Picreator® Renaissance Wax – 65ml – 6919641792689

The incomparable Renaissance Wax is now never far from hand in the JTA shop. We aren’t particular fans of the full varnish finish that Japanese tools leave the smithy with, and we like to remove this varnish from selected tools, such as hand-made chisels. In our opinion the only reason not to do this is the risk of rust, as we much prefer the look and feel of an unvarnished tool.

With the arrival of Renaissance Wax at the shop, we now have the luxury of being able to protect our tools from rust while revealing the smith’s intended finish of the metal. Simple and easy to apply, it affords great protection and provides a finish that can be left matte or buffed to a gentle sheen.

Beyond that, we’ve found it makes a great finish over natural or lightly oiled timber. Because this wax is used the world over by museum conservators to protect furniture, carvings, arms and armour, it’s applications in woodwork are myriad. It can be applied with with very little colour change in timber, making for a very predictable as well as tactile finish.

We use ours on tools, boxes and displays. What timber or metal will you protect and enhance with yours?