# Beeswax Nonstick Finish



## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

My workbench lets everything stick to it. I use a chisel to clean it up from time to time. I want a better finish for my other workbench outfeed table. I put several coats of BLO on it a while back. It has dried but seems to me glue will stick if it drips on it. I decided to coat it with Beeswax to allow the glue not to stick. 

This is what I did. I shaved some beeswax into a jar I added a little Walmart turpentine to cover. I let it sit for a couple days so the beeswax would melt. I then added a third of BLO to the mix. I tried to end up with 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 turpentine, and 1/3 BLO. I applied the mix to my workbench outfeed table. I let it sit for 30 minutes and then wiped it down. I think I have ended up with a nice finish very smooth and hopefully the beeswax will stop the glue from sticking. 

What do you guys think?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Most excellent idea/process..

if you add Carnauba wax to that mix they will finish harder and be longer wearing/lasting...

Carnauba wax, sometimes also referred to as palm wax or Brazil wax, is a kind of wax that is made from the extracts of palm leaves. These leaves are found on the plant ‘Copernicia prunifera’, a short plant that is usually found in Brazil, especially in the states of Ceara, Rio Grande do Norte and Piaui. Also known as the ‘Queen of waxes’, it is found in yellowish or brownish flakes.

and a FWIW PDF...

.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

After I let it dry for a couple of days I will try polishing it. Maybe add some Johson & Johson wax to the mix. Thanks Stick.


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

There's your Carnuba, in all likelihood.



coxhaus said:


> After I let it dry for a couple of days I will try polishing it. Maybe add some Johson & Johson wax to the mix. Thanks Stick.


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## stanzee (Dec 9, 2010)

You could always do a test piece first. That is a sure-fire way to get an answer to any questions you might have.
I think we often forget about that principle.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coxhaus said:


> After I let it dry for a couple of days I will try polishing it. Maybe add some Johnson & Johnson wax to the mix. Thanks Stick.


use a wool bonnet on your ROS for better buffing or get the cheapest car buffer you can find and dedicate that for waxing everything you have...

You can add Briwax, Black Bison, Behlen, Trewax and Mohawk to the list of acceptable waxes...
and the container needs to say contains Carnauba wax


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I have an old Black & Decker orange with metal front drill which runs at 2000 rpms which I don't use. I have a bonnet for it. I think I will try it. I also use it for small metal brushes to get in tight spots which I cannot get to with my bench mounted wire brush. I have never used it with car polish so it has no silicone on it.

The plan is to polish the table the way it is after it dries for a while. Eventually as I add wax to my cast iron tops I will wax the table also. I want to try it first with the beeswax. I don't know how hard it will be but I am sure glue will not stick to it right now. It feels like wax paper but a little smoother.


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## hawkeye10 (Jul 28, 2015)

I use wax paper for small projects and plastic table cloths like you use when you go on a picnic. Man that made me think I haven't been on a picnic in a long time. :surprise:


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Wax paper works well for me keeping the glue off the workbench. It is just a pain in the neck to use.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coxhaus said:


> I have an old Black & Decker orange with metal front drill which runs at 2000 rpms which I don't use. I have a bonnet for it. I think I will try it. I also use it for small metal brushes to get in tight spots which I cannot get to with my bench mounted wire brush. I have never used it with car polish so it has no silicone on it.
> 
> The plan is to polish the table the way it is after it dries for a while. Eventually as I add wax to my cast iron tops I will wax the table also. I want to try it first with the beeswax. I don't know how hard it will be but I am sure glue will not stick to it right now. It feels like wax paper but a little smoother.


too high of an RPM plasticizes the wax and turns it to jelly and you are also going to get clumps...

wallyworld has them for around 10~12 bucks...


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Stick486 said:


> too high of an RPM plasticizes the wax and turns it to jelly and you are also going to get clumps...
> 
> wallyworld has them for around 10~12 bucks...


What is a good rpm?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

slow...
real slow...
the one have is 100~200 range... I think...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

at 1st I used my VS ROS and there is where I found out what happened at high speed...
turned it down till all was well... 1/3~1/2 speed???
then I got the 5'' car wax buffer from wallyworld and it was so easy to use that all of my stuff got waxed more often and better...
the more the polishing the harder the wax gets...


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Which car wax buffer did you get stick? There seem to be several at Walleyworld.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

the cheapest one... and one extra bonnet that hasn't ever been used in 5 or 6 years...

it's blue and looks sorta like this one...
small dia works way better than large dia...
.









2nd shelf from the top... (it's called a palm grip)


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I have looked at the small blue one at Walmart and it is over 3000 rpm speed. If fact all the ones I looked at were over 3000 rpms. So I don't know which one you have which runs slow rpms.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

don't know what RPM I'm at but if they feel 3K is good then it must be...


