Wa Wax
A blend of pharmaceutical grade mineral oil and
100% natural unbleached beeswax plus a small amount of 100% natural Brazilian Carnauba wax. All three ingredients are edible and food safe. Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian plant and has myriad uses besides polishing cars. It is used in the pharmaceutical industry, for pill coatings, and also to coat dental floss, to name just a few uses. The addition of Carnauba wax to the mineral oil and beeswax mixture provides some added hardness, durability and gloss. I really like it.
The mineral oil penetrates into the wood and the waxes help seal it in and also form a protective barrier. The mixture will help preserve, protect, enrich and enhance
wooden cutting boards, Japanese "wa" knife handles and "sayas" and other unfinished* wood products.
I make this mixture in very small batches and can easily mix up a custom batch with the customer's preferred consistency and quantity. The consistency of the mixture can range from fairly stiff to a softer mix with the consistency of a heavy petroleum jelly that can be more easily spread on
and rubbed into your unfinished* wooden items with your fingertips at
room temperature. However, I have found that a slightly stiffer mix is optimal for Japanese wa handles and will impart more gloss, especially if applied to very smooth handles. Unless the customer requests a softer mixture, the stiffer mix pictured below is shipped. A little goes a very long way on Japanese knife handles, and, after a few applications, will impart a significant degree of water resistance. It will
also slightly darken the color of the wood and bring out the grain a bit.
Here's
a photo of a knife handle and cutting board both of which have been
treated with several applications of "Wa Wax." Note the way water
beads up on the surface of both the handle and the cutting board.
The Wa Wax mixture is shipped in a light weight heat resistant microwaveable plastic container to help reduce shipping costs and make it easier to soften the mixture up using a microwave oven (on low power only!), if desired, for easier spreading on large items like cutting boards. It is not necessary to heat the mixture prior to using it on smaller items such as knife handles or sayas.
Wa Wax: 8 oz container for $11 plus shipping. If interested in this item, please
email me to discuss your preferred consistency, quantity, and to obtain a no obligation shipping quote.
(Note: At this time I can only ship this product within the United States.)
*The mixture is also compatible with wood that has a Tung oil finish.