I bought Ronsonol brand lighter fluid,
I will put on a table spoon of Lighter fluid on a white paper towel and spin the shaft at hi speeds and really work the lighter fluid in until I get a glass like finish
Then I wax over it.
Shaft Wax ( Discussing methods of shaft maintenace )
- Thread starter mortuarymike-nv
- Start date
I bought Ronsonol brand lighter fluid,
I will put on a table spoon of Lighter fluid on a white paper towel and spin the shaft at hi speeds and really work the lighter fluid in until I get a glass like finish
Then I wax over it.
I have to agree with JoeyA here - we should thank you. I went out and got a container of Renaissance Wax and have never looked back. My shaft feels like it's glass coated and doesn't wear off nearly as much as my previous methods. This is one of those threads everyone who maintains their own equipment should read.
Well that might be the nicest thing anyone has said to me in this forum, thank you very much for the compliment.
Head hung low
!00 % honesty one of our members asked me if had tried renaissance wax ,
I said no I hadn't, and this person bought a can of renaissance wax and had it shipped to me for free.
This member has refused to give me enough information that I can send him something back for his most helpful gift.
He wanted renaissance wax to be one of the waxes in the tests I did .
It turned out to be a winner.
There is so much knowledge and wisdom in the forum it is mind blowing.
If it was for these members helping me this thread and its research would of been meaning less................
Hey as a group we did pretty good on this one ....
!00 % honesty one of our members asked me if had tried renaissance wax ,
I said no I hadn't, and this person bought a can of renaissance wax and had it shipped to me for free.
This member has refused to give me enough information that I can send him something back for his most helpful gift.
He wanted renaissance wax to be one of the waxes in the tests I did .
It turned out to be a winner.
There is so much knowledge and wisdom in the forum it is mind blowing.
If it was for these members helping me this thread and its research would of been meaning less................
Hey as a group we did pretty good on this one ....
In my smoking days I discovered that Coleman camp fuel made a good lighter fluid. The label of both says "contains naptha". My zippo couldn't tell the difference. A gallon of Coleman fuel costs less than those tiny lighter fluid cans and is the same stuff as far as I can tell.
I'd suggest experimenting on a junk shaft first though.
Lighter fluid
I don't know if lighter fluid is the same as coleman fuel.
If I get a chance I will research it,
Reading and understanding some of the MSDS sheets is not my specialty .
I don't know if lighter fluid is the same as coleman fuel.
If I get a chance I will research it,
Reading and understanding some of the MSDS sheets is not my specialty .
Its not the same stuff. I wouldnt recommend using white gas for anything other than its intended purpose.
White Gas MSDS
http://www.coleman.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Customer_Support/Safety/lantern.pdf
Lighter Fluid MSDS
http://www.zippo.com/pdf/Zippo Lighter Fluid-Europe.pdf
http://www.ronsonusa.com/pdfs/msds/Ronsonol_Lighter_Fuel_03012010.pdf
White Gas MSDS
http://www.coleman.com/uploadedFiles/Content/Customer_Support/Safety/lantern.pdf
Lighter Fluid MSDS
http://www.zippo.com/pdf/Zippo Lighter Fluid-Europe.pdf
http://www.ronsonusa.com/pdfs/msds/Ronsonol_Lighter_Fuel_03012010.pdf
Before I use wax I strip it with a little rubbing alcohol and a magic eraser. After that I sand it very lightly. I simply a coat of shaft sealer and then immediately grab a clean dry cloth (junk t-shirt) and burnish the sealer into the shaft until I don't feel any more of the sealant.
Once I do that I lightly sand it, burnish it and wax it.
This usually leaves the shaft too smooth. It's to the point that I can't feel it in my fingers. After about a day it's good to go for a long long time. The only thing I do after that is wipe it down with a damp cloth, dry it and burnish it. I won't seal it again until I change tips, possibly not until I change two
*edit* I use Q Wax
Once I do that I lightly sand it, burnish it and wax it.
This usually leaves the shaft too smooth. It's to the point that I can't feel it in my fingers. After about a day it's good to go for a long long time. The only thing I do after that is wipe it down with a damp cloth, dry it and burnish it. I won't seal it again until I change tips, possibly not until I change two
*edit* I use Q Wax
I use a variation of the lighter fluid / wax method.
Clean the shaft the way you see fit and the apply a very old wood wax recipe a carpenter near me creates and it's very good for inside usage.
It consists of canauba, a little bees wax and turpentine. Leave on to dry for 3-4hrs and then polish with cotton cloth and leave another 24hrs to dry fully and harden.
100% natural, smells a little while bit like pine resin afterwards but very pleasant.
Works best on an "smooth grained shaft" like the Universal ones so the shaft is smooth and has an absolutely phantastic airy feel at the same time. Kind of like Ibanez guitars' necks which have just about the best wood feel there is
Cheers,
M
Clean the shaft the way you see fit and the apply a very old wood wax recipe a carpenter near me creates and it's very good for inside usage.
It consists of canauba, a little bees wax and turpentine. Leave on to dry for 3-4hrs and then polish with cotton cloth and leave another 24hrs to dry fully and harden.
