Liquid Wax and 5 Other Uses
by Ziggy Liloia
A superior non-staining joinery and end grain sealer, plus great furniture buffing wax. Use alone or as a finish coat on any woodwork for added sheen and protection. Also refurbishes dry, dull logs, timbers, or anything made of wood. Apply one of two ways: rub in as a polish and buff dry, or apply, let dry, and polish with a power buffer. This product is excellent for periodic maintenance and cleaning of timber frames. For joinery or end grain, apply Liquid Wax before long-term storage to reduce checking, or just before placing the piece in position for easier fitting and extra protection.
Our Liquid Wax End Sealer is used often by timber framers in the shop for sealing the end grain and joints of large timbers for deep oil penetration to reduce checking without the danger of staining the wood. Our Liquid Wax is also helpful for easing the driving of pegs into joints. It is great for any raw log ends sitting in the log yard or any timber end grain exposed to the weather. This formula also makes the wax much more durable for a top coat and is recommended for top-coating in floor finishing, countertops, and a final coat on an earthen floor, and for general furniture finishing.
100% Bio-based. Food safe once dry.
Coverage:
Approx. 800 + square feet per gallon; rough-sawn materials tend to absorb more. You get less coverage on the first coat and more on the second. The density of the wood is also a factor. Softer woods like pine or reclaimed Doug. Fir will absorb more than oak for example. And obviously, dry timbers will soak up a lot more oil than green timber. You may want to overestimate when ordering. The finish keeps indefinitely when stored properly with minimal air exposure.
VOC Levels: Max: 212.5 g/L
Sizes we offer: 2oz. & 4oz jars, 1 quart, 1 gallon, 3 gallon pail, 5 gallon pail, 55 g. drum.
Clean Up:
For spills, over spray, or to clean up brushes, use our Pure Citrus Solvent or other
solvent (Turpentine, Mineral Spirits, etc.).
Our Liquid Wax End Sealer is a versatile product whose name suggests only one of several possible uses.
Here are five different applications to get the most out of the product and protect and enhance your project. A little goes a long way.
Sealing End Cuts
If your timber frame project makes use of unseasoned timber, it’s important to slow down moisture loss to prevent surface checking. Checking tends to occur when the moisture is looking for a way out of the surface of a timber. The degree to which it happens is directly related to how quickly it is shedding that moisture. Freshly cut timber ends can be coated with Liquid Wax to slow down moisture transpiration. It’s important that wood (of all dimensions) be allowed to transpire moisture, but we want to slow it down to a manageable rate. A light brushing on both ends of the timber will go a long way to prevent excessive checking.
Protecting End Grain in Joinery
Because moisture loss occurs most rapidly through exposed end grain, it is equally important to coat exposed end grain in joinery. The end walls in a mortise are the perfect example. Use a brush the same size or slightly smaller than your mortise width (for example, 1 1⁄2” or 2” wide) to coat the end grain with Liquid Wax. Again, this will help slow down moisture loss through the end grain and prevent additional checking at joinery locations. Joist pockets, rafter seats, and tenon shoulders are other examples where a light application of Liquid Wax would be beneficial.
Make Your Assembly Process Smoother
It’s also possible to make the assembly process a smoother operation by very lightly brushing wax onto adjoining pieces, a tenon being the perfect example. Lightly apply wax to the tenon cheeks if your joinery fits are particularly tight.
Drive Pegs More Easily
Just like above, a little bit of wax can go a long way. When pegging your joinery, use a rag that has been saturated in wax to rub down the peg to make hammering it much, much easier. Your arms and wrists will thank you later.
Protect Your Tool Handles
Wooden tool handles are easy to ignore, but they benefit from a little bit of TLC every once in a while.Using a rag saturated with wax, rub down your chisel, mallet, axe, and slick handles with a light coat to keep them looking good and the wood in fine condition.