Yorkshire Grit is an abrasive wax - a blend of beeswax and rottenstone (aka Tripoli).  It is not a finish, but rather is a polishing compound.

Similar products include Dr. Kirk's Scratchfreee (made in the US) and EEE Ultrashine (made in Australia)

And if you are so inclined, Daniel Vilarino has a video on his YouTube channel about making up your own version from the basic ingredients.

Louie Powell wrote on Nov 12^th, 2016 at 10:37am:


Be sure to read the product description thoroughly on these products, they can be confusing.
While they may not be considered "finishes" they contain waxes and/or oils.
This limits what can be applied after using these products.

Larry Cutlip wrote on Nov 12^th, 2016 at 6:26pm:


The obvious options are wax or a shellac-based friction polish.  I've had success with a friction polish made from shellac, DNA, and a commercial oil and wax blend.

Some of the products suggest using a solvent to remove any residual wax before applying an oil-based finish, but I haven't tried that.

Louie Powell wrote on Nov 12^th, 2016 at 9:34pm:

I with Louie on this one
On the second part, why would you want to apply a finish only to strip it off to use something else. This is why I stress reading the manufacturers directions.
Mike Nathal wrote on Nov 13^th, 2016 at 8:32am:


I think the only way this is possible, is to strip off the wax before you try to apply another product. Basic finishing knowledge should tell you that penetrating finishes (oils) don't/won't typically penetrate or adhere to wax. This is one of the reasons why we wax things
I honestly don't know why you would try such a thing.
Wax and oil blend products are usually heated or polymerized in some way before you apply them or in the case of friction polish, when you're applying it.

Don Stephan wrote on Nov 13^th, 2016 at 11:21am:



Don - your question raises a very important point.

Products like Yorkshire Grit, EEE Ultrashine and Dr. Kirk's are intended to polish wood turnings to a high degree of smoothness/gloss.  They can be used on plastics, but there are other products that also address those applications (such as Novus 2, Meguires, etc). 

These products have gotten a lot of attention in the past few months after the introduction of Yorkshire Grit and a number of YouTube videos from the UK discussing its application..  The basic description provided by those turners is to use ordinary abrasive papers up to 240 or perhaps 320, and then switch to Yorkshire Grit for the final polish.  Yorkshire Grit and it's cousins are simply a paste made from rottenstone (aka Tripoli, an abrasive), wax, perhaps with either a solvent or mineral oil added to reduce the viscosity and also serve as a lubricant.  The idea is that the rottenstone particles act as an abrasive, but unlike sandpaper or abrasive mesh products  where the particles are bound to a substrate, in abrasive pastes the particles are free.  As a result, as the material is used, the particles break down and become finer, which means that the piece becomes progressively smoother the longer you polish it. 

But the key point here is how highly polished does the piece have to be?  Strictly utilitarian pieces (such as Richard Raffen's bowls that are intended to be used to hold cereal and washed in soap and water) don't need to be highly polished, and if you make them that way, the finish will quickly dull in use.  Conversely, display pieces are often made with high gloss finishes, but abrasive waxes aren't the only way to get that result - you can also use conventional abrasives, apply a finish, and then buff the finish after it cures. And that finish will be harder than the gloss produced by abrasive waxes.

In my case, the application where I found abrasive waxes to be very useful was in making items for use by knitters - nostepinne and yarn caddys - where a very smooth finish was needed to avoid having the yarn snag on the wood. 

So the key point here is what are you making, and what kind of finish does it require?  If it is a display piece where you want it to be unusually smooth, then abrasive waxes are one technique to get that result.  But there are other methods that also work very well. 

On the other hand, if it is a utilitarian piece, you may not want a super smooth, highly glossy finish, and in those cases, abrasive pastes are not the right answer.

Ed Weber wrote on Nov 13^th, 2016 at 9:40am:


There are two questions here:  1.  Can you do it?  I am speculating but I believe it is feasible that the solvents contained in most oil base finishes (eg.,mineral spirits) would easily dissolve the extremely thin wax layer and allow the oil or varnish to adhere.  This is why I think Jeff Gilfor had success.  2.  Why do it?  This is because the EEE or Yorkshire can be used to get a high surface polish prior to applying a finish.  The wax they contain is just a byproduct of the polishing and many would not want to stop with just this wax as a top coat. 

Ed, I agree. A shortcut is just that, a shortcut. I'm not saying that these are not good products, they are. I just would not make it my go to finish for all jobs. Nothing finishes like clean wood.