How to make wood wax? Using beeswax to polish wood products.
If you are fond of woodworking, well, or just buy furniture, for example, from Ikea or other products from natural wood then this article is for you.
Today we will tell you how to make your own polishing wax or wax paste.
Especially old antique furniture needs waxing. Natural wood needs real nutrition and nothing better than beeswax brings wood back to life. The composition of beeswax includes three main groups of substances: esters (70 - 75%), free fatty acids (12 - 15%), hydrocarbons (11 - 17%). The oxidation of wax is so slow that it can be neglected - pieces of wax found in excavations of burials in Egypt still retain their flexibility. Wax, washed away by water from coastal rocks and buried for a long time on the seashore, can be easily restored and is suitable for use. The specific gravity of beeswax is 0.960-0.972 at 15°C and the boiling point is 62-66°C. Due to its viscosity, the boiling point of beeswax is greater than that of any other type of wax. Beeswax is an amorphous wax, it is not susceptible to moisture. It interacts well with the solvent and thus beeswax is the best emulsion wax. It gives the wood a silky, soft sheen.
traditional recipe
Ingredients:
1) Beeswax. You can buy wax in a store, or it is better to do it from a beekeeper in your area, which you can easily find in our groups on social networks.
2) Turpentine.Crumble the wax
Pour the finished mixture into a container, such as a jar of shoe polish and leave to cool.
Currently, it is increasingly recommended to replace turpentine with another solvent. Despite the fact that turpentine is obtained from trees, it is quite dangerous. chemical agent, irritating eyes and skin, damage to the lungs and central nervous system if inhaled.
Instead of turpentine, other solvents can be used - various oils (jojoba oil, olive, coconut, nut, citrus oil). Choose an oil based on your accommodation and availability.
Olive oil recipe:
The easiest way to make polishing wax is to use just 2 ingredients: olive oil and wax. The resulting mixture can be used to cover any type of wood. To prepare the mixture you need:
Crumble the wax.
Add 6-8 tablespoons of olive oil to the container
Recipe with jojoba oil. This mixture is perfect for polishing children's wooden toys, in addition, it is absolutely safe even for the smallest children.
The ratio of wax to jojoba oil is 1:3
Izhevsk, Russia, has developed a home impregnation made from natural ingredients: beeswax, propolis and gum turpentine. With this wax, both wooden and clay surfaces can be treated, especially when it comes to.
During construction natural home A lot of attention is paid to environmental means of protecting materials, their biopositive impact on humans. So that they do not contain chemical unnatural substances, do not cause allergies.
Patchwork wax does not change the natural color of wood or clay, giving it a noble depth. Creates an aesthetically pleasing to the eye and touch coating that does not require additional processing. The Patchwork Wax finish does not require frequent reapplying. In indoor conditions, the action of this impregnation lasts up to 10 years. 
A feature of patchwork wax is the property of gum turpentine to penetrate deep into the surface. When impregnating dry wood, gum turpentine, as it were, draws wax and propolis into the pores of the tree by 1 - 1.5 mm. There is no stronger preservative than propolis in nature. It is a natural antibiotic, completely harmless and even beneficial to humans and destructive to fungi and other microorganisms.
“We offer an eco-composition that does not have an expiration date and can be stored for at least 50 years at any temperature,” says Alexey Golovkov. “The wax is made according to an old recipe and only from natural ingredients: Siberian cedar, propolis - from the Volga. 
Eco-exhibition Kovcheg 2015 in Ekaterinburg revealed a great interest in our product among people who strive for a healthy, conscious lifestyle.”
Attention! If you wish
Any wood requires protection from ultraviolet radiation, moisture damage, mold and other negative influences. surrounding nature. For such protection, oil-wax for wood is used. Waxing is considered an effective ancient method to coat solid wood structures.
To date, a variety of such formulations are offered for sale. Ready-made ingredients are compiled and additives of inorganic origin, oils, beeswax are added. The solution is applied immediately after the package has been opened.
At the end of the application, the wood changes, acquires a velvety tone and smoothness. Waxing qualitatively protects the surface from moisture. Now this composition can be purchased in any shade.
Wax for wood processing is offered by manufacturers in a variety of colors. Different shades can be combined if you want to get a certain shade. That is why light solutions can be obtained from dark solutions. To do this, they are diluted with colorless wax.
