oldman_pottering Posted January 19 Report Share Posted January 19 Does anyone use beeswax for finishing and if you do would you have a recipe for it ? I have used linseed oil and beeswax before but I just guessed the amounts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 I've used a beeswax and mineral oil blend for cutting boards and kitchen utensiles, not much else. The beauty of an oil/wax blend is that you can cary the formula to fit your needs. Raw linseed, or 'cooked' BLO would be safe for food prep items, but commercial 'Boiled' Linseed Oil actually has chemical or metallic drying agents added, so I wouldn't use those. I bet your blend made a nice soft luster, and had a pleasant feel. How durable was it? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted January 20 Author Report Share Posted January 20 On 1/20/2024 at 12:33 PM, wtnhighlander said: I've used a beeswax and mineral oil blend for cutting boards and kitchen utensiles, not much else. The beauty of an oil/wax blend is that you can cary the formula to fit your needs. Did you mean change ? I have heard the term "mineral oil" but until now I have never known what it is over here, just searched and found this but it doesn't sound like it is food / kid safe https://www.bunnings.com.au/diggers-1l-paraffin-oil_p1560010 Raw linseed, or 'cooked' BLO would be safe for food prep items, but commercial 'Boiled' Linseed Oil actually has chemical or metallic drying agents added, so I wouldn't use those. This is the product I used, states its 100% pressed from flax seed so I figure that should be fine for kids toys,kitchen items https://www.bunnings.com.au/diggers-1l-raw-linseed-oil_p0966206 I bet your blend made a nice soft luster, and had a pleasant feel. How durable was it? It did have a luster like you said but I haven't tested durability, I used it on wooden toys I have long since given away Being a beekeeper I have a good source of wax so I might just try a 50/50 blend of wax and linseed oil and test it out 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark J Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 I've never used BLO or plain linseed oil, but I have used a commercially prepared mineral oil wax blend. It is simple to apply, but unlike the linseed oils, mineral oil does not cure/polymerize. It just sits on the surface. If the item is a display piece and left untouched for years the surface takes on an alligator skin texture (maybe the MO evaporates?). If it's an item in use, the surface will wear/wash away. So either way it needs periodic re-application. If you're making a child's toy I wonder if it wouldn't be better to just leave the wood uncoated? Same for some cookware, like wooden spoons. Bob Flexner's book "Understanding Wood Finishing" is a great resource for more info. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 On 1/19/2024 at 7:33 PM, wtnhighlander said: I've used a beeswax and mineral oil blend for cutting boards and kitchen utensiles, not much else. Ditto. I melted some Beeswax into store brand mineral oil years ago and use that as my final coat on cutting boards after a few coats of straight mineral oil (90+ cutting boards at this point). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 @oldman_pottering, yes I meant "vary" or change the recipe. The raw linseed oil you used should behave very similar to the mineral oil I used, but may eventually cure, where mineral oil does not. I think the parafin oil you found is essentially the same product. If you want to create a faster curing and more durable finish, try heat-treating the raw linseed oil as described here: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman_pottering Posted January 20 Author Report Share Posted January 20 On 1/21/2024 at 2:39 AM, Mark J said: I've never used BLO or plain linseed oil, but I have used a commercially prepared mineral oil wax blend. It is simple to apply, but unlike the linseed oils, mineral oil does not cure/polymerize. It just sits on the surface. If the item is a display piece and left untouched for years the surface takes on an alligator skin texture (maybe the MO evaporates?). If it's an item in use, the surface will wear/wash away. So either way it needs periodic re-application. If you're making a child's toy I wonder if it wouldn't be better to just leave the wood uncoated? Same for some cookware, like wooden spoons. Bob Flexner's book "Understanding Wood Finishing" is a great resource for more info. Kids toys could be left raw I guess, its just that any finish makes things look so much better On 1/21/2024 at 3:31 AM, wtnhighlander said: @oldman_pottering, yes I meant "vary" or change the recipe. The raw linseed oil you used should behave very similar to the mineral oil I used, but may eventually cure, where mineral oil does not. I think the parafin oil you found is essentially the same product. If you want to create a faster curing and more durable finish, try heat-treating the raw linseed oil as described here: This could be just the ticket, I'll check it out thanks. With plenty of beeswax on hand I am trying to find uses for it Should get time to try it out today, it's Sunday morning here and supposed to get to 40 c so I wont be doing much in the garden 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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