100% natural, smells a little while bit like pine resin afterwards but very pleasant.
Works best on an "smooth grained shaft" like the Universal ones so the shaft is smooth and has an absolutely phantastic airy feel at the same time. Kind of like Ibanez guitars' necks which have just about the best wood feel there is
Cheers,
M
The distillate listed under the Coleman MSDS is naptha 100% - search for the CAS number and it shows up. For some legal reason they don't refer to it as naptha anymore on certain sheets - some opine it's due to California law restricting certain chemicals.
Also - Zippo acquired Ronsonol in 2010 and they are now chemically the same. Despite the fact that the label no longer says 'contains Naptha' If you look at the sheet it contains the same petroleum distillate that essentially is naptha. (It's amazing what the science geeky acoustic guitar guys discuss on their forums)
Wood shafts
Little worried .
I wouldn't use lighter fluid on a laminated shaft, For the guys and gals using LD shafts I would call the shaft maker up and ask how they clean the shafts an what wax they recommend .
Little worried .
I wouldn't use lighter fluid on a laminated shaft, For the guys and gals using LD shafts I would call the shaft maker up and ask how they clean the shafts an what wax they recommend .
In other words, they ARE close to the same, chemically speaking. Coleman fuel sure worked well in my zippo.
Good thinking on Mike's part regarding laminated shafts..
Actually, I don't use a distillate on my cue...just a very fine grit sandpaper sold in hobby shops for use on plastic model kits...then a coat of "Harley wax" which is a pure Carnauba (not a cleaner wax). This hobby shop sandpaper comes in packs of various grades, has a plastic "paper" for backing. It's made by Testor's, called "hobby sanding films". I've seen the same stuff sold in pool halls as "smooth micro burnishing film"...cut into smaller squares.
Last edited:
ElCorazonFrio
Banned
I won't put anything on my shafts. Maple has the ability to be polished/burnished very well. If a person takes care of that, the dirt and oils that get on it aren't deep and will create a nice patina.
I should note that I have very dry hands and this might not work for everybody, but anyone who borrows my cues always comments on how great the shafts feel.
I should note that I have very dry hands and this might not work for everybody, but anyone who borrows my cues always comments on how great the shafts feel.
I use an LD shaft and use rubbing alcohol. I'm fairly certain that it evaporates fast enough to not be an issue
I have only ever used rubbing alcohol, sanded and burnished with a piece of leather. After reading this thread i am going to try waxing. I am going to try the mothers as I am using a predator and they recommend Carnauba (otherwise I would try the renaissance).
Curious how much to use and method of application. Paper towel was mentioned in the thread. Is this the common method of applying it? Do I use a big gob of it or just a bit? When applying it do you use the same method as on a car (wax on, wax off)? Do you burnish after waxing?
Sorry if some of this was answered earlier on. I read all 8 pages but might have missed something.
Cheers,
Chris
Curious how much to use and method of application. Paper towel was mentioned in the thread. Is this the common method of applying it? Do I use a big gob of it or just a bit? When applying it do you use the same method as on a car (wax on, wax off)? Do you burnish after waxing?
Sorry if some of this was answered earlier on. I read all 8 pages but might have missed something.
Cheers,
Chris
Info
Thank you for the info, It sure wouldn't be good is some destroyed there shaft because of this thread..
All through this thread and all the tests I did was on solid maple shafts and never really gave the laminated ld shaft a thought.
Thank you for the info, It sure wouldn't be good is some destroyed there shaft because of this thread..
All through this thread and all the tests I did was on solid maple shafts and never really gave the laminated ld shaft a thought.
Thin
I want to get a healthy coat of wax on, but 99.9 time out of 10 I put way to much wax on and most of it wasted because of putting to thick of a coat.
I have actually tried to apply extra wax to make a shaft heavier which didn't work either.
I would apply a thin coat of wax let it dry and buff with old cotton tee shirt.
I use the blue paper shop towels ..
I want to get a healthy coat of wax on, but 99.9 time out of 10 I put way to much wax on and most of it wasted because of putting to thick of a coat.
I have actually tried to apply extra wax to make a shaft heavier which didn't work either.
I would apply a thin coat of wax let it dry and buff with old cotton tee shirt.
I use the blue paper shop towels ..
Wax
I know allot of players who don't use anything on there shafts and are perfectly happy with the results ..
Personally my hands sweat allot , and the combination of the wax and a glove is the only thing that allows me to continue to be able to play.... on certain hot and humid days.
I know allot of players who don't use anything on there shafts and are perfectly happy with the results ..
Personally my hands sweat allot , and the combination of the wax and a glove is the only thing that allows me to continue to be able to play.... on certain hot and humid days.
White gas is 100% naptha, lighter fluid is 30% naptha with other chemicals in it to change how it burns, ignites etc. lighter fluid CONTAINS naptha, but is not pure naptha and therefore is not as volatile. Lighter fluid is diluted so to speak. Its diluted with other flamable chemicals, but none as flamable as naptha.
Hope this makes sense.