The varnish applied to the coating will make the surface much thicker and change the shade of the coating. White alcohol is added to the wax to prevent deformation of the tree.
As a building material, wood has a variety of advantages, and treated with special wax can last a long time. If it is necessary to coat a tree that has already been coated, then it is important to prepare the surface before waxing.
First of all, the existing layer should be removed with a solvent. Lacquer inclusions that are not removed with a solvent are removed with a blade or with a knife. After cleaning, you need to sand the surface and apply a pre-prepared wax. Before applying it, it is important to dry the board well, and also clean it with sandpaper.
Wax has a huge amount of solid particles, so applying several layers is enough. In addition, the more hard enough particles in the material, the less the composition will need to be processed.
The wax takes a long time to dry. It is desirable that the process takes place at night when room temperature. To maximize the leveling of the dried coating, a special wood trowel is used in the form of a rounded plank.
At the final stage, to give the surface a beautiful shine, it must be polished with a special brush. The best choice there will be a rotating tool fixed in the shaft chuck, with a drill drive or an electric drill.
With this treatment with interior wax for wood, the surface must be slightly warmed up, so the product will acquire a beautiful gloss.
Wax intended for wood processing is liquid, soft, and also hard. Soft is used when it is necessary to update the array, give it an attractive appearance, eliminate minor defects in the form of scratches, remove chips, and dents.
Hard wax is also used for restoration purposes, however, it gives the best effect if it is necessary to get rid of the imperfections present on the wood. Best qualities This wax is achieved due to the high degree of strength, increased resistance to mechanical influences.
The composition of the wax of a liquid consistency contains additives of synthetic origin, due to which the desired liquid composition is achieved.
The advantage of this type lies in the comfort of applying with a brush, penetrating even into the smallest cracks.
Various modern manufacturers offer wood wax in the form of oily, pasty, and creamy formulations, which differ in consistency, application method, and the nature of the existing damage.
Once you have decided which wood wax is best, you can start applying it, after which a slight yellow tint can be traced. This is what is called waxing, that is, the old way of processing products made from solid wood.
The texture of the wood acquires originality, the board not only acquires an interesting natural tone, but also exudes a pleasant natural aroma.
In the process of treating the floor surface with wax for wood, as in the photo, chemistry is included in the components of solid varieties, for this reason they are heated before use. Now on sale there are products with a touch of the earth.
This type of composition is applied with the utmost care, because the possibility of obtaining an uneven layer that is practically impossible to correct is not ruled out, moreover, the difference in shade will be too noticeable. To completely change the shade of the coating, it is not recommended to use an earthen coloring product, soaking the array not with oil, but with stain.
Wax is sustainable organic matter with good covering and protective properties. It does not decompose under the influence of moisture, the sun, chemical reagents. Wax for wood is a material that ensures the long-term preservation of products in an unchanged form. The product is of natural origin and does not emit harmful fumes into the environment.
Wax substances are simple lipids, they are esters of higher organic acids and higher monohydric alcohols. In natural waxes, in addition to the main ester, there are small amounts of paraffins, aromatic compounds, pigments, and free acids.
Depending on the source of production, waxes may differ in composition, shades of light beige or yellowish colors, plasticity, and some physical properties. General feature of the entire wax group - great resistance to destruction, so they can serve as protection for the tree. During archaeological work in the inner and outer layers of the soil, antique products are found with a wax coating that has not changed over the millennia. Exist different sources in the production of wax, as the main means in woodworking, a beekeeping product is used, as well as some ester mixtures of plant origin.
Wax compositions have the following advantages:
Among the disadvantages of wax processing, the main ones are relative fusibility, instability to the action of alcoholic beverages, from which stains can remain on the surface.
Note! Handle kitchen wooden surfaces wax compositions is impractical.
It should also be taken into account that parts subjected to active friction (for example, armrests) may lose their protective surface after a while. In such cases, the composition will have to be re-coated.
It is possible to cover a tree with wax in industrial or domestic conditions. For impregnation, compositions of several components are used, depending on the ratio of which the mass may have a liquid, soft, or solid consistency.
Waxing agents are ideally distributed and fixed on new wooden products. If the previously covered wood is to be treated with pure wax or its mixture with oil, then the surface must be well prepared.
