Candle wax?

[Woodchipper]

I see Carnuba wax, bees wax used for pens and woodturning. Anyone tried plain candle wax? If turned at a high speed, will it soften and penetrate the grain? If so, longevity of the finish? Curious.

 

[MedWoodWorx]

I see Carnuba wax, bees wax used for pens and woodturning. Anyone tried plain candle wax? If turned at a high speed, will it soften and penetrate the grain? If so, longevity of the finish? Curious.

Candle wax is usually a mixture of waxes; the exact mix depends upon the brand. The mixture most likely contains parrafin which is much cheaper than bees wax. It should work but i am not sure if a wax finish on a pen is a good idea. Havent tried it to be honest

 

[egnald]

The major constituent of candle wax is paraffin because it is white and is relatively inexpensive compared to carnauba and beeswax simply because it is a byproduct from oil refineries. Because it is a saturated hydrocarbon and is petroleum based it often releases small amounts of toluene and benzene when it is melted.

Most use carnauba or beeswax because they are more naturally occurring than paraffin. As far as your question goes, I don't have any idea of how it would perform as a finish. Sounds like a good experiment.

Dave

 

[its_virgil]

Not a wax fan. Never understood the appeal of wax on a pen.

 

[monophoto]

I keep ordinary canning paraffin in the shop, mainly for use as a lubricant on saw blades, drill bits, etc. I have tried crayoning it onto turned wood, and then rubbing with a bit of paper towel to melt it into the surface of the wood. That's ok to provide a little bit of protection for tools or jigs; it does make the surface feel smooth and a bit waxy, and prevents raw (unfinished) wood from getting soiled through occasional handling. I have found it helpful on jigs that are going to be involved in gluing since adhesives won't stick to a waxed surface. But I wouldn't depend on it to do much as a 'finish', especially on something that is handled continuously like pen.

I once made a bunch of small poplar plates for my wife; rubbed on some pure beeswax that I then melted into the surface. Again, it looked and felt nice, and came close to 'food safe' (whatever that is), but plates need to be washed occasionally, and the wax eventually wears off.

I believe the general rule is that wax can be a surface treatment, but not actually a finish.

 

[Woodchipper]

Thanks for the information. Just thinking as a pen finish or for wood turnings. So, I'll scratch it off the list.

 

[montmill]

Candle holders finished with crayons.

 

[Woodchipper]

montmill, impressive use of crayons. I could do that as I wouldn't have to stay in the lines. Could you give some detail as how you did it?