Thread: Model T Trio

very nice trio of trucks interesting grain on the pine

Very nice looking trucks. The finish looks great.
Cheers Elderly.

Very nice indeed. What beeswax/mineral oil recipe did you use? Do you have a link?

Mike John

Looks Good Wolf,

You have already come along way from the first one you made. Its not the tools it how you use them. Ok maybe the bandsaw as your old one was hindering your work. I too would be interested in your homemade recipe.

Bret

Thx guys...I'm really happy with them...much better than the first round.

Here's the recipe for my homemade finish...

Beeswax/Mineral Oil Finish
1 pint of mineral oil (basic pharmacy item)
4 oz(112g) of shaved beeswax (yellow is better than white wax for giving a bit of color)
1 candy thermometer(this needs to have the clip that lets it hang off side of pan, so it doesn't touch the bottom)
Wide mouth containers to store the mixture in..can be plastic or glass with a good lid.
Utensils and pan that you can dedicate to this process...because it'll be forever coated in wax afterwards. Double boiler is suggested, but a regular pan can be used if careful. A potato peeler or cheese grater can be used to shave the wax.

WARNING: Beeswax is very flammable and can produce a nasty grease-like fire. Do not let beeswax touch burner or open flame. Also do not let temp of mixture get above 150 degrees Fahrenheit(dunno celcius sorry). Use the candy thermometer to constantly monitor the temp during the process.

Ok..so pour your pint of mineral oil and your 4 oz of beeswax in the pan and then turn burner on low heat(USE LOW HEAT ONLY) and start stirring gently, watching your thermometer. Dont' get in a hurry..just keep stirring so the temp is even in the pan. Right about the time your thermometer gets to 150, your wax should be melted, depending on how thin your shavings are. Some of mine was a bit chunky, so I took off the burner and kept stirring till the final bits melted.

Allow mixture to cool for a minute or two and then carefully pour it up into containers while it's still warm and liquid. Allow to cool for a couple of hours and you'll have a nice "paste wax" to use on your toys.

The wife actually tried some as lip balm...LOL! She said it had that mineral oil taste, but wasn't bad!

To use as finish, get a rag or paper towel and gently rub paste onto wood, allow to soak for a few minutes and then remove excess. Later you can go back and with a dry cloth, give it a nice buffing. It may seem "greasy" until it dries for a day or so..but the wood absorbs most of it and leaves it very silky feeling and gives it a nice warm glow.

Thank you for taking the time to the write clear and detailed instructions for the beeswax/mineral oil recipe. Very useful.

Mike John

Top toys there Wolflrv!!

They have turned out a treat Wolf.
You've done the whole set while I still hve 2 to start.
Yours look great in the pine.
Cheers, crowie

Very nice.
I can just picture you driving them round the bench and carefully parking them for each photo.
Vroom vroom

Nice little trio, well done, looks great.

Very simple and effective, I'm impressed. Loved the end grain effect on the front of the cars. Great job!

Nice job wolfrv they came up a treat.