Modern technologies make it possible to provide the market with a wide range of products of various consistency, shades, density, viscosity. All composites are based on one or more esters of higher acids and alcohols, which are beeswax. Often in the composition you can see carnauba types of wax. Vegetable oil (olive, linseed), essential extracts of coniferous trees, tree resins, drying oil are added to the basic components in the production process. The need for the last component does not always arise. If the recipe includes vegetable oil that is prone to drying, then drying oil is formed spontaneously. The need to enter it initially disappears by itself.
The consistency is chosen taking into account the surface texture, the number and depth of cracks, the presence of microdamages. With a large number of small scratches of small depth, a liquid remedy, which is often called oil-wax (oil wax), will be optimal. It contains a large number of natural solvent, so it often looks like a regular viscous varnish.
Note! If there are deep cracks, chips, a hard wax product should be applied.
Easy to use soft, like mastic, mass, which is offered in an assortment with great choice colors. You can choose the composition that is most suitable for the interior of the room, in harmony with the decorative textile elements.
Wax products for wood are packaged in containers of various capacities, which allows you to impregnate areas of different sizes with a once purchased product. The main thing is to correctly calculate the flow. For processing small areas of wood, it makes sense to buy wax in the form of a pencil.
Any good deed can be spoiled by stupid execution, and waxing is no exception. To wax a tree at home, you will need simple tools: emery cloths, a knife, a brush with hard fibers, a brush, cloth patches.
If the wooden product has already been in operation, it has a layer of the old coating on it, you need to carefully clean the surface. First, solvent treatment is carried out. A thick layer of varnish, paint must be well saturated with an organic liquid, then the residue can be removed quickly and easily.
After treatment with a solvent, you need to wait until it evaporates, wipe the surface with warm water, and dry the cleaned wood well.
If there are still residues, they are removed with a knife, cleaned with sandpaper. Pieces are removed from deep cracks with a stiff brush. When the surface is prepared, smooth, you can start the waxing process directly.
Distribute wax only on completely dry wood. It is convenient to do this with cloth patches, starting from the central flat part, ending with the corners, complex curly elements. When working with liquid formulations, you can use ordinary paint brushes. It is important to note that the impregnation of wood should always be carried out in the direction of the fibers. If the composition is rubbed perpendicular to the main axis of the tree, it will be poorly applied, fixed and, in the future, can peel off very quickly.
At the end of the distribution of wax over the entire surface of the tree, it must be allowed to dry well. In a warm, dry room, this will take at least an hour; in other conditions, the layer may dry for several hours. You can check the completeness of drying by gently touching an inconspicuous area that can be covered somewhere on the bottom of the product specifically for this purpose.
After drying, unabsorbed excess agent should be removed by lightly wiping with a cloth. You can level the surface to perfect condition with special soft rollers.
To form a beautiful decorative surface, the procedure can be carried out twice. After treating the wood with oil and wax, many responsible craftsmen proceed to the final polishing of the coating, which looks especially good on parquet.
It is better to polish a tree with a special device with an electric drive. Gone are the days of polishers who did it with their feet and special fabrics. A rotating shaft connected to an electric drill will help you cope with the task quickly and efficiently.
Most often, they try to preserve the natural look of the tree, therefore they are covered with transparent or light wax compositions. Some customers want to see colored coatings, which is understandable and quite doable. For toning, light coloring, colored waxes are selected, taking into account the type of wood and the color that they want to get. Brown or black products are selected for dark oak. On pine, cedar, golden colors look good. If mahogany is covered, which rarely happens in everyday practice, reddish shades of waxes are chosen.
If desired, the tool can be made with your own hands at home, the recipes are well known, the cooking process does not present any difficulties.
You need to take one part of beeswax, break it into small pieces, gently melt it in a water bath, pour two parts of turpentine into a warm mass. At the same time, the smell will be felt strong and specific, but it is natural, harmless to everyone, with the exception of some allergy sufferers.
If the mixture is too thin, additional pieces of beeswax or carnauba wax can be added to it before it hardens. The last substance has vegetable origin, costs a little more, because this type of palm tree does not grow in our country. It is generally accepted that the carnauba additive contributes to the formation of a more durable protective layer.
