Beeswax Wood Polish

So when I make things at the shop, I try to use natural materials whenever I can, and when I sell things, I always use natural materials unless I have a custom request to something different. One of the go-to finishes I use, especially for the smaller items I make, is a beeswax polish. Its really easy to make, and I've seen various of it on the web and elsewhere. Most often I see versions of this polish made with linseed oil or boiled linseed oil, other versions include a little paint thinner, or some other vehicle to make it spread faster (or something.)

 Here's the Moonlight and Snowfall version: 

Beeswax and Walnut oil. That's it.

Small batches work best for me. I grate the beeswax to aid melting.

Walnut oil is an edible oil, that is often sold as a salad oil, or for cooking. Its got a mild walnut odor, and thin consistency, and and soft honey-yellow color. But the important thing to know, is that unlike olive oil, and most other vegetable oils, walnut oil dries. This is a trait that it shares with linseed oil, and some others like tung oil and poppy seed oil. Linseed oil and poppy seed oil are also edible, but obviously need to be labeled as such. Tung oil is not edible and is used mainly as a base for wood sealants and finishes. Boiled linseed oil is another story: unless you boil food grade linseed oil yourself, its not edible, most boiled linseed oil products have added chemicals like petroleum based solvents and metallic driers.

Equal parts oil and wax. Heat together just until the wax melts.

Drying oils go through a process called polymerization. They actually aren't drying as much as curing as they autoxidate when exposed to air. That is, nothing is evaporating, the oil chemically reacts with the air and takes on oxygen, creating long polymer strands and creating a film. The oil actually gets slightly heavier as it takes on oxygen and forms a film. Olive oil, by contrast, won't cure, so if you rub it on your cutting boards and wooden spoons, it may turn rancid.

Let the mixture sit a few minutes until it starts to set.

Beeswax by itself is just too hard to work into the wood. I've tried. I've even finished a table by heating it, pouring it on hot, and then going over it with an old clothes iron to allow it to penetrate the wood surface and then polished it up afterwards. It wasn't worth the effort. Mixing the beeswax with the oil gives the wax a soft-butter consistency, and keep the oils from running all over everything. It works out great.

Stir before stiffens up to keep it soft and spreadable. Note the color change.

I like to measure out the oil in and then add the grated wax directly to the oil so I can see the oil level rise. When it gets to double, I know I'm 50/50 oil and wax. I'm only making about 1/4 cup of polish here, so I microwave the mixture for 30 seconds and watch it. As soon as the wax melts, I stop it and take it out to cool at room temperature.

Move it to container that isn't too big, and seal to keep it soft.

I apply this polish with my fingers, and work it into the wood, and then let it dry. The polish sets up enough to buff it up and add another coat in a few hours. The oil takes longer to dry completely, but the polished items can be handled and even used except for contact with delicate items that may stain or darken if oil were to soak out, so I'd be careful with things like silk or even important papers until the finish is completely dry.

This polish is fun, simple, works great, smells good, and is safe enough to make and use with kids. I get my beeswax from the beekeepers barn at the Topsfield Fairgrounds, here in Massachusetts. You want real, natural beeswax, which also smells great. When I'm done polishing, I rub the excess into my hands. Its great in the winter time, I've even rubbed it on chapped lips. Don't try that with a wood polish you buy in the store!


UPDATE: I made a pretty big batch for this post in April of 2014, and it is now almost December. I've never tried to keep this polish for this long, and its been sitting at room temperature. It doesn't smell as much like fresh roasted walnuts and beeswax anymore, the scent seems to have faded, and it is getting tacky where its in contact with the air inside the jar. If you're planning to make more than what you can use in a few months, it may make sense to keep this polish in the fridge; the walnut oil is perishable. I would recommend smaller batches, made as needed. That's what I'm going to go back to.