[woodworking] Carnauba Wax sticks

[Christophe Mineau]

Salut Gary ,

1. Have you ever applied your carnauba wax to metal tools (for corrosion protection)?
I typically apply automotive wax (hard paste wax sold in tins) to the surface of my metal tools (i.e. frames, not working parts) for this purpose - It seems to do the job, (i.e no corrosion) but then I live inland (in a fairly dry climate). I have often wondered if this is the best approach.

Honestly, I sometimes have wax accidentally covering metal parts, but I don't feel it bonds very well, but it should be experimented further more. why not.
I preferably use a purposely made oil on my cutting tools like saws of chisels or planes.

2. In your opinion would auto paste wax be a valid alternative to carnauba wax for coating non-food grade wood?

I must admit I don't know what exactly is auto paste made with and I don't use it, so I can't say...

3. Why would carnauba wax be better than an oiled finish? i.e. earlier in my life we had several pieces of teak and walnut furniture which we treated with teak oil - which nicely preserved the wood, wasn't greasy, and gave a nice low lustre finish.

Good question, this is not better, it is a different product, not exactly for the same purpose.
Finishing wood can be a complex process and wax can be considered as the last step of finishing. It is not a good idea to use wax on the bare wood, you would obtain something shiny for a few days and the shine wood get dull rapidly because the wood will absorb somewhat, part of he wax.
I also love oils and use them a lot, however there are plenty of different oils and they have different properties and qualities.
You have penetrating oils, which soak deeply the wood. They are good for stabilizing soft woods and will protect well from moisture, but they can be very long to dry. Here it is frequent to finish with wax once the oil is dry.
You have polymerizing oils (linseed for instance) that will leave a film on the surface of the wood. They can be considered as a varnish (like the german school does on violins). The drying time cans be speed up by boiling the oil or adding siccative, but still needs a few hours.
I use a lot this kind of finish especially on my tool handles. It looks good and is tough.
And you have the modern oil based mixtures (actually added with some kind of resins) like the Danish Oil or TrueOil. This one I love very much and actually, I finish my string instruments with it. It can be very shiny and builds up like a varnish. it is easy to repair.
But again, you need time and some attention to apply it.

What makes Carnauba wax my finish of choice, especially for wood turning is that it is very fast to apply, the result is wonderful and very long lasting. It resists quite well handling (although I would not recommend for finishing a pen for instance). I always prepare the wood first with several application of a pore filler. If it must be food safe, I use shellac, and if not, I use a cellulosic sealer, which is the fastest to dry.
In several minutes, I can apply at least three coats of sealer and the final wax on the lathe.
Wood turning is the only discipline where you can go from the log to the finished product in less than an hour :o)

For instance, here is my last piece I had to do very fast in the evening after work to offer it the day after in the morning. It is finished with three coats of shellac (mahogany has big open pores) and Carnauba. Total time: maybe 1h20mn (most of the time spent at the sanding step).

Merci bien,

De même !

Christophe