Industrial or homemade quality wax will protect and improve appearance wood products.
To extend the service life and prevent the destruction of wood material, it is impregnated with a special agent. Thus, moisture does not get into the wood, and mold does not develop. As such a tool, wax with oil is used, which is prepared independently. This article describes how to make oil wax for wood with your own hands.
This tool is able to emphasize the original structure of the wood, and provide protection against moisture, discrepancies, fire, fungal diseases or mold. The wax of bees does not oxidize, so it stays on the treated surface for a long time.
Wax has a strong viscosity, so it melts when high temperature. This product is water repellent. After applying the composition, the material has a smooth and shiny surface. This increases wear resistance. wooden material. Wax oil is usually made at home with the addition of various kinds oils.
This mixture has the advantage that children's furniture or wooden toys and other items can be processed, while the composition does not contain harmful elements.
To prepare the composition, 50 grams of beeswax and 150 ml of jojoba oil are prepared, when using components in a different amount, their ratio should be 1 to 3. The wax is crushed, this can be done with a grater, then it is melted in a water bath, and oil is added . To prevent curdling of the wax, it is constantly stirred until completely cooled. This composition can be stored in a warm, dark place for about two years.
Wax can be made from flax oil, for this the ratio with wax should be 2 to 8. That is, for tablespoons of wax, take 8 oils. When adding more wax, the product has an increased viscosity.
As in the first case, I grind the wax and melt it in a water bath, then add the oil. It must be constantly stirred until completely cooled. This tool can be colored using various additives. Such a composition dries for a long time, in order to accelerate this action, it is necessary to add a desiccant. Storage of wax should be in glass containers, a period of about one year.
Beeswax can be mixed with linseed drying oil in a ratio of 1 to 1. Preparation is carried out similarly to the previous methods. Sometimes the following recipe is used, two portions of wax, one oil, and one turpentine. In this case, the wax is melted in a water bath, then oil is added, mixed, and turpentine is also thoroughly mixed.
After hardening, such a composition is very dense, but has a pasty appearance, and is easy to apply. After processing, the tree has water-repellent properties.
To process a wooden product, you first need to prepare the composition, for this you need oil, wax, a container for kindling, a brush, a cloth for cleaning the brush, and, if necessary, various additives are used to acquire different shades.
First, preparatory actions are performed, the object is cleaned of dust or dirt, and, if necessary, grinding is carried out. When the composition is prepared, it is applied to the object with a thin layer with a brush, and left for thorough soaking. At the same time, strokes are done very quickly, without stretching the work so that clear transitions do not form.
Periodically, clots of wax are removed from the brush with the help of a prepared cloth. Thus, the application will be uniform. After the wax has been absorbed, polishing is performed using a special machine or with a cotton cloth, while the surface of the object remains smooth and shiny.
The main advantage of the composition is that it is very easy to apply on a wooden object, this makes it possible to complete the work quickly. As part of such a tool, only natural ingredients, therefore impregnation is considered safe for health, and environmentally friendly.
It is also easy to subsequently repair damaged or replaced areas; this mixture is reapplied to these places. The object is easy to care for, dirt is removed from the surface with special means, and then wax oil is applied again. During the preparation of the composition, various additives are used to give the surface various shades. With the help of wax oil, you can create an old surface that will emphasize any interior style.
Wax is used to treat floors, wooden objects or surfaces in the bath, this prevents the penetration of moisture into the material and its destruction. Self-cooking composition allows you to save money on the purchase of various impregnations for wood.
The surface of the floor is polished, for this they use different sandpaper. The sanding agent should not have a fine grained surface, otherwise the dust particles will clog the pores of the wood.
After that, the floor surface is puttied, that is, all fasteners and significant defects are covered, and then wax oil is applied. This is done with a soft brush, the work is done very quickly to avoid clear boundaries between strokes.
When the application is completed, the wooden object is polished using a special machine or cotton cloth. At the same time, all minor scratches and defects become invisible, and the surface becomes glossy and shiny. Thus, the old flooring can be easily restored and it will have a beautiful appearance.
When preparing oil wax with your own hands, it is necessary to follow the correct technology, after surface treatment with this product, the product acquires an original look. Thus, the coating can be given an old look that suits any interior of the room.
