Wax polishing

[filsgreen]

Hello all

wondering if you could help me with this problem. I've just made a laptop table and after reading all of the advice in this section, I finished it using three coats of Liberon finishing oil and several coats of Liberon pure bees wax.

The problem I have is that all the marks are showing, I hope you can see it in the picture. I have been buffing the polish using moderate pressure on the rag, should I be using good old fashioned elbow grease to get the marks out?

Here is another pic which may show the problem better

Cheers

Phil

 

[Scrit]

My experience of pure beeswax is that it is a very soft finish and not best suitable for horizontal surfaces like table tops. Where I use wax for finishing tops I've a preference for using Liberon Black Bison wax which I believe contains some Carnuba wax - a harder-wearing wax. It also has the advantage that customers don't object to the smell, unlike my experiences with Mylands stuff in former years.

For buffing out I prefer to use a commercial car body polisher and lambswool bonnet, although I used to use an electric (corded) drill and a lambswool bonnet on a soft rubber backing pad before I had the polisher. The trick to using these is to keep them on the move at all times, don't press too hard and keep the speed to 2,000 rpm or less. Even just buffing out this way may cure your problems, albeit temporarily.

Scrit

 

[gidon]

It's crucial when buffing to keep using a clean cloth or part of a cloth. And not to leave it too long either ... Although a bit late for that advice I guess!
Cheers
Gidon

 

[filsgreen]

Thanks Scrit, would it be possible to use Liberon Black Bison wax on top of the bees wax, providing I can get all the swirls out? Because I have just taken your advice and bought a Makita biscuit jointer to replace my crappy Ferm one, I can't afford to buy a electric polisher Would it be possible to use my RO sander, using cotton rags, to buff out the swirls, or would it be too rough? Incidentally, I bought a half kilo of cotton rags for about £6 from Axminster, what a gip, they were just old white sheets torn up.

Thanks Gidon, the advice on the tin was to leave it on for at least four hours, so I left the wax on overnight

Cheers

Phil

 

[Colin C]

Hi Phil
One more thing to try
Get a clean cloth and some thing to warm some of the wax in ( try a bowl over some ot water) and use the warmed wax to try and get the swirls out by going in the same direction as the grain.
I hope that is clear

 

[filsgreen]

Thanks for the suggestion but there is no need now Colin . I used some 3M synthetic steel wool 000 guage to knock it back and it worked a treat, don't know why I didn't think of it before . Anyway I just put another coat of wax on and then more or less buffed up straight after. It looks OK, but I'm going to put on a coat of what Scrit recommended, I don't suppose it can do any harm :wink:.

 

[Scrit]

Hi Phil

If you subseqiuently need to buff it again there's no need for a body polisher, it just that I've had one for years going back to the days when I used to spray my own cars :roll: . A lambswool bonnet (£3 to £5 on a softish backing pad (under a fiver) on an electric drill will do just as well. Keep everything movo=ing at all times and very light pressure only. Hopefully, though, you won't need it.

Scrit