Beeswax wood finish recipe!

Beeswax wood finish recipe!

Everyone likes wood, but when it’s finished with a nice sexy wax that makes the grain pop like a 3D movie, nobody can resist touching it. At least, that’s how I feel…

A good wood finish, especially for tool handles of axes, hammers and knives should protect the wood against humidity and prevent it from drying and cracking. Tool handles endure a lot of abuse and should be treated with some TLC regularly. I don’t like coatings that seal the wood completely, they look like plastic and contain all kinds of chemicals that I don’t trust. True, they’ll survive a nuclear attack but I like wood that feels like actual wood and smells like, well, beeswax… Another disadvantage of these hyper-technical types of finishes is that, when damaged, it’s a pain to touch them up.

No, no, no, my recipe is much better. It’s grippy but not sticky, providing a good grip on the tool. Last but not least it’s food safe. At least, I think it is. Not sure about the terpentine though.

My recipe:

• 100 gr. Beeswax
• 100 gr. Carnauba wax (from the Carnauba palm tree, it’s the same stuff that give M&Ms their shine.
• 300 cl. Terpentine

This amount will last you a long time, it’s cheap, natural and home made. F*ck industrial, DIY rules!

How to apply it:

I usually heat it with a heatgun to liquify it a bit and rub it in with a cotton cloth. Let it dry for 10 minutes and buff it. Ready. It’s also works one leather knife sheaths, walking boots, etc…

You can vary the recipe a bit by adding Lanoline (grease from sheeps wool) to give it a softer texture, like shoeshine.

How it’s made:

The tools you”ll need. A scale, a gas stove, a pan, a measuring device for liquids and a wooden stick.

The ingredients: Carnauba wax, beeswax and terpentine.

This is slow cooking, terpentine has a low combustion temperature and is highly flammable. When it gets too hot it will ignite. Add the terpentine bit by bit. Keep that fire blanket ready!!!

Ready!