched cotton in various stages of use and abuse. I'll use each of these wheels when polishing a piece, and finish with the "clean" one at the end with the very lightest of possible pressure. But you don't need three - one will do a great job too. I 'spose I'm a creature of habit (or obsessive compulsive )

Remember, this is just the way I like doing it. You'll probably want to experiment a find method that suits you better, but maybe it will help you find a starting point.

Cheerio
Phil


* That's my word of the week!

Hi Phil,

What do you do if you want to wax and polish a 2.4 x 1.4m table top or an entire sideboard?

Regards,

Rob

[antiphile]

I will admit my arms get a bit sore holding the dining table over the 6 inch bench grinder!

I actually had to do that over the weekend (polish a very large and very solid coffee table that weighs much more than the dining table). I cheated, I must admit! Fortunately I didn't have to buy one because a friend lent me on a long-term loan a polisher and buffer he got from SuperCheap Auto a few years back. The only proviso is that if I haven't worn it out before he needs it, he can have use of it sometime.

It wasn't expensive but it works incredibly well. I think it is their generic brand, Rockwell, and is a 180 mm, 1200 watt, rotary polisher. The woolen buff wheel copes easily with wax, and I finished it off on its highest speed setting of "6" using the lightest of light pressure making sure not to heat anything up. I was really pleased with the result.

It also takes hook and loop 7 inch sanding discs, and has a type of a firm sponge pad attachment but I'm not quite sure what its used for

Better go back to the gym to build up my biceps though.

Cheers
Phil.

[LGS]