# I got a dumb question



## Clay3063 (Feb 29, 2020)

I'm trying to make some homemade end grain sealer for the walnut lumber we milled. I took a big block of beeswax (maybe a couple pounds), melted it and then added 4 pints of mineral oil to it to thin it out some. I figured it would solidify again once it cooled. I also figured if I could find some solvent or another to mix with the wax that it would liquify again and could then be used as end grain sealer as the solvent would evaporate and the wax would solidify again once I painted it on the lumber and or logs yet to be milled.
Thus far, all I have is a pot of solid wax. I've tried regular paint thinner. Turpentine. Acetone. Denatured Alcohol. Nothing will dissolve this wax.
So here's the question: What solvent will dissolve beeswax mixed with mineral oil. I figure @rocky1 will know.
- Shalom,
Clay


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## woodtickgreg (Feb 29, 2020)

I dont think you added enough mineral oil to the mix. Add more until it no longer solidifies. Only problem I see with making your own sealer this way is the oil will soak into the end grain like a cutting board, and could cause problems with finishing unles you cut a little off each end of the board when its dry. If it was me and I didnt have any sealer I would just seal it with 2 coats of latex paint. Someone always has some they are trying to get rid of. I have used old latex paint on walnut with great success.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 3 | Useful 1


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## Clay3063 (Feb 29, 2020)

woodtickgreg said:


> I dont think you added enough mineral oil to the mix. Add more until it no longer solidifies. Only problem I see with making your own sealer this way is the oil will soak into the end grain like a cutting board, and could cause problems with finishing unles you cut a little off each end of the board when its dry. If it was me and I didnt have any sealer I would just seal it with 2 coats of latex paint. Someone always has some they are trying to get rid of. I have used old latex paint on walnut with great success.


Thanks Greg. Latex may be the way I go. I wish the commercial sealer wasn't so expensive.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Feb 29, 2020)

Beeswax with mineral oil is often used as a rubbed finish on children's toys. But the mixture is 4 parts of oil by volume to one part wax. It is heated together in a pan to emulsify. You end up with a Vaseline type consistency. With more oil, the consistency is thinner. However, this beeswax finish is not water-proof and I doubt it will do a good job slowing the loss of water thru the end grain, which is what you're trying to do. It would be better to use paint, which many commercial lumber mills do.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1 | Useful 1


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## JerseyHighlander (Feb 29, 2020)

Just a point of clarity... Mineral (Oil) or Mineral (spirits)? I don't think mineral oil is very solvent but mineral spirits certainly would be, though you may not want that in your wood. I've used Turpentine and sometimes a little Linseed oil and had it come out to a soft paste but you have to be careful not to over heat the Linseed, pouring the melted wax slowly into warmed Linseed/Turpentine mix. 

Practically anything that clogs the pores works well. I've used plain wax rubbed in and then melted with a plumbers torch, old paint plenty of times and even Elmers glue thinned with water.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Feb 29, 2020)

JerseyHighlander said:


> Just a point of clarity... Mineral (Oil) or Mineral (spirits)? I don't think mineral oil is very solvent but mineral spirits certainly would be, though you may not want that in your wood. I've used Turpentine and sometimes a little Linseed oil and had it come out to a soft paste but you have to be careful not to over heat the Linseed, pouring the melted wax slowly into warmed Linseed/Turpentine mix.
> 
> Practically anything that clogs the pores works well. I've used plain wax rubbed in and then melted with a plumbers torch, old paint plenty of times and even Elmers glue thinned with water.


Mineral Oil. Definitely not mineral spirits. But you can also use jojoba oil, olive oil, walnut oil and other food quality oils to make a child safe wood finish. Just to inhibit water flow out of wood end grain, you could probably use most anything that would clog the pours. But Clay said he started with mineral oil and beeswax so I was following up on that with my suggestion.

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Feb 29, 2020)

Clay3063 said:


> I'm trying to make some homemade end grain sealer for the walnut lumber we milled. I took a big block of beeswax (maybe a couple pounds), melted it and then added 4 pints of mineral oil to it to thin it out some. I figured it would solidify again once it cooled. I also figured if I could find some solvent or another to mix with the wax that it would liquify again and could then be used as end grain sealer as the solvent would evaporate and the wax would solidify again once I painted it on the lumber and or logs yet to be milled.
> Thus far, all I have is a pot of solid wax. I've tried regular paint thinner. Turpentine. Acetone. Denatured Alcohol. Nothing will dissolve this wax.
> So here's the question: What solvent will dissolve beeswax mixed with mineral oil. I figure @rocky1 will know.
> - Shalom,
> Clay


i make my own in this very fashion, it takes a lot of mineral oil to get to the state where the soup is like the commercially available gels, and not a paste. i have a large pot and outdoor turkey fryer burner, that i heat mine with whenever i want to apply. bring it up to melted temp, brush it on and it soaks in a little and seals the log or board ends. i have also boiled olive wood in it to stabilize the olive wood, since it normally shrink and crack so much.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## TimR (Feb 29, 2020)

Just a thought on cost of AnchorSeal, they (UC Coatings) used to offer a deal on shipping when buying quantity of the 5 gallon size . I forget if it was 4 or 5...something like that. I found a couple other guys in the local turning club who went in with me and we saved considerable shipping cost...and buying by the 5 gallon is very economical over 1 gallon. Tried seeing if our club was interested in getting a 55 gallon and selling it to members by the gallon, but couldn't get enough interest. Really gets cheap
on a per/gallon basis ​when buying a drum .
Also, buying from their site you can get the "Classic" formulation which most folks tend to think has better protection than Anchorseal 2. I don't think Amazon or other outlets carry the Classic, so good reason to buy direct from company.
Correction: Amazon does carry Classic formulation.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Feb 29, 2020)

you are not using solvent to melt the wax, only diluting it with mineral oil once its heated to liquid, you can also add glycerin which is known to displace moisture in wood, glycerin will also help you get to the gel state at room temperature rather than paste at room temperature, when heated and applied then left to cool, the "hard at room temp" works really well for me to reduce moisture loss rate and prevent checking of end grain

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Feb 29, 2020)

I use this stuff and it works well. Bought two gallons a couple of years ago when they were offering free shipping. A little goes a long way.
https://www.rockler.com/green-wood-end-sealer-select-option

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Feb 29, 2020)

Clay3063 said:


> I'm trying to make some homemade end grain sealer for the walnut lumber we milled. I took a big block of beeswax (maybe a couple pounds), melted it and then added 4 pints of mineral oil to it to thin it out some. I figured it would solidify again once it cooled. I also figured if I could find some solvent or another to mix with the wax that it would liquify again and could then be used as end grain sealer as the solvent would evaporate and the wax would solidify again once I painted it on the lumber and or logs yet to be milled.
> Thus far, all I have is a pot of solid wax. I've tried regular paint thinner. Turpentine. Acetone. Denatured Alcohol. Nothing will dissolve this wax.
> So here's the question: What solvent will dissolve beeswax mixed with mineral oil. I figure @rocky1 will know.
> - Shalom,
> Clay


internet says solvents such as *toluene* or in *xylene*., both quite bad if you ask me

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## vegas urban lumber (Feb 29, 2020)

it might take as much as a gallon of mineral oil to one pound of wax to make a gel state

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