Carnauba Wax

[orlandofurioso]

Friends,

Just recently I purchased one of these to try out :

NEU 10g Dosen Lebensmittel Ebene Palm Carnaubawachs für Tabak Rauchen Pfeife Poli l0z1 | eBay

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One of many trail and errors to find out what works best for me and my pipes .

I'm full well aware so much has been said about carnauba wax before.

Yet I'd appreciate to learn your opinion .

 

[cossackjack]

Big NOPE!
Made in China where “food grade” is an oxymoron. (Not a political statement).

 

[orlandofurioso]

Big NOPE!
Made in China where “food grade” is an oxymoron. (Not a political statement).

Thank you Cossackjack !
Full well aware of that, but what could possibly be wrong; I do not plan to wax my sandwich , but a piece of wood.
I also use conservator's wax ( many of us do ) which contains benzeen .
Some forum members use hard floor wax, automobile wax etc.

 

[sablebrush52]

Carnuba is the standard for applying a wax to a pipe that can be buffed to a high gloss using a buffer. For those who don't own a buffer there are a few microcrystalline formulations with carnuba in suspension, like Renaissance wax, or Halcyon and Paragon which are what I use.

For the highest gloss I use Paragon, which will rival a buffer applied Carnuba. But I don't follow the instructions that recommend using a cloth since that won't develop quite a high a gloss. A literal hand rubbed shine beats the crap out of using a cloth.

I have no idea how well the product you bought will work, but I will recommend that you use it in a tiny amount, just enough to barely coat your pipe with the thinnest of coats, before buffing up. You'll get the best result and avoid the pipe feeling gummy.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Thank you Jesse, always a pleasure.
I am not a newbee and refurbished and so waxed countless pipes.
Also like to experiment and learned that cheap stuff is not always useless, or shifty.
Meanwhile I waxed one pipe ; it goes on easily, takes a minute to dry and polishes to a
wonderful luster. Now see how long it will last regarding the melting point.
By the way; the melting point of Renaissance wax is higher than the Paragon one.

 

[sablebrush52]

By the way; the melting point of Renaissance wax is higher than the Paragon one.

Good to know. In that case I'll stick with Paragon as melting isn't a bad thing. It always buffs right back up to glass if I want it to.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Good to know. In that case I'll stick with Paragon as melting isn't a bad thing. It always buffs right back up to glass if I want it to.

Does it not start to feel gummy when the briar warms up ?

 

[sablebrush52]

Does it not start to feel gummy when the briar warms up ?

Nope. That's why I use the tiniest amount to do the job. More than that does feel gummy. I like letting the wax melt in. Buffs up beautifully.

Besides, my pipes rarely get above barely warm when I smoke them.

I haven't used Renaissance in years, but I might pick some up to try again. I wasn't happy with the level of polish it gave, but I've figured out how to maximize gloss since and it might be worth the experiment.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Jesse,
When applied properly this stuff shines like a dog's pecker in full moon light

Actually the thought alone makes me shudder, yuck.

 

[pepesdad1]

On behalf of dogs everywhere...we are offended (Oh God, Cosmic is gonna have a heartattack)...but nevertheless I go with what Jesse said even though I use a buffer and carnuba most times.

 

[mingc]

Jesse,
When applied properly this stuff shines like a dog's pecker in full moon light

Actually the thought alone makes me shudder, yuck.

Peckers aside, thank you for your insights about shining things up!

 

[bullet08]

Some time ago, I got some carnauba wax and buffers for that handheld tool I can't remember the name of. Tried to bring a pipe surface to shine, but my lack of skill didn't help. Ended up with few dings on the pipe, and a lot of wax dust.

 

[mingc]

Some time ago, I got some carnauba wax and buffers for that handheld tool I can't remember the name of. Tried to bring a pipe surface to shine, but my lack of skill didn't help. Ended up with few dings on the pipe, and a lot of wax dust.

Dremel? Those are dangerous! They speed up irreparable mistakes real well!

 

[bullet08]

Dremel? Those are dangerous! They speed up irreparable mistakes real well!

Yupe. Dremel. That little beast is hard to control. Couple of dings, but I'm not selling my pipes. After I'm dead, I'm sure my wife will burn them.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

I use straight carnauba (comes in a block) with a buffer and a super tiny amount (like a drop or less) of olive oil to help it “move” when doing maintenance on smooth pipes. They rarely need it, but it does shine them up nicely. If you don’t know how to use a buffer, keep it far far away from your pipes until you learn. There are things to be aware of that are specific to pipes when using a buffer as well, like avoiding buffing out the stampings, making sure to never buff the shank without the stem in place, etc.
For rusticated pipes, I have melted carnauba onto a soft flannel cloth with a heat gun and a dab of olive oil and given it a quick shine whilst the wax is still hot, then hand buffed it with the other end of the cloth.

 

[fireground_piper]

Instead of melting it onto a cloth and rubbing it on, shave some off with a microplane from the block or buy it pre-powdered. Powder it on, then heat and it will melt right on. Little bit goes a long way. I do this method for any type of rusticated finish to get in all of the nooks.

 

[Country Bladesmith]

Instead of melting it onto a cloth and rubbing it on, shave some off with a microplane from the block or buy it pre-powdered. Powder it on, then heat and it will melt right on. Little bit goes a long way. I do this method for any type of rusticated finish to get in all of the nooks.

I honestly didn’t know you could buy it powdered. ?

 

[fireground_piper]

I honestly didn’t know you could buy it powdered. ?

If you use it powdered, just don't use a heat source that actively blows air or it will blow most of the powder off before it melts. Use some type of radiant heat......soft flame, radiant heater, even a halogen desk lamp can probably be hot enough to melt the powder without actively moving air.

 

[orlandofurioso]

On behalf of dogs everywhere...we are offended (Oh God, Cosmic is gonna have a heartattack)...but nevertheless I go with what Jesse said even though I use a buffer and carnuba most times.

I apologise to all dogs and their owners. No offence was meant, actually it is a compliment.
I like my dogs a lot, my bulls in particular. Sometimes I am a dog .

 

[orlandofurioso]

I recently cleaned up an estate Paul Hubartt pipe . Paul and I discussed it, my notion the pipe was rusticated and then given one blast appeared to be correct. The former owned had clogged the stummel with hard carnauba wax. It was an incredible mess and a pain to clean. After ample contemplation I decided to warm the stummel over a heatgun and then scrub it with a toothbrush and alcohol. It took a while, but worked as a charm. Paul told me he always waxed
rusticated or blast pipes with conservator's wax and then worked on them vigirously with a horse hair brush.
This is my preffered way too and it again turned out beautifully on this pipe with its almost razor sharp
rustication/blast.