Paste Wax

[Ojaileveraction]

I like what Ballistol does for the outside of a rifle.

[ruhler]

I recently bought a can of renessance wax, i have used it on my hunting rifles external metalparts and wood seems to work great especially on blued guns. Have not used it on ny handguns, have thought about using it on my original Remington 1858 New army from 1863 but I hesitate dont know why because its probably better protection I worrying that it will polish the revolver and I want the aged blueing/steel in same condition as it is.

[RanchRoper]

I personally would not touch an antique with any modern waxes and would get it appraised. It sounds like a museum piece you might want to up your insurance and display it.

[Shakey Jake]

I doubt the Renaissance wax will do any polishing. I don't think there is anything abrasive in it.

[GFK]

I have since stopped worrying about wax and just wipe down with a rem-oil rag.

Okay. I will try a silicone rag. It seems to work find on my handguns which have rubber grips. I suspect it should be fine on the wood as well.

[Conax]

I read all three pages with a furrowed brow.
I have never used car or furniture polish on any of my guns.
Aren't you concerned with waxy buildup and how do you strip it off and why do this with all the fine lubricants and firearm protectants available?
Yikes.

[RanchRoper]

I read all three pages with a furrowed brow.
I have never used car or furniture polish on any of my guns.
Aren't you concerned with waxy buildup and how do you strip it off and why do this with all the fine lubricants and firearm protectants available?
Yikes.

I have seen some of the highly polished rifles on this site and they look great. But I too struggle with the wax on mine. I am happy with an oily rag wipe down and a little oil on the wood won't hurt from a water resistance standpoint.

[GFK]

I can understand. I watched a video on MidwayUSA.com that discussed the benefits of wax slowing down water from seeping into wood which could cause it to swell. Thinking wood is wood, I thought it may not be a bad idea. I have seen wood swell from water intrusion. But, it did resume most of its shape after drying. However, the video did note that the unfinished parts of the forearm and butt were the most vulnerable to water damage.

At this point, I did put some wax on the unfinished part of the butt. Yet, I have not put any of the forearm. I thinking I will probably have my Marlin in the woods, which I have put wax on the unfinished parts. I suspect people have had guns for years without taking such measures. I am just of the mindset of trying to take care of my tools the best that I can. So for now, a finial silicone rag wipe down will do after each use. Who knows, that may change. I went for years just wiping down my handguns. But, I have not handled my handguns in inclement weather. I am new to hunting, and I suspect I may get caught in some weather or worst yet, drop it in some water. But, time will tell.

[RanchRoper]

There are folks on this site who swear by waxing their rifles, and as I said, the ones I've seen look very good. I don't know, but definitely all the metal parts on mine get a regular oil wipe. Might depend on the manufacturer too; not sure what HRA uses on their wood as a finish but my Uberti has a stain and some sort of clear coat over it. So I don't wipe the wood down much it just gets a quick once over with the rag after the metal parts are done.

[GFK]

I can agree with you RanchRoper. Sorry if I was not clear. I was stating my reasoning for considering waxing in response to Conax's furrowed brow.

[RanchRoper]

I think somebody on the forum said one time that the old time guys dunked and soaked there rifles in oil to help weatherproof them. Wood and all. Yikes!

[Conax]

No big thing, we just never did it in my family, never heard of it til recently.
My dad once dropped his Browning .22 semi-auto (prized by him) in a river. We brought it home and gave it a good cleaning, no harm done. Oil naturally repels water. Once a gun has been cleaned a hundred times and wiped down inside and out, a brief exposure to the weather won't hurt it. If it gets rainsoaked you just wipe it dry and clean it as soon as possible, it'll be fine.
Traditionally gun stocks were oil finished. Linseed oil (I think) can be rubbed into the wood for a nice, natural, durable finish. Repels water, can be renewed with a little more oil.
I might as well tout my preferred oil, BreakFree CLP. It supposedly rust proofs your metal over time and many uses. I know it keeps it very slick and smooth in operation, and there ain't no speck of rust on any of mine.
Anyway you waxers go right ahead, for all I know you may have the best protection there is.
I learn something new every day

[Mags]

If you like your brass shiny don't use polishes or waxes that contain ammonia, acids, Iso Alkanes or beeswax. Make sure to lookup the MSDS of the exact product you want to use. Even some product versions of Flinz, Peek, Nevl Dull, etc. can contain these chemicals. So check product version ingredients carefully.

Renaissance Wax, already mentioned, is best for guns with shiny brass and wood as it can be used on both surfaces.

[ESquared]

I may have missed it, but I'm interested in the answer this this question regarding Renaissance Wax:

"Does it leave a residue in the checkering?"

[Mags]

My Henry doesn't have checkering, but my Mossberg does. I haven't noticed any build up on it. I use a 100% cotton white terry cloth wash rag for the wipe down the checkering while the wax is still semi liquid (before it could dry to a haze). The checkering on the Mossberg is a very fine pattern and not so deep that the terry cloth can't wipe through it.

With really deep checking, it might be more difficult for the wipe down cloth to get at the wax in the bottom of the crevices. For that might need to use a soft tooth brush.

Checkering aside, I have observed that the Renaissance Wax liquefies and self absorbs the previous wax coating and then any excess wax from the melding comes off in the wipe down cloth.

[Shakey Jake]

Love Renaissance Wax! I use it all the time on my guitars, clarinets, and other woodwinds I repair. It's not too bad on firearms either.

[Mags]

It does look great on firearms, but I don't use it on blued metal parts. Ok if you all want to, nothing wrong with doing it, I just think blued metal parts look better after an oil wipe.

Reading up on the history, Renaissance Wax gets used on lot of stuff found in museums. Parchments, leather, armor, brass, wood, tapestry, muskets, chests, and so forth.

[PT7]

First time I used Renaissance Wax on the BBB wood checkering, I let it get too dry. It was a bit of a challenge to clean it out of those tiny grooves. After that, I simply avoided the checkering. I like the idea of using a soft tooth brush...bet that will work well.

[Carver]

I have found that when using wax on my wood carving, I use a hair dryer to melt the wax and get a really thin coating after it’s dry buff it with a cloth or soft brush. This would keep the wax from building up in the checkered parts.

[Mags]

Excellent idea.