steel wool and paste wax to finish finishing?

[hugh lonner]

I am building a dining table out of Mahogany. It is a trestle table that is 7ft long and expands to 10 ft with a hidden butterfly leaf ala a FWW article. The plans are ones I drew up combing 3-4 articles I found with properties I liked about tables. I'm more or less an advance beginner/intermediate woodworker and this is about as advanced as anything I've tried. I'm thrilled with how it has worked to date.

The finish I have so far used another FWW article "bringing the best out of Mahogony" that has gone fairly well. I filled the pours with Pour-o-pac dyed a little darker than the wood, added several coats of dewaxed shellac and finally 3 coats of Pratt and Lambert 38 Alkyd Varnish. I really like the way it looks.

I didn't want a super glossy table and more importantly my wife didn't want it to be super shiny so I used a satin varnish and it looks good, but certainly not glossy.

The last step in the FWW article is to use 0000 steel wool followed by paste wax. I ordered some brown Antiquax as I've never used paste wax before and I found several articles that seemed to like it and suggested that clear wax would not look as good.

I've let the table cure for a month now.

My idea is to rub medium hard, with the grain, with steel wool with no chemicals or water and then apply the paste wax by putting it in the middle of a piece of cheesecloth and using lots of elbow grease in small circles, but trying not to apply too much wax in any one spot and finally buff it off with a rag when it starts to glaze over.

I may then put on a second coat of (possibly clear) wax on top.


My biggest questions are as follows

1) Is this the right way to finish my finishing? If not I'm open to suggestions (for example I saw the Wood Whisperer comment that he doesn't like to use wax at all and I really like his shows so this gives me some concern).
2) Does the steel wool need something on it to help such as naptha or a tiny bit of wax?
3) Some suggested applying the wax directly with the steel wool, but this seemed to function mainly to dull a glossy surface and this surface does not need to be dulled if anything slightly more sheen might be nice, but it doesn't need a dramatic change. Does it thus make sense to use steel wool first and then add the wax as I suggested or do I need to skip the steel wool entirely or use some other approach?
4) Should a second coat of wax be clear or more brown or is one coat sufficient?

thanks in advance for your advice.

[Russell Neyman]

Heck, you can apply the paste wax with 0000 steel wool and get great results. I do it all the time. Most people will suggest you rub with the grain. Can't comment on the colored wax. Never went that route.

There are some liquid-style satin waxes. I have a can on my shelf a friend gave me the other day but I have not tried it.

[Scott Holmes]

Hugh,

What is your intended outcome by applying the wax? Typically wax adds a maintenance routine to the project.

If the finish is satin now and you are happy; why add the wax?

[hugh lonner]

Thanks for the replies. The question of why wax is a good one. The firs answer was because the "Bringing the best out of Mahogany article suggested it and hadn't led me wrong so far. After that I questioned it myself, but here were a few reasons to go with it.

1) My satin finish although called satin on the bottle is a bit flat and while I don't want high gloss and I love the color and depth of the wood, I would like more sheen to it.
2) Protection from toddlers? (I'm not sure if wax adds this or not).
3) I built an expanding table so I ran the grain crosswise. I did not put on bread board ends. The runners that allow it to expand should keep most of the top fairly flat (the aprons float below it and stay fixed), but I am worried that the fairly large leaf might warp over time since it has neither bread board ends, aprons, nor runners on it to keep it rigid. I had read that wax might slow the natural movement of the wood.

I don't know if any of those three reasons are good ones. This is part of why I posted to defer to the wisdom of the board!

Hugh

[Scott Holmes]

Wax will not prevent wood movement; neither will it "seal" the wood. Did you finish the bottom of the table top?

you can buff the top to a bit more shine without wax; but there are many that like a waxed surface. If you are one of them... Go for it! Wax may help a bit with the little ones; not neary as much as the manufacturers would lead you to believe.

[hugh lonner]

Hi Scott, yes I did give the top and bottom the same full treatment of pore filling/shellac/varnish. I also did it before attaching the runners figuring that it would help keep the wood more stable, but perhaps that is a misconception?

To add sheen without wax would you buff with steel wool or just a cloth or something else?

Hugh

[Prashun Patel]

Wax can raise the sheen a little, but it's something that will require future maintenance. IMHO, a large table is hard to 'rub out' properly unless you've done it before. If it were me, and I wanted a little more shine, I'd just use a compatible semigloss varnish on top.

If you want to rub out, there are several ways to do it. IMHO, I had the 'best' luck using automotive rubbing compound followed by automotive polishing compound. You squirt it on, and buff it with a microfiber cloth until it's all gone.

You can also use fine wet/dry sandpaper. Basically, you start with 600grit, and work your way up until you like the resulting sheen. You can use mineral spirits or water as a lubricant. Water cuts faster, but is easier to clean up and dry, so you can inspect yr progress (which is what you should do frequently).

A final note (broken record alert): you might try Waterlox Original Sealer Finish next time. IMHO, it's the perfect sheen in between a satin and semigloss.

[Sam Hamory]

For things that are going to be touched all the time. Dining tables, jewelery boxes, etc I like a wax finish. It makes it look warmer, feel better and helps resist moisture. The thought that it just adds maintenence is painfully telling of a society that wants something for nothing. Put the effort in and you will be rewarded.