Renaissance wax vs Martin Guitar polish

TommyT

TommyT

Obsessed
Silver Member
I've been using the Renaissance wax for quite a while for both my shafts and cue finish with great results. A while back there was a thread touting the Guitar polish and IMO there is no comparison. The Guitar polish is oily and while it does polish up nicely, it is no better than the wax. Also there have been concerns of silicones in the polish, I don't know for sure, but why risk it. I think if you read about the wax in the link below, you'll see what I mean. If someone wants the polish I'll ship it for 10.00, used one time.

http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html
 
Based on a lot of input I've read in this forum, I bought a can of Butcher's Bowling Alley wax on E-bay. It's a big can and should last at least 25 years. Very pleased with it. I'm very fussy about keeping my cue looking new and Butcher's is also a cleaning wax. Just rub it on, wait 5 to 10 minutes and then buff it with a soft rag. Do a search on this forum and you'll see quite a few recommendations.
 
ArizonaPete said:
Based on a lot of input I've read in this forum, I bought a can of Butcher's Bowling Alley wax on E-bay. It's a big can and should last at least 25 years. Very pleased with it. I'm very fussy about keeping my cue looking new and Butcher's is also a cleaning wax. Just rub it on, wait 5 to 10 minutes and then buff it with a soft rag. Do a search on this forum and you'll see quite a few recommendations.
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Do you put it on the cues finish or just the shafts ??
 
TommyT said:
Do you put it on the cues finish or just the shafts ??
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I use it on both the shaft and the butt about every 2 to 3 weeks. I have a leather wrap on my cue and use a spray wax, designed for leather, on the wrap. After every playing session I wipe the cue with a soft paper towel. Then I use a strip of Magic Eraser on the shaft (it's a 1x1x2.5" piece that's easy to carry in my cue case). And finally, I use a Willard shaper on the tip. The whole operation only takes 2 to 3 minutes. When I pull out my cue for the next playing session - it's like a brand new cue. Maybe I'm too fussy, but I feel good playing with a really clean cue and, just maybe, it makes me play just a little bit better.
 
I won't use Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax on any finished part of a cue. That stuff reeks of turpentine and I cannot believe that turpentine is good for, or safe on, clear coats, lacquers, or oil finishes.

For shafts I use plain old Cue Doctor Cue Wax, and for clear coat butts I use Meguiar's or Mother's auto wax.
 
I"ve tried Cue Silk, Karseal Cue Wax, Cue Glide and every commercial product that I could find, Shark Oil, Lighter fluid ... bowliing alley wax, gymnasium floor wax, everything and nothing works better than no wax. No wax at all... no coatings.

After 10 years of messing with all that stuff I"ve found that the best thing is to use micro-mesh to get the smoothest possible surface, going from 2400 to 6000 (800 to 1500 grit sandpaper equivilant) followed by burnishing with a piece of undyed leather. Others also say that the burnishing can be done equally as well with a piece of brown paper bag but I haven't tried it so I won't recommend it.

Just burnish... no coating needed. Once you convince yourself it's a lot less hassle.
 
JimS said:
I"ve tried Cue Silk, Karseal Cue Wax, Cue Glide and every commercial product that I could find, Shark Oil, Lighter fluid ... bowliing alley wax, gymnasium floor wax, everything and nothing works better than no wax. No wax at all... no coatings.

After 10 years of messing with all that stuff I"ve found that the best thing is to use micro-mesh to get the smoothest possible surface, going from 2400 to 6000 (800 to 1500 grit sandpaper equivilant) followed by burnishing with a piece of undyed leather. Others also say that the burnishing can be done equally as well with a piece of brown paper bag but I haven't tried it so I won't recommend it.

Just burnish... no coating needed. Once you convince yourself it's a lot less hassle.
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plain brown cardboard works great too, and it will clean the shaft some too just by itself....its the no need for magic eraser
 
This post was never meant to rehash the many methods of cue care. It was solely my opinion of Renaissance wax vs Martin's Guitar polish. And yeah, I also have Butchers wax. It contains turpentine and might not be the best choice for the cue's finish, it works great for shafts.
 
TommyT said:
I've been using the Renaissance wax for quite a while for both my shafts and cue finish with great results. A while back there was a thread touting the Guitar polish and IMO there is no comparison. The Guitar polish is oily and while it does polish up nicely, it is no better than the wax. Also there have been concerns of silicones in the polish, I don't know for sure, but why risk it. I think if you read about the wax in the link below, you'll see what I mean. If someone wants the polish I'll ship it for 10.00, used one time.

http://www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html
Click to expand...

This sounds like good stuff that does not contain harmfull additives. Thanks for the thread. I ordered some to use on my cue butts.
 
TommyT said:
This post was never meant to rehash the many methods of cue care. It was solely my opinion of Renaissance wax vs Martin's Guitar polish. And yeah, I also have Butchers wax. It contains turpentine and might not be the best choice for the cue's finish, it works great for shafts.
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You're right - sorry to have strayed off the subject. But on the positive side, I did learn not to use Butcher's Wax on the butt but only the shaft.
 
I do not wax cue shafts- I agree with an earlier poster that just an 91% rubbing alcohol cleaning followed by a burnishing is the best way to keep shafts clean and smooth - nothing lower that 1500 grit micro sand paper if even any grit is needed at all- mostly just a cleaning followed by a micro fiber cloth burnish.

I find Renaissance wax is a bit better than the PSR- Paul smith Reed guitar polish- for the cue butt wood sections, Renaissance gives a slightly higher gloss to the cue butt- you need to work quickly and sparingly with Renaissance, esp. without a lathe to buff the cue in final stage.
 
mikemosconi said:
I do not wax cue shafts- I agree with an earlier poster that just an 91% rubbing alcohol cleaning followed by a burnishing is the best way to keep shafts clean and smooth - nothing lower that 1500 grit micro sand paper if even any grit is needed at all- mostly just a cleaning followed by a micro fiber cloth burnish.

