Solid perfume in wooden containers.

[dixiedragon]

I'm making solid perfume for Christmas for some family members.

Recipe: 1/8 oz floral wax, 1/2 oz jojoba, 7 drops EO.

My mom is into wood turning and she's going to make some tiny wooden containers that will have a well in them that will hold about 1 tsp to 1 tbsp. of product. So, tiny. She usually uses linseed oil to polish the wood, but that has a strong scent and I don't want my solid perfume to smell like that. So I'm thinking of making my own wood polish: 1 part beeswax and 4 parts jojoba. That scent will be very mild and won't interfere with the perfume.

Thoughts?

 

[doriettefarm]

What type of wood are you using? You could try beeswax and mineral oil. This link actually mentions ratios of each http://www.finewoodworking.com/how-to/article/food-safe-finishes.aspx

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

For a treating oil, what about a cheap and scent free oil? I use a basic olive oil with beeswax for treating wood and most of the smell seem to come from my beeswax.

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree with not using linseed -- I hate it as a wood finish. It smells and it can really darken the wood.

Just plain beeswax or other hard wax (carnauba) can work great. She will want to leave the piece on the lathe, spin on a layer of beeswax, then touch a soft, smooth cloth to the piece while it's turning to warm the wax, blend it into the wood grain, and remove any excess. This will give a mellow gloss to the wood and doesn't darken the wood like if you use an oil. (I know jojoba is technically a wax, but in this context, I think it's going to act more like an oil/fat.)

Another finish that is lovely on a wood turning is a faux French polish which uses shellac and beeswax. This can be built up to a near-mirror shine that's gorgeous on a tight-grained wood. It's also very low odor when dry. Problem is that shellac is sensitive to alcohol and other solvents, so might not work well with the EOs in your perfume.

 

[dixiedragon]

I agree with not using linseed -- I hate it as a wood finish. It smells and it can really darken the wood.

Just plain beeswax or other hard wax (carnauba) can work great. She will want to leave the piece on the lathe, spin on a layer of beeswax, then touch a soft, smooth cloth to the piece while it's turning to warm the wax, blend it into the wood grain, and remove any excess. This will give a mellow gloss to the wood and doesn't darken the wood like if you use an oil. (I know jojoba is technically a wax, but in this context, I think it's going to act more like an oil/fat.)

Another finish that is lovely on a wood turning is a faux French polish which uses shellac and beeswax. This can be built up to a near-mirror shine that's gorgeous on a tight-grained wood. It's also very low odor when dry. Problem is that shellac is sensitive to alcohol and other solvents, so might not work well with the EOs in your perfume.

How do you "spin on" a layer of wax? I have the yellow beeswax pastilles.

 

[BrewerGeorge]

How do you "spin on" a layer of wax? I have the yellow beeswax pastilles.

Hold the solid wax against the piece while it's still turning on the lathe.

 

[DeeAnna]

Oh, sorry I wasn't keeping in mind I'm not talking to a turner. My apologies! Brewer George is right.

If you only have pastiles (I'm picturing raisin-sized chunks or smaller), melt an ounce or so and make a single bar or patty or crayon shape of wax. Any shape is fine -- it just needs to be big enough so your mom can easily hold onto it.

 

[dixiedragon]

Thanks for the info! Here are the containers so far!

 

[snappyllama]

Those are soooo cool. Your mom is really talented!

 

[dixiedragon]

She really is! She just learned to make these kinds of containers last weekend.

 

[Steve85569]

I'm gonna have to get that wood lathe out and dust it off now!
Those containers are nice!

Can I get your mom to teach me how to make them?

 

[DeeAnna]

Very pretty! Nicely done -- your mom should be proud of herself. I like the right hand container the best -- it's an especially graceful form. What did you decide to do for a finish? It looks good! And I confess I'm curious -- what is the dark center in the bottom of both cups?

 

[The Efficacious Gentleman]

Those are amazing.

 

[gigisiguenza]

Those are beautiful

 

[dixiedragon]

I'm gonna have to get that wood lathe out and dust it off now!
Those containers are nice!

Can I get your mom to teach me how to make them?

We're in Alabama, so if you're ever in the area, PM me and maybe we can set something up!

She took a class at the John Campbell Folk School in North Carolina. They offer all sorts of classes - blacksmithing, wood carving, wood turning, soap making, cooking, photography, etc. I took a broom making class and it was so much fun! It's like camp for grown ups.

 

[dixiedragon]

Very pretty! Nicely done -- your mom should be proud of herself. I like the right hand container the best -- it's an especially graceful form. What did you decide to do for a finish? It looks good! And I confess I'm curious -- what is the dark center in the bottom of both cups?

Those are pennies, I put them in the pic for scale. Probably I should have used shiny pennies but I didn't have any in my wallet.

 

[dixiedragon]

On the ones she's already finished, I'm going to use jojoba and beeswax. On the future ones, she's going to use carnuba.

First recipe of solid perfume - 1/8 oz jasmine floral wax, 1/2 oz jojoba, 4 drops lavender, 3 drops sandalwood blend. (got it from EO University years ago. Not sure what all is in it.) I think the jasmine wax is too old, very little scent from it. All I really smell from the mix is lavender. Next recipe I will combine some rose wax and use 4 drops sandalwood and 3 drops lavender.

 

[Saponista]

Those are so beautiful!! What a lovely idea.

 

[DeeAnna]

Very nice! Thanks for explaining about the pennies -- I really was curious!

 

[dixiedragon]

Mom just finished this one. It has a beeswax finish.