Anyone who has encountered my crafty side knows that I am a huge fan of Rub'n'Buff. It's such a simple but incredibly useful product, and it does what it does so well!

I was introduced to it years ago when I needed a metallic finish for a project. In the craft store, filed next to the gold foil sheets and the faux-verdigris finishes, were these little tubes of colored wax. The instructions said to simply rub it on with a fingertip, then buff to a metallic shine. Surely it couldn't be that easy?

It was.

Besides the great results it gives, one of my favorite things about Rub'n'Buff is how easy it is to use. Just open the tube, get a little on your fingertip, and brush it on. No need to set up protective drop cloths or worry about harsh fumes, and the only cleanup involved is washing your hands with soap and water. And yet, in ten seconds you can take something dull and give it highlights that make it pop! It's the ultimate instant-gratification art supply.

I always keep a tube of gold and of silver on hand, but I had never tried any of the other colors - largely because my local craft store did not carry them. So you can just imagine my delight when, out of the blue, I was contacted by a representative of Amaco (the makers of Rub'n'Buff) and asked if I would like to sample some of their other colors. They didn't have to ask me twice! They generously sent me all the colors pictured above, and on this page I am going to share the projects that I come up with to test them.

This should be fun!

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Project One: Foam Costume Armor
This is actually an old project, but shows a useful property of Rub'n'Buff - it's a flexible finish

Project Two: Fishscale "Armor" Breastplate
Another older project that shows how well Rub'n'Buff lends itself to "weathered" items