Awhile back, I came across an interesting recipe for an “all-in-one” oil and wax finish. Always on the lookout for new finishes, I decided to mix up a batch and give it a try.

This simple mixture called for equal parts (by volume) of three of the oldest finishing materials in the book — boiled linseed oil, turpentine and beeswax. You can melt the beeswax in a double boiler and add it to turpentine, but I just shaved pieces off a block and let it dissolve overnight. After adding the linseed oil, you’ll have a mixture that looks a bit like varnish.

Apply the mixture just like you would straight linseed oil — wipe it on and then wipe off the excess. After several coats, you can buff out the surface. I found that you only get a low sheen from this mix, but it has a nice look and the process sure was easy.