Wax and oil finish on burnished roasted maple

[aussieowner]

I recently saw a product called Howard Feed-N-Wax on one of the FB Warmoth groups. I happened to be at Home Depot shortly after, and bought a bottle. It’s a blend of carnuba and beeswax, with orange oil, and is intended as a finish for raw wood.

I recently completed the build of my fretless Jazzmaster, and tried out the FNW on the neck. I sanded down to 1800 grit with regular sandpaper, and finished with 3M polishing paper down to around 4 micron. (I know this isn’t canon among neck finishers, but I find there is something about the way that 3M PP brings out the grain of the wood. JMO).

After sanding, I applied two coats of FNW, letting each coat penetrate the wood for at least 20 minutes, then buffing with a clean cloth, per instructions. After thorough buffing of the FNW, I finished with a coat of Gerlitz #1 carnuba wax and buffed thoroughly. The FNW darkens the wood a good amount, highlights the grain, and leaves the wood feeling like raw wood. And it’s dead simple to use, apply and buff like any wax.

I have a roasted flame maple neck to do next, can’t wait to see what it looks like after burnishing and the FNW.

Some pics before:

After

 

[Space_cowboy]

I'm doing a similar finish on my current project. I made my paste wax with 1 part beeswax from my neighbor the bee keeper and 4 parts boiled linseed oil. I also added some zinc oxide for UV protection. Just about to buff the first coat!