An independent, locally owned and operated bottling company. Proud creators of Formula 201 Hard Wax Wood Finish.est. 2025 in beautiful Deer Lodge, Montana
Directions and FAQ
How to use Formula 201 Hard Wax Finish
Formula 201 is extremely easy to apply and maintain. First, prep the wood surface by sanding to the desired grit. HTBC recommends 120 grit for a matte finish up to 180 or 220 grit for a mild gloss, depending on the density of your wood grain. Performance may suffer if sanding beyond 320 grit.Formula 201 can be applied in a single coat or multiple thin coats. Multiple coats will help deepen red and amber hues and bring out the wood grain, and should be applied at intervals of 24 hours or more. Air circulation and exposure to sunlight can help accelerate curing.After applying the last coat, wait at least 48 hours and perform a final buffing using a rag of your choice, wiping off any excess finish. When fully cured, Formula 201 will be dry to the touch and have a velvety, natural wood texture and a slightly darkened and reddened hue.Be advised that Formula 201 is a slow curing finish with no added chemical driers. As a result, curing times may vary with local atmospheric conditions, and 2 weeks or more may be required to produce the best possible result.When not in use, Formula 201 should be stored in a cool, dry place with the lid tightly sealed.
How to repair a damaged finish
If your finish becomes damaged, simply sand down the damaged area to the original grit, and reapply Formula 201 using the same process described above. The new finish will naturally bond and integrate with the existing finish.
White pine treated with Formula 201
What's in Formula 201?
- Pure heat treated tung oil is our first ingredient. Tung oil has incredible properties as a wood finish and creates a strong hydrophobic barrier while enhancing color and appearance. Our tung oil is grown, harvested and refined in the USA and lightly heat treated in Deer Lodge.- Cosmetic grade candellila wax is a very hard, tough wax with a fine, needle-like crystalline structure that provides excellent durability and water resistance. Our candelilla wax is imported.- Pure heat treated linseed oil has been used in traditional American wood finishes for hundreds of years. Linseed oil provides excellent penetration. Our linseed oil is imported and heat treated in Deer Lodge.- Raw beeswax improves the color and flexibility of the final finish while enhancing workability. All of our beeswax is purchased from Montana beekeepers.- Food grade mineral oil greatly enhances penetration by carrying other ingredients deeper into the pores of the wood, and also helps to prevent water intrusion. Mineral oil does not cure, but will eventually "fall off" as it migrates further into the wood. Our mineral oil is produced in the USA.- Pine rosin is the solid form of pine resin that has had all volatile oils such as turpentine removed. Pine rosin is extremely durable, and enhances the adhesion of the finish to the wood surface. Uniquely, pine rosin can both crystallize and polymerize, linking the wax and oil matrices of Formula 201 together. Our pine rosin is grown, harvested, and refined in the USA.- Food Grade Delta Limonene is a natural solvent extracted from orange peels, and enhances penetration while accelerating curing. Our delta limonene is produced in the USA.
Water beading on Formula 201
Isn't "heat treated" linseed oil the same as boiled linseed oil?
Not really. Traditionally, woodworkers would take pure raw linseed oil and put it through a high-temperature heat treatment process to accelerate its curing. This was the original "boiled linseed oil", which is not the same product that you will find in a hardware store today, despite the label. Modern "boiled" linseed oil actually contains toxic chemical driers, primarily cobalt, zinc, manganese, and zirconium based salts. Our heat treated linseed oil contains none of these additives. When we say heat treated linseed oil, that is exactly what we mean: 100% raw linseed oil that has been subjected to sustained heat to pre-polymerize the oil.
What are these impurities at the bottom of my bottle of Formula 201?
Almost entirely honey bee chitin and flower pollen. When bees die, they are often entombed within the wax of their hive, and tiny parts of their exoskeletons still remain after this wax is melted, filtered, and added to our product. During final buffing, these impurities will be removed along with all of the other dust and airborne debris that the tacky uncured finish has collected during curing, and will not affect the final finish.If you have further concerns about the purity of our product please contact [email protected].
Why does my bottle of Formula 201 have a cloudy appearance?
There are two factors that can cause a cloudy appearance while Formula 201 is still in the bottle:Crystalline wax formations can appear on tiny imperfections or scratches on the interior glass surface of the jar. This is the most common cause.Changing atmospheric conditions can occasionally cause a tiny amount of condensation to appear on the inside of the bottle. This is extremely rare.Neither of these conditions will affect the performance of the product or the quality of the final finish. If you observe cloudiness throughout the product, or in portions of the product that are not in direct contact with the glass, please contact [email protected].
Contact Information
For orders and sales inquiries, please contact [email protected]For questions, concerns, and technical inquiries, please contact [email protected]
We are confident that you will love what you can do with Formula 201, but we aren't satisfied until you are. If there is anything we can do to improve your experience with our product, please don't hesitate to let us know. We would also love to see pictures of your results with our product!
Hard Time Bottling Company 2025
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