Maintain wooden surfaces and protect them in the long term

Carvings and, in particular, larger sculptures often have a large proportion of end grain and long wood surfaces. If these surfaces are treated with natural oils, normally so-called “inlets” occur. This means that the oils are absorbed via the end grain surfaces and show stronger color contrasts or even stains on the adjacent long wood surfaces. This cannot be solved afterwards. If these are valuable sculptures, these “inlets” mean a loss of value. In case of darker woods, the color-changed areas do not stand out so much, but they do in case of light woods such as birch, maple or alder.

These two effects mentioned above can be prevented with a regular and above all high-quality surface treatment. We therefore recommend the GORMOS-Wax Oil N° 267. It is perfect for the treatment of surfaces on carvings and sculptures. One to two applications are sufficient. The wax oil is easy to apply, it is clear when it is dry and it can be easily polished. Thanks to the oil content, the wax oil binds well with the wood, the wax film does not become grey, and above all, the surfaces yellow only to a very small extent.

Step 1: Clean the surface before the treatment

The wood as well as the glues should be cured and dry. We recommend a fine grinding with a grain size of 240 to 320. Afterwards make sure to free the surfaces from all dust. In a first cleaning step, the sculpture can be wiped with a soft brush or a soft cloth. If there is still dust on the surface, the wood can be wiped with a damp cloth (not too moist).

Step 2: Treatment with GORMOS-Wax Oil

The wax oil should be processed at room temperature, ideally at temperatures above 15 ° C. Stir well before use. Apply a sample coat on a hidden spot. Apply a thick coat with a brush or with a soft cotton cloth. Let it sit for up to 4 hours. The period can be shortened with help of a hair dryer at a rather low temperature setting.

Step 3: Remove surplus after surface treatment

After four hours, remove the surplus from the surface. Polish the sculptures, so that the wood surface is as soft as usual. After about 24 hours the sculptures can be sanded with sand paper grain size 600 to 1000. If a higher layer formation is desired, apply a second coat.

Simple surface treatment, also suitable for sensitive people

GORMOS-Wax Oil is odorless and is also suitable for allergy-prone and chemically sensitive people. The wax contains no orange oil and may be used for all untreated woods indoors, which are not or only slightly mechanically stressed. The product is saliva and sweat resistant and is also suitable for children's toys. Wax-treated wood can easily be kept dust-free: a soft cloth for wiping is sufficient.

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