Has anyone used beeswax as a finish on a model? I don’t mean something in a can that says “contains beeswax “. I mean pure only beeswax. I have a large bag of the solid product that I think might make decks etc. look pretty good.
Sounds interesting but you may have to add some sort of spirits to make it workable? Also I wonder if it would make the wood a dust magnet as the surface with just beeswax might be sticky?
Beeswax would need to be dried well after application and buffed to seal the surface. Be sure to apply wax smoothly avoiding uneven buildup. Apply like car wax, buff out the same way…the difficulty of buffing out the wax is one reason it may not be a popular finish for models.
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That must have been the worst question ever asked. Took one week for anyone to respond. Thanks for your answers. I will have to rethink this idea. Buzzing off now.
Some people say beeswax attracts the dust, even under a display case.
I would be considered the statement of those people as - false! We use beeswax when making rigging lines (cables\ropes), it doesn't attract dust more than any other surface. I would call it yet another myth, IMHO.
Hello Jim, I have found the opposite situation, but each to our own. 
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Actually a very good question. Finishing the wood of a ship model is no different than finishing any wood…think unfinished furniture. I used beeswax twice…once on a piece of furniture and once on a small single masted cutter. In both cases one rubs in the wax to the wood then buff out. In the case of the model I resorted to a Dremel tool with a buffing pad tip because my fingers couldn’t get into the edges. The beeswax finish looked good in the end but it was ten times more difficult to apply than a coat of matte polyurethane. Basically I don’t use beeswax for anything anymore…not even to coat rigging threads.
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Here are three pics of my Royal Caroline, all the carvings were covered with beeswax and buffed, they don't attract any more dust than varnish doe's, hope this helps you,
Best regards John,
This is the beeswax that I used, the second pic is the beeswax applied, and the third pic is after buffing,