Let's talk wax.

Fixall

Brian
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
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First I want to preface this by stating a few things.

I am not an expert on this topic. I have done quite a bit of research over the past year, and have had several long conversations with one of the Smithsonian Institute's head conservators and I've barely scratched the surface. If anything I say is incorrect, or if you would like to add something, please do!

Second, this is specifically about food safe, non-hardening waxes/oils. If you are not concerned with food safe wax finishes, I highly recommend you stick with Renaissance Wax, or a similar protectant. I've tested a ton of waxes and without fail, the more reputable, non-food safe finishes have performed better than every food safe wax I've purchased/made. If food safe, hardening waxes/oils are more your jam... I'll have something later down the road, but still have months of testing to do.

Alright, here we go.


Being an avid collector of knives, a hobbyist knife maker, and a supplier of handle material, I use a LOT of wax... And to be frank, I've long considered most non-hardening waxes on the market to have rather inflated prices, and occasionally questionable claims. In attempt to keep costs down, and ensure I am using a wax with high quality, known ingredients I have spent the past several months tinkering with wax recipes and have come to a point where I'm ready to share a few things.


Cost breakdown:

The main ingredients of most non-hardening waxes are beeswax and a carrier oil. Soy wax is often mixed with the beeswax as a cheap filler. Some claim it is to reduce stickiness but there are other, better ways of doing so. There are typically a few other additives in the wax mixtures like; carnauba flakes, essentials oils, fragrances, etc but they make up such a small percentage of the formulas that the cost is fairly negligible.

A gallon (128oz) of high quality tsubaki/camellia seed oil costs around $150, and is one of the most expensive carrier oil options. A gallon of food grade mineral oil is around $30, while a gallon of high quality, fractionated coconut MCT oil is around $100. 3lbs (48oz) of beeswax cap, which is the highest grade of beeswax, costs around $45 on the high end.

Lets assume XYZ Wax Company is using the highest grade, most expensive beeswax they can find, and one of the highest grade, most expensive carrier oils on the market. $150 for one gallon of oil + $45 for 3lbs of beeswax.

That comes out to $195 for 176 ounces of wax, or $1.11 per ounce of wax. A two ounce aluminum tin runs around 50 cents. A label is around 20 cents... Bringing the total for a 2oz tin of high quality wax to around $3 to produce (not accounting for time, electricity, IP, etc of course). I've often paid over $20 for a tin of wax that size. That's just crazy to me.


Beeswax

There is basically no such thing as organic beeswax. Honeybees forage up to a few miles away from their hive so their isn't really a way to control what they are making their wax out of. Because of this, the USDA does not allow beeswax or honey to be labeled as organic. If a company is claiming that their beeswax based product is organic, they're either confused, lying, or using overseas produced beeswax. Different countries have different rules about what is allowed to be labeled as organic, so you will often see wax coming from China, and other countries labeled as organic. Testing has also shown many of the "organic" beeswax sold online to be mixed with more cost effective waxes.


Carrier oils

There is nothing wrong with mineral oil. It's cheap, food safe, and neutral colored. It is an inert substance which means it passes through your body without being digested... Similar to the outer shell of a corn kernel. You may see some fear mongering about mineral oil because it is a petroleum based product, but you literally consume stuff derived from petroleum on a daily basis. That being said, I do prefer a more natural carrier oil, because why not? And more importantly, mineral oil tested the worst in my water resistance tests.

I have had a lot of luck with both tsubaki/camellia seed oil, as well as fractionated coconut MCT oil. Tsubaki oil is naturally shelf stable, while fractionated coconut MCT oil as has had its long-chain fatty acids removed to make it shelf stable. Neither will go rancid. Tsubaki oil has been used for centuries in Japan as a blade protectant. Coming from a kitchen background I had been using and loving tsubaki oil for almost two decades and am not at all surprised to see it perform well. In my testing tsubaki oil tends to produce a bit more shine, while fractionated coconut MCT oil provides a little more water resistance... I like to use a blend of the two.


Additives

Every company has their secret blend of herbs and spices, so I'll just go over some general additives. Most companies tend to use a stabilizer and/or antioxidants both to prolong the shelf life, and prevent separation. Vitamin E, lecithin, or any number of other additives can be used for this. Testing has also shown that antioxidants decrease weathering to wood caused by U.V. and air exposure. Waxes like carnauba and candelilla are often added to increase shine and hardness. Aside from that colorants and fragrance tend to be the most commonly found additives.



Alright, I'll step off of my soapbox now.

As I was saying... I have been making my own wax for a while and finally have a recipe I am satisfied with. I do not currently have any plans on selling the wax I make, but I figured since I was making large batches for myself, I may as well offer free samples to my customers. I currently have around two hundred 0.5oz sample tins on hand. As of this last Monday EVERY SINGLE website order is shipping with one of the samples until I run out. Works well on both wood and composites.

My recipe is 100% food safe and consists of:

Beeswax cap (U.S. sourced, unbleached)
Carnauba wax
Shellac wax (heat separated, no chemicals) - Note, this is different than regular shellac.
Tsubaki/Camellia seed oil (cold pressed)
Fractionated coconut MCT oil (organic)
Lemon peel oil (organic)
Vitamin E (soybean oil carrier)

Directions for use:

Apply a very small amount of wax to the material with a soft cloth or your finger (food safe!). A little goes a very long ways, and using an excessive amount will not increase the protection it provides. Remove excess wax with a soft cloth and polish until satisfied.

