Cleaning and looking after beeswax finishes

We refer to our beeswax as a soft black, but as it is a natural finish that reacts with the underlying metal during the forging process, it often has a slightly mottled patina with undertones of deep grey or ochre.
 
At Jim Lawrence, we heat each piece until the steel darkens and then dip the item into hot natural beeswax. As the beeswax cools and hardens it gives a traditional wrought iron effect and soft feel.

Kindly note, this finish is not waterproof and is not suitable for outdoor or bathroom use or in areas with high humidity or a natural damp environment.

To keep your product looking its best and preserve the finish, it is essential that the natural beeswax coating on our products is given some light regular maintenance. The natural wax seal over the metalwork can deteriorate over time and cause rusting.

If the natural seal of the wax has perished, the product may suffer some oxidisation (rusting). In this case you simply rub down the rusted area with a fine wire wool - 00 grade is suitable - taking care not to mark the product, to remove the rust and then re-seal it with a generous layer of natural beeswax.

Sometimes the product will appear to have a white bloom to the finish, all you need to do is buff with a soft cotton cloth to remove the white appearance and restore the subtle matt richness the beeswax creates.

If your beeswax finish has deteriorated, we can offer a refinishing service, but please be aware that if your items is in a damp area, it will rust again. 

To avoid any unsightly corrosion occurring we advise that you apply a fresh coat of pure natural beeswax with a lint free soft cloth every 3 ' 6 months.

Rewiring

£35 for a light with a single bulb holder and a further £15 for every additional bulb holder. e.g. a Double Cottage wall light would be £50.  All lights will be fully disassembled, unwired and inspected. We will then clean and rewire the light withnew lamp holder and fresh seals and fully test it for safety and functionality before sending it back to you.

Refinishing

£30 per item ' plus the cost of rewiring ' as we will need to strip the wiring away from the light in order to refinish it. Please note that our refinishing costs do not include any repairs of dents and deep scratches. Minor scratches and marks will most likely be removed or obscured by the refinishing.

Call customer services

If you would like more advice, or wish to discuss your requirements further, please call our friendly Customer Services team on 01473 828989 or send us an email.