The Framers Forum

I made up a frame using plain unfinished Ayous which the customer took away in order to give it their own paint finish. They've just returned it and said that they actually prefer the plain wood finish it has now. I would like to give it some sort of wax finish to protect it but not to change the look ie not give it a shine or darken it. Does anyone have any advice on any particular type and brand of wax to use?

Many thanks
Jules

I get this sometimes. If it were oak or ash it's quite possible to wax it but softer woods wouldn't take it so well
without some sort of sealer under the wax. Trouble is the sealer tends to alter the look of the 'raw wood' finish.
For that matter, so would the wax.

Best to try a scrap first and see how it turns out.

Do you think a couple of coats of this would do the job?

https://www.lionpic.co.uk/p/8118/Libero ... ear--150ml

I use liberon, but I get neutral rather than clear. I have used clear, but I went back to neutral as at the time preferred that to clear.

Problem is, I can't now remember why I preferred it, but I would choose neutral.

Nick

If I recall I think clear tends to yellow after a while which neutral doesn't. Don't ask me why though....

If you want to see what wax will do on the surface, then give it a wipe with some white spirit. The spirit will evaporate cleanly away and leave no trace on the wood. And if you're happy with the effect, then the best wax to use is beeswax. But..
As Prospero said, you will need to seal the surface of the wood with dilute sanding sealer, otherwise the wax will dry patchy and uneven. And..
All commercial "beeswax" polishes are adulterated with less expensive paraffin waxes and these contribute to a more "greasy" finish.
So, if you want a nice dry wax finish you need to soak some beeswax pellets in some white spirit overnight and melt it gently to make a nice wax paste. When you rub this on, the white spirit will evaporate as before, leaving a thin film of pure beeswax which you can leave either dry and rough or polish gently with a cloth.
Don't use turpenine for this, as it can leave a slight resin like deposit after it has evaporated.
Having said all that, what do do want to protect the bare-wood from?
If they're not eating their dinner off the frame, then a rub with a wet cloth will easily remove any handling marks.

GeoSpectrum wrote:If I recall I think clear tends to yellow after a while which neutral doesn't. Don't ask me why though....

Thank you, that was it. It does have a yellow look to it.

I have tried fiddes, colron and briwax and liberon is always the one I go back to.

Nick

Thanks for your replies.

I think I'll give the Liberon a try although I can't see a 'neutral', only clear, pine and black.

Here you go: https://www.lionpic.co.uk/p/8602/Libero ... l--Neutral

Brilliant stuff.

Great. Thanks.