I’ve made some black walnut dining room chairs and am expiermenting on scrap with “Tried and True” varnish and wax but the grain keeps getting filled with wax then looking white. So a couple of questions :
#1 What can I do to prevent the above from happening?
#2 Is the wax finish going to cut it if chairs have to be wiped with a damp cloth after children have eaten etc?
#3 How often would a new coat of wax need to be applied?
Thanks for comments and suggestions.
Replies
How about tinted wax? I was going to suggest skipping the wax but there is nothing like the feel a new piece that's just been waxed.
There are more old drunkards than old doctors. Ben Franklin
Let me suggest that neither T&T nor wax is a very good finish. Both have little or no resistance to water or water vapor. Water vapor goes through both almost immediately. So, to answer your question, it is not a good finish if you are going to be wet wiping the surface.
I would look to another finish if you want some durability.
kovr,
I like to use linseed oil to darken the walnut then use garnet or seedlac shellac and then wax.
Or if you want the walnut to get the aged look, just go with shellac and wax.
As stated before, use a dark wax to avoid the white specs.
I don't think that the finish will be a problem to wipe down occasionally. I would not be too concerned.
Depending on how often you use the chairs will determine how often you need to wax. Maybe one or two times a year.
J.P.
http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
Edited 8/16/2005 11:39 pm ET by JP
I would not wax chairs that are used for seating. It is going to come off on clothes.
I would not wax chairs that are used for seating. It is going to come off on clothes.Geee.. Not if you wear Levies like me.. Ya never notice!I have some nice chairs that are waxed.. I invit friends over and tell them it is a 'wool' dress-up night.. I hardly ever have to buff off the chairs...
Edited 8/17/2005 1:15 pm ET by WillGeorge
Gretchen,
I use wax on all my chairs and have never had it come off on my clothing. What kind of wax are you not using? J.P.http://www.jpkfinefurniture.com
I might also suggest the Maloof wax finish, which is a mixture of oils and wax. More than durable enough for chairs, lovely to touch, and it won't come off on clothes, note even denim
David
Use tinted wax as somebody else mentioned.
The protection is furnished mostly by the varnish but the wax helps some. A well-buffed wax finish (don't use an all beeswax formulation, use something with beeswax and Carnauba) will not come off on clothing.
If the wax you select has a solvent, and most of them do, you can wax as often as you like as the solvent removes the old wax.
Wiping the chairs with a damp cloth will mean you will have to wax more often. How often you wax will depend on how well you want the chairs to look at any given time.
Edited 8/18/2005 4:21 pm ET by ProWoodworker
Kovr,
Finishing chairs is any area fraught with contradictory advice:
One one side of the debate are those who argue that a tough, bulletproof, finish is necessary in a piece of furniture that takes as much abuse as a chair.
The opposing viewpoint sees difficulties encountered when attempting to restore/repair tough, bulletproof, finishes, and opts for finishes that may be "softer," but are easier to repair.
You'll have to decide what kinds of considerations are important to you.
As to wax: make sure to use wax that contains a lot of carnauba because it dries hard (beeswax is too soft as a top coating). My favorite furniture wax is Liberon Black Bison. I eschew the use of waxes containing toluene. Don't use commercial products (like Pledge) after waxing, because they'll dissolve the wax, as will mineral spirits (paint thinner).
If you want to avoid wax filling the pores of the wood, you can fill the pores (several methods will work), or, as others have suggested, use a tinted wax.
Good luck,
-Jazzdogg-
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie
Thanks to everyone for their input. I'll be trying a tinted carnauba wax and see how that goes.
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