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

I've buffed out several projects using my Porter Cable variable speed, ROS-polisher. Wide open, I have to be sure there is plenty of lubrication and I am moving at a reasonable speed.

Also, I have two buff wheels on my four wheel system and a Handler with two wheels.

I run high speed for metal, but try to stay below fifteen (still moving fast) with plastics and finishes. A thousand would be better.

For my ROS-Polisher, I used several different bonnets from Auto Geeks and move and move, while running over my babby bro's black Mercedes (no swirl marks).


When in doubt - SLOW and lots of compound. For table tops, that means water or oil with the compound.



Stick486 said:


> don't know what RPM I'm at but if they
> feel 3K is good then it must be...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

this is wax not compound we're doing...


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I buffed the wax and it is slicker now. Still has a waxy feel.


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## Dimitri M (Oct 4, 2011)

Stick, I bow in front of your encyclopedic expertise. Indeed, beeswax is by nature sticky - it sounds very romantic, paleo, organic, naturalistic and what not, but once it goes on a surface it will attract all dust available - not to mention that on a bench it will not facilitate wood gliding on it. As you pointed out, carnauba is the non-stick wax of choice, and turpentine is the nice (polar) solvent to make a mixture. "Boiled" linseed oil is not boiled, it just has some chemicals added to it, that allow it to dry before kingdom come. One thing that I did not hear mentioned, is good old paraffin - the one you academically exhausted in your treatise in some other thread here, where you mentioned a menu of plasticky things used to manufacture candle wax. IMHO, BTW, a mix of paraffin, beeswax, carnauba and olive oil is what I have been using on wooden things when I feel like playing (e.g. cutting boards) while for furniture I tend to trust things off a shelf, as I fear the scenario of having to rub away a failed DIY waxy layer on a wooden bit it took me months to make. I remember in despair a pair of cupboard doors that my late father-in-law had polished with a mixture of various varnish leftovers he had, about 40 years ago, and even today if you stick your hand on them it sticks - he had found the eternal never-dry-lacquer but he had not kept the recipe!

I have noticed that adding as much as 70% oil to paraffin still gives a rather solid mixture, but I have not tried it on wood - what is your opinion on the mixture of veg oil and waxes?

In order to let the wax mixture infuse deeply into the wood, I use a hot air gun, and when it cools I put a second layer and buff it, with slow speed, as the late Mr Miyagi told the karate kid "wax in, wax out" and as the colloquial expression goes, "elbow grease" is the match for waxing.

Thank you for explaining why high speed buffing does not make the wax harder - I had failed to notice that.

Best wishes


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coxhaus said:


> Wax paper works well for me keeping the glue off the workbench. It is just a pain in the neck to use.


Rosen paper for larger areas and cheaper too...
plasticized on one side is a good bet...
a polycarbonate sheet a few mils thick is a one time purchase and last about forever...
commercial sign shops use it a lot.. 
stop into one and ask if they have any signs they are throwing away... sometimes you can get the stuff for free...
when the glue dries roll up the sheet and the glue breaks loose...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coxhaus said:


> I buffed the wax and it is slicker now. Still has a waxy feel.


polish more, slower and w/more pressure..
get some Carnauba wax into the mix to make it harder, slicker and alleviate the sticky...
the more I look into it the more I am sure I polish under 1K RPM..
that's RPM and not oscillations count...


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Dimitri M said:


> Stick, I bow in front of your encyclopedic expertise. Indeed,* beeswax is by nature sticky* - it sounds very romantic, paleo, organic, naturalistic and what not, but once it goes on a surface it will attract all dust available - not to mention that on a bench it will not facilitate wood gliding on it. As you pointed out, carnauba is the non-stick wax of choice, and turpentine is the nice (polar) solvent to make a mixture. "Boiled" linseed oil is not boiled, it just has some chemicals added to it, that allow it to dry before kingdom come. One thing that I did not hear mentioned, is good old paraffin - the one you academically exhausted in your treatise in some other thread here, where you mentioned a menu of plasticky things used to manufacture candle wax. IMHO, BTW, a mix of paraffin, beeswax, carnauba and olive oil is what I have been using on wooden things when I feel like playing (e.g. cutting boards) while for furniture I tend to trust things off a shelf, as I fear the scenario of having to rub away a failed DIY waxy layer on a wooden bit it took me months to make. I remember in despair a pair of cupboard doors that my late father-in-law had polished with a mixture of various varnish leftovers he had, about 40 years ago, and even today if you stick your hand on them it sticks - he had found the eternal never-dry-lacquer but he had not kept the recipe!
> 
> I have noticed that adding as much as 70% oil to paraffin still gives a rather solid mixture, but I have not tried it on wood - what is your opinion on the mixture of *veg oil and waxes?*
> 
> ...


and need hardener... wax polished hard doesn't collect dust..
turps given time will evaporate from the mix... it's a thinner to make the wax more workable...
paraffin = canning wax.. super choice but still needs hardener...
wax for a tool protector vs a finish are two different formulas...
serve two different purposes...
veg oil and wax... will always be/stay ''greasy''...
you do not want veg oil on unfinished wood... you'll open a can worms that is best left on the shelf...
might as well use motor oil... and veg oil often has canola in it... argh....
after that 1st application buff it out some to make it's thickness uniform to avoid ''soft'' pockets/spots..
heat to make the wax ''suck'' into the wood is a premium application method...

all I ever use is no silicone furniture wax w/Carnauba or canning wax w/ Carnauba added...


