Carnauba Wax on Marxmans

[Briar Lee]

Part of the sheer joy of having buckets of pipes is I see the pipes and then I want to play with them.

I still have my childhood toy box out in my father’s milk barn, a big steel feed box full of toys I liked back then. An open container is the perfect toy box, for any toy.

I’ve used a huge glob of beeswax for years to polish my pipes. But I did buy three carnauba wax sticks maybe a year or so ago to try out.



One was broken and I tried rubbing in on a warm pipe like I do beeswax, and the carnauba wax has a higher melting point. So I put it aside.

Tonight I took an almost black square Benchmade and decided to try carnauba wax.

It took about three times more application time to equal beeswax.

It gives a different, and I think a little better glow.

It dries a bit harder and faster, it’s not tacky.

I see why the pipe manufactures use it.

There’s nothing worse than an old man set in his ways and against change, except one who can’t change his ways.

 

[OzPiper]

Canauba does give a glossier and longer lasting shine.
But requires more elbow grease
Or using a rotary buffer for the best results.

Being a klutz, a favourite pipe ended up 10feet away and lost a chunk off its shank
I gave it away because it was “ruined” - in my eyes
Very superficial of me, but there you are

I use a propriety Before and After Briar Balm.
Easily applied and gives a good finish if buffed with Micromesh pads

 

[Briar Lee]

Canauba does give a glossier and longer lasting shine.
But requires more elbow grease
Or using a rotary buffer for the best results.

Being a klutz, a favourite pipe ended up 10feet away and lost a chunk off its shank
I gave it away because it was “ruined” - in my eyes
Very superficial of me, but there you are

I use a propriety Before and After Briar Balm.
Easily applied and gives a good finish if buffed with Micromesh pads

I tried again on a Marxman Mel-o with even more glowing results.

It helps to use the sharp edges of the wax and get the pipe hot. I use a clean wash rag to polish.



This pipe is a very old Parker that had the back rim burned down. I’m filing it to square it up again.

Look how thin the outside patina of oil or tannins or whatever makes Algerian briar color reddish brown is, just a whisper thick. Wax helps that color build, I think.

 

[bullet08]

Never had much luck with carnauba wax. The bar of that stuff was hard. Tried melting it to apply, just rubbing it against a pipe, using buffer on hand tool. Didn't work for me. Always used Renaissance Wax, and still works well. Tho, Renaissance Wax has that gas smell, but it goes away soon enough. Maybe I'll give carnauba wax another chance.

 

[didimauw]

I use caranauba wax on my pipes. Not very often, as i prefer the dull look. But any pipe I attempted to carve I always used Caranauba. Bee's wax IS very tacky, and I dont like it for that reason.

I use a buffer I made from a benchtop griding disc. Only one speed,so I have to be very careful not to launch the pipes. I never have, but smaller objects can get quite the distance lol. But the high speed heats up the wax enough to apply.

 

[fireground_piper]

They make powdered Carnauba as well, which is great for textured finish pipes. I hit it with a heat gun so the powder gets an initial stick to the pipe, followed by another few moments to melt it in.