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Tips for waxing pine please!

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  • 12-04-2011 8:05am
    #1
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭


    Just bought some cheap and cheerful untreated pine bedroom furniture and would like to wax it. Well I think that's what I want to do, I don't really have a clue! :o I don't want it to look shiny anyway, as in varnished, but it's very naked looking as it is, so is waxing the thing to do?!

    And if so can anyone recommend what product to use and how to get best results! :)


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    #2
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    There are loads of different types of wax products (and oils, which you might think about) on the market. Read the labels carefully - some blends contain nasty chemicals which you really don't want to be breathing in while in bed. I make my own by dissolving shavings of pure beeswax in turpentine; the turpentine evaporates away after application. Apply the blend. Let it sit for about 20 minutes and buff to a sheen. Simples!
    If you Google Liberon you will find a list of stockists for their products - they make big blocks of pure beeswax.


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    #3
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    Thanks for the helpful reply slowburner! :) Love the idea of making your own with beeswax too. But just came across this..... http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_18501.htm

    I wonder if it would be full of chemicals. I have only just got rid of the stink from newly painted everything, but especially radiators, in this house we just moved into. It nearly killed me!! :rolleyes:


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    #4
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    sudzs wrote: »
    Thanks for the helpful reply slowburner! :) Love the idea of making your own with beeswax too. But just came across this..... http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_18501.htm

    I wonder if it would be full of chemicals. I have only just got rid of the stink from newly painted everything, but especially radiators, in this house we just moved into. It nearly killed me!! :rolleyes:
    I don't know what's in the Aldi finishes - but generally, what you need to look out for on the tin is a symbol about "V.O.C." which I think stands for volatile organic compounds/content (or so). Gloss paint is high in them, emulsions are low. It's the VOC's which make that persistent pong. A lot of the finishes I've seen from the German multiples have been pushed on the virtue of their low VOC's - seems to be a trend. I can't bear using gloss paint or varnish, for that matter. It's as much to do with cleaning brushes as with the pong. There are some nice water based varnishes around too, you can get them in a satin finish, if you don't want a high shine.


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    #5
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    I bought some of the Aldi stuff! I'ts out in the shed now but wil have a look and see what it says about VOCs...


    Also came across some plain ol' linseed oil today. Would that do the job do you think? Sorry if that's a dense question but I'm a total novice when it comes to this kind of thing! :o


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    #6
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    Linseed oil can be a tricky finish to apply. When it was used, the adage was; apply it once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month for a year. Even then, the results can be patchy, especially on pine.
    Personally, I use the turpentine/wax blend whenever I can.


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    #7
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    slowburner wrote: »
    Linseed oil can be a tricky finish to apply. When it was used, the adage was; apply it once an hour for a day, once a day for a week, once a week for a month and once a month for a year. Even then, the results can be patchy, especially on pine.
    Personally, I use the turpentine/wax blend whenever I can.

    As much as I love the idea of your beeswax mix, my impatience made me lash on the linseed oil in the end!! Was slightly alarmed at the spontaneous combustion warning on the bottle though! :eek:

    Thanks again for all your advice! :)


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    #8
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    sudzs wrote: »
    As much as I love the idea of your beeswax mix, my impatience made me lash on the linseed oil in the end!! Was slightly alarmed at the spontaneous combustion warning on the bottle though! :eek:

    Thanks again for all your advice! :)

    A pleasure. Love to know how it turns out for you :)


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    #9
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    slowburner wrote: »
    A pleasure. Love to know how it turns out for you :)

    All was fine... nice colour effect, the oil gave a lovely smooth effect to the wood and I was delighted with my work! :D But then after a couple of nights of putting glasses of water on the bedside tables there were a couple of slighly faded looking rings developing. :(

    So I gave the surfaces a good wipe over and then gave them a few coats of a water based satin clear varnish. (low VOC! ;) ) So far looks the tops still look pretty much same as the rest of the units but will get back to you in a panic if it all looks terrible tomorrow!


    ....might not get back to you at all if I go up in a spontanious combustion incident!


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    #10
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    slowburner wrote: »
    A pleasure. Love to know how it turns out for you :)

    Help! Help! It's all sticky! I thought it would dry out but I think the oil under the varnish is a problem... :o

    Should I remove the varnish and start again with somethiing else? What should I use to remove it without running the risk of spontaneous combustion?!!


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    #11
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    I think starting over is the best thing to do.
    Finishes can be removed chemically or mechanically. In your case, the chemical route is just going to lead to more mess/trouble because you would need a spirit based stripper to clear off the oil (was it boiled or raw btw?) and some other kind to clear the water based coat - I don't know what solvent would remove the water based coat.
    So, how to clean it off mechanically? You will need to get your hands on a scraper or two. There are loads of different patterns and they're not too expensive, so maybe pick up a few different patterns - flat and profiled to get into awkward corners etc.. The crucial thing is that they are sharp and kept sharp so you'll need a flat sharpening stone too.
    The blade of the scraper should be used pretty well perpendicular to the wood, with light pressure (keep it sharp!) and always with the grain. It's one of those jobs where you'll just get a feel for it (have faith!). So maybe you should practice in an unobtrusive area first. Make sure you use just enough pressure to scrape the goo off and not to dig into the wood.
    It's not going to be the most exciting job but if it goes well, it can be kind of satisfying and there won't be any whiff.
    Hope this helps and good luck.


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    #12
    sudzs
    Registered Users Posts: 8,718 ✭✭✭sudzs


    Thanks again slowburner!

    Thankfully I only varnished the tops of the 2 bedside cabinets and a small chest of drawers as glasses of water were leaving pale rings on the oil (raw linseed oil afaik) That scraping sounds a bit daunting... do you think I could use sandpaper to remover the layer? (that's what mr. sudzs suggested but he more of an engineer than a craftsperson! ;) )

    Oh gawd, I'm sorry now I didn't go to the effort of making up your wax recipe! :rolleyes:


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    #13
    slowburner
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 5,219 Mod ✭✭✭✭slowburner


    No harm in trying sandpaper but you'll end up using quite a bit because it'll clog up on you - then again, it's a small area so that shouldn't be too big a problem. The advantage of a scraper is that it goes a bit deeper than sandpaper, which would help. Raw linseed oil might have been absorbed into the wood a bit and will need to be thoroughly removed before you apply any water based finish. You should really give it all a good rub down with spirits after you've sanded/scraped. I can't bear the smell of white spirits and tend to use methylated spirits or turps in such cases.


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