So I am making spindles for our stairs, and am looking at how to finish them, I've done a lot of reading here on it but I still have a couple questions that I cant find the answers to. First, are there any wax/oil finishes that can be applied cold? Secondly, I haven't found anything on what is needed to refinish a wax/oil finish, so in 5 years when its starting to get old and worn through would I have to take all the spindles out to re-heat and refinish them?

Sorry if I've missed this in my searches.

Greetings,

 

Research Renaissance Wax on ebay...   It is a chystal base wax that I have found as a superior finish for fine work... It is a bit pricey but the work I have out there for many years it is in great shape ..  I consider it as best for indoor detail work....  Forget bees wax  ( it stays stickey )  

 

Jim

So I did a couple of tests today on my carpentry hammer using a candle and a heat gun, it seemed to work alright rubbing the candle on the hammer and then heating it up with the heat gun and rubbing it with a rag while still warm. So if I do use a wax finish I think it could be touched up like this.

Why not use a black paint? You could tint it to a more low carbon steel look.

Rustoleum makes a crystal clear enamel which I've been using on my outdoor pieces. After a year in the elements there is no indication of rust or flaking.

Should work good for indoors. Makes a really nice finish on forge worked iron. 

Rustoleum makes a crystal clear enamel which I've been using on my outdoor pieces. After a year in the elements there is no indication of rust or flaking.

Should work good for indoors. Makes a really nice finish on forge worked iron. 

Try that in NY you will get very different results.

I'm not as concerned as which finish I use use initially, from what I've read here there are many finishes that will work well. But as this is my own home and we will probably be living here for a rather long time, I think that whatever finish I use it will have to be redone, or at least touched up, so I'd like to use something that I'll still be able to find in 10 years and is easy to touch up without taking the whole railing down.

I just started using sculpt nouveau metal oil, it is formulated to bind with their clear guard lacquer. You can put the oil on warm metal or cold, they recommend two coats and then if you want spray it with the clear guard. I did an exterior railing for a place in northeast PA, two coats of oil and 3 lacquer. It was installed late september 2012 so we'll see how it does....

http://www.sculptnouveau.com/Results.cfm?category=7

I might suggest guilders paste by Baroque Art. It comes in many colors and can be mixed with one color over another. I use a lot of it on furniture, then

clear coat with a solvent based lacquer. It adheres well to bare steel especially if its been forged and has some light scale that's been wire wheeled. I apply with a 1" throw away brush and dip the tip into lacquer thinner to ease the spread and get into the cracks. Experimentation will tell you how wet to get the brush.. After it's dried, rub with a soft cloth and clear coat. should you not like the finish, simply wipe off with a rag saturated in lacquer thinner and start over.

This is an easy finish to touch up. I use a lot of black and buy from Dick Blick on line.

John

www.gearhartironwerks.com

I use a mixture of Zipwax liquid car wash, boiled linseed oil and japan drier. It goes on cold. it will darken the metal, kinda gives it a waxed look and gives it a bit of contrast. It leaves the steel looking natural. I usually just wire brush some, leaving some carbon on and just spray it on or wipe it on. Leave it for a few minutes and wipe with a dry rag. It will dry to the touch and not be tacky like a wax or oily. I have also painted clear coat over it.  It is 10 parts zipwax liquid car wash, 10 parts boiled linseed oil and 1 part Japan drier.  the car wash and linseed oil i get at Lowes but order the Japan drier from Dick Blick on line. It also works great or restoring old rusted metal. I just wire brush off the old rust and rub it on. It does not color the steel. It does need to be reapplied every now and then.

 

Fred

Greetings,

Research Renaissance Wax on ebay... It is a chystal base wax that I have found as a superior finish for fine work... It is a bit pricey but the work I have out there for many years it is in great shape .. I consider it as best for indoor detail work.... Forget bees wax ( it stays stickey )

Jim

I use Renaissance wax for everything. But I make it up rather than buy the extortionate ready made stuff. It is a blend of Microsrystalline and Polythene "A" wax , (4:1 I think) and white spirit. It is 90% white spirit. I tend to make it up very runny so that it can be applied quickly by brush. I make up a batch every few years and store it in jam jars. Goes an awful long way.

Alan

I use Renaissance wax for everything. But I make it up rather than buy the extortionate ready made stuff. It is a blend of Microsrystalline and Polythene "A" wax , (4:1 I think) and white spirit. It is 90% white spirit. I tend to make it up very runny so that it can be applied quickly by brush. I make up a batch every few years and store it in jam jars. Goes and an awful long way.

 

Alan

I would like to get that recipe.  White spirit is what we call mineral spirits here.

 

Thanks

I will dig it out and post it, I am about to make up another batch shortly.

 

Alan

I'd made a railing for a friend years before the internet went public and had to come up with something quick as the mix in Bealer's Art of Blacksmithing wouldn't do, he'd seen it and his wife didn't like it. So, what I did was give it a coat of "Mop And Glow" Last I heard it was going strong. I don't even know if they still make Mop And glow or if it's the same stuff but it was tough, dried quickly and was water clean up.

 

know I use "Johnson's Paste Wax" and a hair drier. I still have a tin of "Tree Wax" Carnuba and that's tough as nails stuff too. Bowling ally wax.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

I have started another thread which is called "Bees Wax and Renaissance wax" by the time I wrote it all out it was a bit long winded  and too specific for this thread. It includes the formula/recipe and source for the waxes 

 

Alan