renaissance wax on wood

[nod]

The final finishing step to my walnut table project ended up being Renaissance Wax based on a suggestion from the hardwood supplier. He uses it personally, and finds it much more durable than a paste wax. I liked the sound of that, so I gave it a try. He said just 3 light coats, and buff in between. He uses a car buffer to save on the elbow grease. said a ROS was too fast. 

 

first round - 2 'thin' coats. then a third, thinking I was getting the hang of it. wrong. Obviously too thick. Hand buffing just highlighted the thicker and streaky spots which formed a nice sheen, but were so obvious flaws that it drove me nuts. A cheap buffer from Autozone didn't do squat. I found I could rub each blemish with my thumb, and get it to soften, but there's just too much surface area to do this in my lifetime. A quick call to Rockler and I was told that I probably just needed to apply more pressure. Well, heat wave be damned, I put all I could into it. Hours of sweat and thinking I was going to separate the top from the legs with my 'extra pressure', it didn't look any different. Throwing in the towel, I dabbed a rag in some mineral spirits, and then gave it a once over buffing. Or maybe I removed the wax. I'm not sure, but the sheen was gone. 

 

since I wasnt' sure if I just removed everything, I figured I needed to try again... 

 

second round - with my best Danny LaRusso and Mr. Miagi, I waxed on, waxed off. Right hand with a rag and some wax, left hand on the ROS with a buffing pad. I was scared to let the wax set up too much, because of the earlier streaking. This method seemed to apply o.k. buuuutttt... now I've got a blotchy finish. When the light hits the wax, it's not even.

 

Any suggestions? thanks in advance.  

[TRBaker]

Nod, I've tried different waxes on table tops, different varnishes, buffing, steel wool, 600 and 1000 grit papers, you name it. The bottom line is this.....when the light shines across your table, it will show every single defect on the top, including finger prints. The best finish I've found, after carefully sanding, first with an ROS and then with a large sanding block, is a wipe-on poly. It goes on dull, highlights your grain, and is very friendly in lighted areas. You can build the finish first with a wipe-on dewaxed shellac, and then go over it with the wipe-on poly if you so desire, but the shellac isn't absolutely necessary. Add as many coats as you need to get the desired look.

[wdwerker]

Yep, wax will show different from angles. Wax will also result in white rings if you set a drink on the top. Poly, lacquer or a water based Acrylic is better for a tabletop.

[nod]

thanks guys. On the underside I had a terrible attempt at dewaxed shellac before the wax. I'll spare you the story. As for the top, I was worried I had really mucked up the whole thing. I'll just give er another buff or two and see if I can even it out any more. Maybe I'll post a pic when I get a minute. From what I've read, lots of folks do like this Renaissance wax, but use it for tools, guns, etc..  

 

I opted to not build up a finish with plu/lauq/etc purely for aesthetic reasons from my sample boards. BUT, my next project will most likely include one.

[jHop]

I threw wax onto the tabletop of my tool table for this precise reason.  My opinion was if it was going to get wiped down (but not "cleaned" like fine furniture) wax is good enough.  But if I'm going to be taking polishing cloths to it, or it will have beverages or food, I'm going with a "forgiving" finish.

 

That said, I love to apply the wax.  I easily can zone out just rubbing the wax on in small circles, just focusing on blending each edge into the last pass.  It took me about 5 minutes to do a quickie job on the tool table, and about 10 minutes to do the second coat.  (all by hand, because I couldn't find the buffer.)  I need to apply another coat (it's been a few years), but I don't want to remove the tools from it first right now... maybe after the semester is over...

[nod]

Thanks Dennis! I was told to let it dry briefly... basically I put a layer on my entire (42x74") table top before going back and buffing. with such surface area that was tooo long apparently. The most recent attempt was more immediate. I'l shoot you a note for sure. thank you.