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## Dimitri M (Oct 4, 2011)

Thank you Stick - I understand the logic of leaving oil out of the scheme. What hardener do you have in mind? 

and from your comments above please describe what is a polycarbonate sheet that ca nbe used as workbench top? - it must be some trivial product, but here known with some other name; what I saw when I googled the term, was some flaky plastic materials used for roofing.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

Dimitri M said:


> Thank you Stick - I understand the logic of leaving oil out of the scheme. *What hardener do you have in mind? *
> 
> and from your comments above please describe *what is a polycarbonate sheet that can be used as workbench top? *- it must be some trivial product, but here known with some other name; what I saw when I googled the term, was some flaky plastic materials used for roofing.


Hardener - Carnauba wax...
Lexan... Clear LEXAN? polycarbonate sheets - Tuffak & Makrolon Clear Polycarbonate Sheet & LEXAN? Panels
comes in 1/64'' thickness and less also.. 
all those lighted signs you see in stores.. they are printed Lexan...
the screwed up ones are what you ask a sign shop for..
also.. the plastic is only as a protector and not a cover... think document cover...

if you want full table protection.. go w/ tempered Masonite hard board that is smooth on both sides.. abuse one side and when it gets real bad flip it over and use the other side...


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## MT Stringer (Aug 15, 2012)

I don't have any problem with glue sticking to my table. The glue pops right off with a razor blade scraper. :surprise:

I don't know what the OP's work bench looks like so I am betting it doesn't look like mine. >

Note: My table top is actually a solid core door with Formica on top. :grin:

Good luck. Post some pics.
Mike


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Ok I have some pictures. The golden colored bench is old maple bench which I bought off craigslist and it was ugly. There is a thread on this site about the bench. The lighter color picture of the bench was after refinishing with just BLO. The bench developed a golden color after using the beeswax finish as described above. 

The picture of my other bench is after cleaning the glue off with a chisel. The glue just sticks. I plan to scrape or plan the this bench down and refinish the same as the other bench above.

Stick if I could figure out which polisher you have I would buy one. I know you have described it but the Walmart specs don't seem to match what you have. Do you use the same polisher on your cast iron tops?


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

just go there and get one...
and yes I use it for iron tables and anything else I want waxed...
small Dia is way better over large dia..

use a card scraper to clean up... no plane...

glue clean up tool...
Veritas® Flush Plane - Lee Valley Tools


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

I cleaned up my old workbench this morning and put my first coat on. Call me a romantic but I like the beeswax mixture. Here are some pictures of my old workbench redone with 2 coats on. You can compare to the pictures above with the dirty workbench. Also you can see the corner of my other workbench and the finish looks the same using the beeswax finish.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Nice restore, Lee! Looks almost like new.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Yes I think it turned out nice. It only took a couple of hours to clean up. And beeswax finish is about as simple as it gets. Mix it up and rub it on with your hand. I probably wouldn't use the beeswax on furniture but for work tables it sure is simple. Here where I live the Texas heat in August just melts the wax right in.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Hey stick I bought one of those $20 polishers at Walmart. It came with a microfiber bonnet. Is that what you use for a bonnet?

I have been letting the workbench bake in the heat and plan to polish in a day or 2. The wax gets drier every day.


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## Stick486 (Jan 4, 2013)

coxhaus said:


> Hey stick I bought one of those $20 polishers at Walmart. It came with a microfiber bonnet. Is that what you use for a bonnet?
> 
> I have been letting the workbench bake in the heat and plan to polish in a day or 2. The wax gets drier every day.


yup...
the price went up since I bought one...

the thinner is evaporating...
polish and more of it will get released...


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## Dejure (Jul 27, 2009)

Speaking of microfiber bonnets, I discovered microfiber towels stick to hook and loops on my random orbit polisher well, so they make inexpensive pads for segregating compounds.


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## coxhaus (Jul 18, 2011)

Well the test is in. I had to glue up some floor pieces for my boat and I used Titebond III glue. Of course I dripped some on my workbench. I let it dry for a day or so and it came right up or off which ever you chose. Pretty much like wax paper. I don't know how long the finish will last but I think this finish will work for me.

Nice to know about the microfiber towels. I bet they are cheaper than bonnets.


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