Paste wax over painted wood?

[Tom Baugues]

I could use some advice on whether or not to use some paste wax on my newly painted street organ. I used Dutch Boy (water based) cabinet, door & trim paint because my research told me that being an alkyd paint it would harden and become a very durable paint. I chose a "satin" paint but now wish the painted surface had a bit more "sheen" to it. Dirt seems to stick to it as well and has to be cleaned off with a damp rag vs simply dusting it off. So, I'm contemplating waxing the painted surface with a paste wax to help give it a bit of shine and give the paint some sealed protection. Am I wrong for wanting to do this? Would one of these paste waxes work well for this? Or some other kind of spray sealer? Any advice would be helpful.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Ok.. so I don't know much about this stuff, a painter I am not! But this was interesting and I have The Power Of The Internet.

My first thought was to shoot a gloss clear coat over it, but it appears that that may be a terrible idea. It sounds like alkyd enamel is oxygen cured and putting a clear coat over it stops that.. plus it has meh top adhesion with most of the clear coat formulas.. so there's a very very narrow window when it will both stick (and not later have the clear coat peal) and also not overly inhibit curing. General consensus seems to be that clear coat over alkyd is a bad idea.

A bunch of painters suggested a "wet coat" of alkyd paint as a top coat assuming the undercoat hasn't cured past where it'll still adhere (in which case you'd have to scuff it). But also since you have the applied details and .. well.. a LOT of details.. that gets complicated.

Sooooo I'm leaning towards a paste wax being the way to go as well. I'd suggest a clear white wax like butchers bowling alley or renaissance wax. Of the three you have I'd lean towards antiquax as I think it's a bit more carnuba which is harder, all three yellow a smidge but I think if you put it on thin and buff it out good (key to any wax top coat) it'll do fine.

I'm curious if the painter folks have any opinions or options to the contrary on this...

 

[Tom Baugues]

Ok.. so I don't know much about this stuff, a painter I am not! But this was interesting and I have The Power Of The Internet.

My first thought was to shoot a gloss clear coat over it, but it appears that that may be a terrible idea. It sounds like alkyd enamel is oxygen cured and putting a clear coat over it stops that.. plus it has meh top adhesion with most of the clear coat formulas.. so there's a very very narrow window when it will both stick (and not later have the clear coat peal) and also not overly inhibit curing. General consensus seems to be that clear coat over alkyd is a bad idea.

A bunch of painters suggested a "wet coat" of alkyd paint as a top coat assuming the undercoat hasn't cured past where it'll still adhere (in which case you'd have to scuff it). But also since you have the applied details and .. well.. a LOT of details.. that gets complicated.

Sooooo I'm leaning towards a paste wax being the way to go as well. I'd suggest a clear white wax like butchers bowling alley or renaissance wax. Of the three you have I'd lean towards antiquax as I think it's a bit more carnuba which is harder, all three yellow a smidge but I think if you put it on thin and buff it out good (key to any wax top coat) it'll do fine.

I'm curious if the painter folks have any opinions or options to the contrary on this...

Thanks Ryan, I painted this about a week ago and I can tell that the paint is becoming more durable as the days go by. I think my biggest issue is the smudges that get on it from handling it. They won't just dust away, I wave to wipe away with a damp cloth all the time. Maybe everything does that and I only notice it more because of the black color.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Black does seem challenging that way. I guess I'd go with the hardest wax you can find, probably a high carnauba blend

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

That paint job looks awesome!

...I think my biggest issue is the smudges that get on it from handling it. They won't just dust away, I wave to wipe away with a damp cloth all the time. Maybe everything does that and I only notice it more because of the black color.

This is only anecdotal evidence, but when started using Renaissance Wax on my bowls and hollow vessels it pretty much eliminated fingerprint problems on glossy pieces. I would encourage people at art shows to handle the merchandise, and unless someone had been eating funnel cakes or fried chicken, I never noticed any fingerprints on my stuff.

I don't really have experience with Renaissance Wax on a satin finish, but I suspect it would help in keeping dust from sticking to your street organ. It's also good on metal (like brass).

 

[Rennie Heuer]

That paint job looks awesome!

Ditto!!

 

[Chas Jones]

Assuming the paint is an acrylic base I suggest that any paste wax should be fine, personally I would use a Microcrystalline Wax as being the most 'Handling' resistant. (Renaissance Wax is as far as I know just a brand name for Microcrystalline Wax )

Based my thoughts on This Product Compatibility chart

Usual cavate: Test on a sample or hidden area first.

 

[Paul Douglass]

I really think Johnson's Paste wax would be a mistake. It is pretty soft and I find it to be hard to polish up after it dries. I use it all the time on the tables of my tools. Just a note, it is popular for what I use it for. Saw it on eBay some time ago 1/2 left in the can, $300! I really doubt it sold. If it did and anyone feels bad they missed the sale, I have the one in the same condition, I will let it go for half that amount as a special deal to any member here. I know, I am a generous man. . Settle down, I only have the one can.