Thread: Finish question?

I was wondering if mineral oil and paste wax would be sufficient to seal a wood brush? Broke and unemployed at the moment it's what I have.

Thanks
Poppy

If you want to try an experiment. Warm the wood in the microwave and then coat the hot wood with wax and then recoat and buff when it is cool. Try it with a scrap first as some woods are prone to cracking from this. I know a few wood carvers that do this with small pieces.

@RezDog, that's a great idea! I'm gonna try it! Any recommendation on how long to nuke the wood for?

Originally Posted by RezDog

If you want to try an experiment. Warm the wood in the microwave and then coat the hot wood with wax and then recoat and buff when it is cool. Try it with a scrap first as some woods are prone to cracking from this. I know a few wood carvers that do this with small pieces.

make sure the wood is good and dry (not green) or i can almost guarantee it will crack.

I have no idea. You can also start a fire if you really are not paying attention. I'd start with a minute and then see how warm your sample gets and maybe bump it to two depending on how it goes as far as temperature. Basically you are trying to warm the wood to open the pores, so no dramatic temperatures.

Originally Posted by poppy926

I was wondering if mineral oil and paste wax would be sufficient to seal a wood brush? Broke and unemployed at the moment it's what I have.

Thanks
Poppy

Wood and water is not a good marriage and water will always prevail eventually
Oils and waxes will keep the water at bay but only if they're applied to the handle on a very regular basis.
Regular application should keep the handle looking good for years to come.
regards, beejay

What type of wood are you going to use?

I would try 15 sec. intervals till it reaches a temp that will melt the wax. Once the wax is melted(you will want it to soak in) let it stand for a day or so. remove the excess wax then polish with a rag. I would still add another coat while it is cold and polish again. I have used this method before on Pipes. it works but it will wear off so take that in to consideration. something else to consider is the type of wood, soft woods do not take well to it and will crack

I made a couple of Muddlers and used bee's wax. I heated the wax up and applied with a rag on one of them. Once it was dry I buffed it off. The other one I used a 50/50 mix of Beeswax and coconut butter. Made it easier to apply and buff off. Not sure that the second method was a good idea or not, but it saved me some work. Definitely will need to reapply every so often.