I want to touch up a cherry bench that was finished 2 years ago with Christian Becksvoort’s favorite finish for cherry—half and half mixture of Tried and True varnish oil and Epiphanes spar varnish. I waxed it with plain furniture wax as the last step when I originally finished it. I’m assuming the wax needs to be removed before refinishing with the same product. Is that the case, and if so, what’s the most reliable way to do so?
Thanks,
Tim
Replies
I have no experience with the specific finishes.
If you laid the wax on thick then steel wool and mineral turps should remove it, then you can sand lightly.
Obviously, the more you sand, the less wax will remain.
Many waxes are water soluble so it may be possible to just wash off the wax with some water baths and rubbing. The oils underneath should resist the water as long as it doesn't stand on the surface too long.
Other "furniture waxes" contain silicon which forms a hard white bloom. This seems almost impossible to remove without sanding back to the bare wood.
Lataxe
Thanks for the responses. I used SC Johnson paste wax which has paraffin, carnauba wax, petroleum distillates and no silicone. Light coat, buffed off as last step in finishing. I guess part of my question is whether this wax is really compatible with the oil/varnish mix I used originally and plan to use for the touch up, and thus what little residual remains will just be incorporated into the finish.
I'm going to test this out on an inconspicuous spot on the underside of the bench.
“[Deleted]”
You need to strip the wax. The old adage is "wax sticks to everything, and nothing sticks to wax." I would not put oil or varnish on top of a waxed surface.
I was able to resurrect a forum thread from 2008 on this topic: https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/bw-to-strip-wax-w-o-harming-finish
I cleaned the underside of the bench in question with naphtha and shop towels. Wiped on, then wiped off with clean towel. Did this twice, then burnished with 0000 Liberon steel wool before reapplying the original finish described in my OP. 36 hours later it looks great. I'm going to go ahead and do the entire bench now. I will provide a followup on the finish quality in a month, sooner if it looks like any issues emerge.
Thanks for the comments and advice.
Tim