DIY Finishing Wax (Food Safe)

Andrea Arzensek
by Andrea Arzensek
3 Materials
You'll need this simple yet awesome wax finish for your woodworking projects like cutting boards, toys, tabletops....and even to protect your leather shoes!
Check out the video!


For the recipe and if you prefer to read rather than watch, please continue on.


Make this simple yet awesome wax finish for your woodworking projects like cutting boards, toys, tabletops....you name it!


Pssst....you can even apply it to your leather shoes/boots to make them impervious to rain and to get the leather shine back like new!


Word of advice: leather will darken with the use of oil/wax on it, apply first on the small inside part of your shoe to see if you like it, and skip on food coloring if you use it for this purpose.
- Kitchen scale


- 150 grams of 100% beeswax (sheets melt faster)


- 400 grams of mineral oil (mine was colored red with food coloring, if you don't do that your paste will be yellow- the color of beeswax)


- food coloring (for adding slight color to redwood furniture, otherwise skip)


- Pyrex or a sauce pan to heat the oil and mix in the beeswax


- Jar for storage of oil-wax mixture


- Oven glove


- Stick or spatula to mix


- Heat source (if you want to see why I used grill for this check the YT video)


- Thermometer (optional but helpful)
Things You'll need
Measure 400 grams of mineral oil and 150 grams of beeswax.


If you don't have a scale you can measure by ratio: beeswax 1.5 and mineral oil 4.0 (1 to 4 also works)


Add the food coloring to the oil before you mix it with beeswax.
Put the oil into the pan and heat it to approx. 81C (177F).


Mix in the beeswax and stir until the wax is not visible (it melts).


When melted take it off the heat source.


WARNING:


Don't heat the oil too much, you can cause a fire hazard (wax and oil are easily inflamable)!!


Never leave it unattended when heating!
Put it in container for storage and mix it until gets waxy-like consistency.


The step above is VERY important as if you don't mix the wax and oil will separate during the cooling.


Hooray!


You have your great and non-toxic finish for furniture, cutting boards, toys, leather shoes, dry hands?, etc!
Applying process:


Use Clean cotton rag (old T-shirt) and little amount of your oil-wax mix.


Apply it on in very thin coat onto desired surface, leave it sit for 15-30 minutes and then wipe off the excess (buff it).


When using on shoes you don't need to leave it sit on leather, just butt it in.


Make it and you'll love it!


Cheers,


Andrea A.
Suggested materials:
  • Mineral oil (baby oil)   (Grocery store)
  • Beeswax   (Naturist store/local honey makers)
  • Food coloring (optional)   (Grocery store)
Frequently asked questions
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