Forty years ago I knew a builder who used a combination of beeswax and some kind of oil to finish staircase railings and ballisters. He also used it on all kinds of other decorative work. Does anyone know what the oil might have been and what the ratio of quantities should be? Also how would these two compounds be effectively mixed together?
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Replies
Could have been Tung oil. Don't know what ratio.
100% pure natural Tung oil takes a long time to dry. You can buy polymerized Tung oil now which is the natural stuff that has been heated. It will dry a lot faster. I have only seen the polymerized Tung oil available on Internet web sites.
Since you would need to thin the Tung oil, I would dissolve about 2 ozs of beeswax shavings in 8 ozs of real Turpentine, then use that solution to thin 1 qt of Tung oil. That would be a starting point and you could increase the ratio of beeswax/Turp later if needed. The natural gums in Turpentine will help the mixture cure faster. Putting the beeswax/Turp mixture in a glass jar and setting the sealed jar in the sun would make the beeswax dissolve faster.
I keep a solution of paint thinner and beeswax handy for painting on sticky drawers.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
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