I find Renaissance wax is a bit better than the PSR- Paul smith Reed guitar polish- for the cue butt wood sections, Renaissance gives a slightly higher gloss to the cue butt- you need to work quickly and sparingly with Renaissance, esp. without a lathe to buff the cue in final stage.
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a mr clean magic eraser sucks chalk/gunk out of a wood shaft like a magnet and leaves it silky smooth without removing any wood. You can cut up the pads and get several uses out of a single pad. Just rub the dry pad up and down the shaft, and you'll be amazed at what it takes out of the wood grain.
I use gibson guitar polish on my cue butt and it makes it shine like new.
 
skiergd011013 said:
a mr clean magic eraser sucks chalk/gunk out of a wood shaft like a magnet and leaves it silky smooth without removing any wood. You can cut up the pads and get several uses out of a single pad. Just rub the dry pad up and down the shaft, and you'll be amazed at what it takes out of the wood grain.
I use gibson guitar polish on my cue butt and it makes it shine like new.
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I use magic eraser on shafts at times after the rubbing alcohol base cleaning - also great for ferrule cleaning - I find that shafts should be burnished after any method of cleaning
 
Somebody here posted about distilling isopropyl alcohol and that's what I do.
Skinny water bottle 3/4 full of 91%
Add 1" - 2" rock salt and wait a day.
Since you're trying to remove the last 10% of water, there won't be a visible conversion layer.
Use turkey baster (clear is best) as an applicator.

The reason for this is water will raise the grain and the smoother the shaft will remain.
As for silicones, who refinishes shafts anyway? My latest player has been sealed (more or less) with a cheap ceramic clearcoat/sealer. That provides some water resistance and more importantly, keeps chalk out of the deepest pores. Over a year of daily use now and no blue.

Daily cleaning with the homemade 99%, a paper towel, and the occasional magic eraser followed by a dab of synthetic liquid car polish and I get maximum slick and gloveless play.
 
I see this old thread has came back to life so two things I will mention, one, Magic Eraser has grit. It will remove wood over time if you use it often. It might have a piece or two of large grit in it too and a huge scratch up and down your shaft will make you cry like a baby. It can be rough on pool cues too. If you are going to use it on a pool cue shaft, rinse and rub on a scrap surface that you don't mind damaging a handful of times to make sure that you aren't the one that gets lucky and has a piece of gravel in your magic eraser!

The 99% plus isopropyl alcohol can be purchased ready to use in smaller sizes and in glass gallon jugs, no home distilling necessary. The gallon I bought when alcohol was hard to come by will last me a lifetime, longer if I don't find it after the last move!

I have bought 200 proof grain alcohol too. Not being a drinker of more than an occasional beer I was dry when a friend came looking for a drink. A few inches of the 200 proof in the bottom of a glass and some coke on top curled his hair! No aging at all for that laboratory stuff and it can be pretty raw. Works fine for the lab use it was intended for and as a base for a liniment.

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
I see this old thread has came back to life so two things I will mention, one, Magic Eraser has grit. It will remove wood over time if you use it often. It might have a piece or two of large grit in it too and a huge scratch up and down your shaft will make you cry like a baby. It can be rough on pool cues too. If you are going to use it on a pool cue shaft, rinse and rub on a scrap surface that you don't mind damaging a handful of times to make sure that you aren't the one that gets lucky and has a piece of gravel in your magic eraser!

The 99% plus isopropyl alcohol can be purchased ready to use in smaller sizes and in glass gallon jugs, no home distilling necessary. The gallon I bought when alcohol was hard to come by will last me a lifetime, longer if I don't find it after the last move!

I have bought 200 proof grain alcohol too. Not being a drinker of more than an occasional beer I was dry when a friend came looking for a drink. A few inches of the 200 proof in the bottom of a glass and some coke on top curled his hair! No aging at all for that laboratory stuff and it can be pretty raw. Works fine for the lab use it was intended for and as a base for a liniment.

Hu
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200proof is for sure Lab stuff. I'd have to guess the containers are small since it readily degrades to 190 or so.
 
3kushn said:
200proof is for sure Lab stuff. I'd have to guess the containers are small since it readily degrades to 190 or so.
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Gallon glass jug with a small neck and a finger hole. It came in exactly the same jug a nearby still packaged whiskey in.

I wasn't doing lab work with it so I never tested it for purity. I had a fairly long list of stuff to buy to mix horse leg liniment with.

I also made a paint that was used on badly injured legs. One ingredient was 15% iodine. Most medical iodine is .5% now I believe and I have found antique bottles at 1.5% and 3%, that old stuff that would light you up. When I was a tyke we would play at my grandmother's store, concrete and gravel so just a matter of time before we skinned a knee or elbow. "It's OK Grandma, the leg will grow back, I promise!" Nothing doing, a quarter or half of one of those little bottles was coming. Never got an infection!

My brother-in-law was working at my salvage yard. He stuck a finger in a running vehicle fan or a fan belt. My experience, fortunately mostly second hand, is that they do about the same damage. He split the finger from the tip, down through the middle of the nail, and about halfway to the joint with one side hanging off. He came running into the office where I had two bottles, brown unmarked quarts. He knew one was hydrogen peroxide. The other was fifteen percent iodine to use as an ingredient in leg paint.

He grabbed the iodine thinking it was peroxide and poured it over his finger. He let out a yell and took off running! It was almost a thousand feet to my back fence and he was over halfway there when I caught him. After getting him back to the office and doing a bit of doctoring I asked him why he took off running. "I don't know. It burned so bad I had to try to get away!"

Hu
 
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