For best results I recommend slightly warming the material you will be applying the wax to with a blow dryer or heat gun (careful! Not too hot!) and letting the wax sit for 3 - 15 minutes before you remove it. This is not required but WILL increase penetration and water resistance.

Because such a little goes such a long ways, I kept the formula on the harder side to make applying a small amount easier. I can easily soften the mixture if feedback takes me that way though.


TL;DR

Here's a video I made for Instagram a while back covering the topic.




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Nice article Brian.
Years ago, I made up a simple way of beeswax and Camelia oil to use on my Japanese blades and damascus. It worked fine, but I bought a large can of Rennaissance wax at a great price and didn't make a second batch. That can is almost empty, so maybe I'll make up another batch. I have most of the ingredients in the shop.
 
Nice article Brian.
Years ago, I made up a simple way of beeswax and Camelia oil to use on my Japanese blades and damascus. It worked fine, but I bought a large can of Rennaissance wax at a great price and didn't make a second batch. That can is almost empty, so maybe I'll make up another batch. I have most of the ingredients in the shop.

Thanks Stacy.

I am a HUGE fan of Ren Wax and use it whenever I'm not concerned with food safety, or if I'm going to be storing something for quite some time. Ren Wax and similar microcrystalline waxes had a better showing overall than anything else I purchased for testing. I suppose there is a reason it's used in places like Buckingham Palace, lol. Good stuff!

Check out Ren Wax DESTROYING the competition on the water resistance test! It's the last one on the right (nearest the camera). By this point the water was beginning to absorb into the wood protected by the competition, while the section with Ren Wax is still a perfect water bead.

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Of the food safe options, I really like camellia oil and beeswax. It performs very well on both wood and steel... And with a few extra additives it can really be kicked up a notch!
 
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Interesting write up.

I use a beeswax/coconut oil/paraffin mix on my non stabilized knife handles. I much prefer it to BLO.

Hopefully interesting in a good way! 😂

That’s a good all around blend, it should work well as a cutting board wax too. If you swap the coconut oil for fractionated coconut oil it would have a nearly indefinite shelf life if that matters to you. :)

I’ve been doing a TON of experimenting with pure tung oil (not tung oil finish), polymerized linseed oil (not boiled), and fractionated and polymerized walnut oil as carrier oils for my hardening formula. So far I much prefer the walnut oil, but I still have months of testing left.
 
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Pretty cool man......Mad scientist type stuff😉........Nice job above and with your product!!! 👍👍👍.
Best of luck with this endeavor.......
 
Not super likely. I’m in the midst of some pretty big product expansions (FatCarbon and g10), and Blade West prep so those will keep me busy for a while.

If the feedback is good, and there is demand, I’ll revisit that decision in a couple of months though.
Understood. Thanks for the reply.
 
Not super likely. I’m in the midst of some pretty big product expansions (FatCarbon and g10), and Blade West prep so those will keep me busy for a while.

If the feedback is good, and there is demand, I’ll revisit that decision in a couple of months though.
I'd be interested in trying it too if you make that decision.
 
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On the topic of handle finishes, Horsewright Horsewright , I've been curious how you finish your handles. You seem to use natural materials almost exclusively, and put them in some pretty harsh conditions. Do you use stabilized wood, or some sort sealing finish like wax?
 
The material dictates how I finish. Elk/stag/sheephorn are buffed after hand sanding and waxed. I use Mother's Carnauba car wax. First it's a great cleaner for getting off gunk from buffing and I use it from stem to stern on the knife and at least two coats. I'm not a fan of Ren Wax although I've run through several cans of it. Just not right for my deal. Think about it. It was designed for items that are in a climate controlled environment and literally when handled, by folks wearing white gloves. That's not the environment my knives go to. A branding pen in Montana or in the Mojave is certainly not climate controlled. Few folks hunting bear on Kodiak Island wear white gloves. Ain't seen it. What is car wax designed for? Protecting metal and other items from extreme temps and conditions, mud, slush, snow, ice desert winds and sand. Not a Ren Wax environment. I see this often as when I do a show its at a roping, or rodeo or some kind of horse event outside in who knows what weather. Done shows from absolute fridgid to absolute baking. Throw in dust from horses and wind and less than a climate controlled environment. My deal works.

I do use a lot of stabilized wood. After hand sanding I will do usually only one wet sanding coat with Watco Danish Oil. Sometimes two. Let dry at least overnight and then buff and wax. Tropical hardwoods like Bocote, Rosewoods etc kinda fall in here too.

Ironwood I just handsand to a very high grit using those 3M polishing papers and then buff and wax.

Walnut, oak and similar woods will receive multiple coats of wet sanding Danish Oil. I tend not to fill the pores all the way cause to me that can make it seem almost plastic but sometime I do. Kinda dependent on the piece.

Hope this helps. Anything more specific let me know.

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The totally sterile environment of a branding pen:

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Misty has the antiseptic:

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