Natural Beeswax Wood Finish

by aCuriousCreator

47K21420

Intro: Natural Beeswax Wood Finish

In this guide, I will show how I made my all natural beeswax wood finish. It's perfect for finishing any wood project and far more satisfying to make your own finish than buying one, and I love using beeswax to finish wood projects.

It should take no more than a couple of hours to make, and most of that is waiting for the wax to set!

For this project you will need;

Or you can buy this from my shop! Check out NATURAL BEESWAX WOOD POLISH

STEP 1: Prepare Wax

I started by preparing my wax. I started off by working out much, finished product I could fit into my tin and worked backwards from there. I used an old sweet tin so these measurements fit perfectly in this tin. Each of these blocks of beeswax are 1oz. You can buy beeswax in chips already, but I love the way that the blocks look and easy to store so that's how I like to buy them. You can melt straight in blocks but cutting them down to smaller pieces means they can melt down much quicker and in a more evenly.

It is quite soft and you can just use a knife to cut it down to size. I used 2 x 1oz blocks for this.

STEP 2: Melt Wax

I use a slow cooker or crock pot to melt down my beeswax. I find this the easiest way to melt down wax, beeswax can be quite flammable if you are not careful and I find this is the easiest way. Other options include doing a double boiler.

STEP 3: Add Oil

Once the wax was completely melted I added the oil. I like to use Jojoba Oil. You can use almost any oil for this but some oils such as olive oil can go bad after a few months and start to smell bad. With proper storage this jojoba oil should last for around 2 years sat in the tin. But I probably would have used it all up by then and made another batch.

I mixed using a 1:3 ratio of wax to oil. So I used 2oz of wax so needed 6oz of oil. I poured about half the oil straight into the melted wax and stirred it well, then added the second half of the oil. I have no idea why I did this or even if it makes a difference truth told, but it felt like the thing to do. So that's what I do, I'm sure somebody can tell me why its a bad idea :)

Once it was all mixed together well I transferred from the slow cooker pot back into the measuring jug, this just makes it easier for pouring. Then I poured straight into the tin. As this slowly set I give it a stir every 10mins or so for the first hour. This ensures that it cools down evenly. When this began too solid I left it for about 3 hours to set completely. It left me with a really nice consistency wax that holds it form until worked a tiny bit and melts beautiful into the wood.

STEP 4: Finished

And it's finished. With the jojoba oil, this should last around 2 years but as I said this varies from which oil you use. But you can experience with your choice of oil, and also the different ratios. I like in England and it really isn't very warm here. So the wax is usually solid at room temperature, but if you like in a hot county you might want to use slightly less oil meaning it will be more firm at hotter temperatures.

I hope you enjoyed this and if you make your own make sure to let me know below, and check out my YouTube Channel.

18 Comments

LisaC292 1 year ago

Hi, thank you. Do you think this can work to seal indoor concrete? And what if I'm allergic to bee pollen and honey? Any alternative? Thank you!!

ironarmadillo 6 years ago

I've made and used a beeswax wood finish for many years. I've used mineral oil mixed in with my beeswax in pretty much the same method as you've used. And mineral oil will definitely never go rancid.

LisaC292 1 year ago

What mineral oil? Where did you get it? What is it? Thanks!

Cueball21 6 years ago

So, are you going to identify the tin you used? I'm thinking an Altoids tin might be a bit too small for the amount you made and wondered what else you might suggest . . . preferably something available in the US and elsewhere.

Thanks for a great 'ible'!!

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

Hi, Link is above in step 1. The exact one I used here in the UK is;
http://amzn.to/2v3E51O

That is around 7oz I think. Just search storage tin, or tabaco tin I think would work :) Let me know if you find something! I think altoids might be a tiny bit too small. I have one for my leather work needles they are perfect for that!

JosephS62 6 years ago

I made something similar around 6 months ago using beeswax and fractionated coconut oil. It worked well on wood and interestingly it also worked well in metal to keep water off as well.

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

Yes coconut oil would work great as well. You can use almost any old. Lots of people use linseed oil, walnut oil or more. They do work on metal, I've just used this on leather and worked really well as well :)

PatN6 6 years ago

Can you suggest another oil besides Jojoba that won't go rancid? Would paraffin oil work? (This is something that I know nothing about.)

AndyG103 6 years ago

If the Jojoba stays good for only around 2 years before going bad, then what happens many years later once the finish is applied to your wood project? Will the applied finish go bad?

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

Hi, no it doesn't go bad. After a while of sat in the pot someones the oil and wax can separate.

jsolterbeck 6 years ago

I wanted to see how it looks looks! Where's some wood?! Also, are you saying you have to strip it off after 2 years? Why put it on something if it's going to become rancid?

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

I use it in the next project on some wood. That next instructables and YouTube video will be posted next Friday so make sure to subscribe to me on here or YouTube. No you don't have to strip it off at all. It will usually naturally wear down. Some people reapply wax finishes every 6months or so on tables that get a lot of use.

myron.gochnauer 6 years ago

It would be helpful if you mentioned where beeswax and jojoba oil can be obtained. What *kind* of stores would have these products? I haven't purchased pure beeswax since about 1961, and I can't remember where I found it! (I used it when polishing a telescope mirror.)

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

There are links to everything I bought in step 1 at the top. I get most of it online, but if you have anyone local that makes honey or keeps bees then have a chat with them and they should be able to help! You can also usually get Jojoa oil in health food shops or in some beauty shops. I believe some people use it on skin. Thanks

dart70ca 6 years ago

So you did 2oz. wax by weight to 6 oz. of oil by volume?

mrsmerwin 6 years ago

Does it still smell like beeswax? I love this smell.

aCuriousCreator 6 years ago

Hi, yes it does! Smells half of beeswax half of Jojoba oil, but certainly strong smell or beeswax still :)