I’ve used plenty of paste wax in my woodworking adventures and never worried about the ingredients until I started making utilitarian items. My finishes for bowls, cutting boards, or any other item to be used with food are solvent free and 100% natural. I thought I’d share a recipe for non-toxic paste wax. The best part is it’s super easy and you get to melt stuff!
So here’s the catch, you married men should first request clearance to the kitchen. We’ll be melting wax in a double boiler on her stove top. Godspeed.
Assuming you have permission to use the kitchen (I don’t want any messages from angry wives, they scare me) you will need a few items.
- A pot to boil water in (can be one of her pots as long as you have permission)
- A metal container in which to blend your melted wax and oil (I used the same container for storage)
- A heavy duty grater (seriously, don’t use the cheese grater you got as a wedding present)
- Bee’s Wax
- Carnuba Wax
- Tung Oil / Walnut Oil
- 1/3 cup measuring cup
- The most important item! Pliers or vise grips to remove the mixture with.
- Something to stir with. Non melty is a plus!
The least fun part of this project is grating the wax. Especially if you have a wimpy grater. Had I considered how hard wax is compared to cheese, I would have coughed up the extra cash and bought a good grater. Oh well. The recipe I used is pretty simple.
- 1/3 cup Bee’s Wax
- 1/3 cup Carnuba Wax
- 1 cup Walnut or Tung Oil
Enough of the wordy stuff, let get on with it already.
Before you start melting wax, add enough water to the pot so that the water level is about 1/2″ below the top of your melting container.
Add the wax and oil to your container and turn up the heat. You can go ahead and crank it up, but be sure to turn the heat down before the water starts to boil. You don’t really want water in your paste wax, so try to avoid it. A little won’t cause any major trouble, but just be mindful that the less water in your paste wax, the better.
Once everything is melted, you can take the container out of the pot of water with pliers. The stuff is kinda hot… Spilling is not recommended.
As the wax cools, keep stirring the mixture so that the oil does not separate. Putting the container on a cooling rack helps to speed up the cool down process. I’ve also put the container in the fridge for about a minute at a time when the mixture is fresh out of the hot water.
Once the wax is cooled, it’s ready to use. Be sure to write down your recipe so that you can repeat it once you run out, or so you have a starting place for changing up your paste wax recipe in the future.
This is a basic recipe and you can certainly add colorants or metallic flakes to the wax for a different effect. However, depending on what you add, your finish may no longer be food safe.
I hope you enjoyed the post. Let me know if you try it out for yourself and feel free to comment or ask any question you may have. Thank for reading, y’all!
Binky Melnik says
Hi, Mike:
Thanks ever so much for the basic recipe recited really well (and in an entertaining fashion)! I’m trying to think how to modify it because I DO want a very, very shiny finish. (I use carnauba wax on the jewelry I make from PVC, hence my needing a lot of shine.)
Until now, I’ve been using a commercial product with solvents, and though they’re volatile enough that they’re gone within a few minutes, I don’t want ANY solvents as they don’t play nicely with PVC, obviously, so that’s why I’m looking to make my own. My guess is that if I change the ratio of carnauba flakes to beeswax beads, increasing the amount of carnauba, then I’ll get more shine (and a much more difficult paste to work with). Am I right? I’m beginning to feel the pains of aging, as my hands aren’t nearly are strong (and useful 😞) as they used to be, so I’m not sure I like this option.
I’d be grateful if you’d suggest a method or two for me to make a very shiny wax that’ll be both solvent-free and not *too* difficult for aging hands to use. (Some difficulty is okay. After all, I can always heat it a little if it’s just too much that day.)
Thanks very much,
Binky
PS: I laughed really hard about you trying to get permission to use the kitchen and stuff in it even while wondering whether we women come across *that* much like dragons with regard to our kitchens, but then I consoled myself by thinking about how you men are about your work tables, tools, and so on and then felt a good deal better. ☺️
Mike says
You are exactly right. Increase the ratio of carnauba wax and you’ll have a wax that can be buffed to a nice shine!
Glad you could get a laugh🤣
Regards,
Mike