Carnuba Wax

Walt2

Walt2

Joined
Mar 13, 2001
Messages
1,157
Where do you guys get Carnuba Wax? Is this similar to the stuff used on cars? Thanks for any info.
 
Carnuba comes in different grades that are colored from gray (lowest) to yellow (best). I get yellow, grade 1 Carnuba from Woodworker's Supply Co. They have it in a flake/powder form that I melt in a container floating in a pan of boiling water to form cakes.

<www.woodworker.com>

I paid $16.00 for the last pound I bought a couple of years ago-a little goes a long way.

It is the hardest wax there is and as Mike Hull said it has to be burnt in. For my money, it is the best wood finish.

I alos put a coat on carbon steel blades for rust protection.
 
If I'm not mistaken, Max the Knife uses Carnuba and something else to make Cutlers Resin. He glues his handles on with the darn stuff! Max, If you are lurking, help me out.
 
Thanks for the post guys. I have been using a canuba that comes in a tin like car polish same soft cream texture. it buffs on nice but is prone to loosing shine if handled. The hard stuff must be the way to go for a durable finish. The cream style can be bought in local hard ware stores here.
 
Even the hard stuff will dull with handling, but will buff back to a shine easily. Even rubbing with a paper towel will bring it back.

I don't think anything will shine like a high gloss varnish, but I prefer the look and feel of wax and oil finishes.
 
That's right Peter, I sure do. Good memory buddy. I mix beeswax, pine pitch and carnauba wax together and it works very well. I've found that it also works great for a handle sealer and finish on organic handle materials too. I apply it hot and let it soak in until it cools. Then I use a heat gun to melt it off and while it's still hot I wipe it with a rag until all the excess is gone. Then I dip the handle in cold water to set it and then polish it. No mechanical buffing needed. Wonderful stuff!
 
Laughing Cow Cheese (probably others) uses carnuba wax for the wrapper. That's a cheap source if you like cheese.

Steve

PS This is my 'magic' final coating for knifes. (I shouldn't post this - I should sell it. But, we're all pals.) It's all non-toxic stuff - so it's ok for kitchen knives too.

Equal parts of:

Purified Beeswax
Mineral Oil
Anhydrous Lanolin

All stuff available from drug stores. Melt however much in the microwave. All three dissolve in one another so they won't separate on you. Creates quite a nice cream-wax.

It adds luster, protects from rust and such, and resists finger prints.

Rub a small amount in with your finger over everything. Buff off with a clean towel - lots of buffing.
 
Carnuba can be found in any number of wood turning stores. Pen kit sellers have various wax/polish agents that can be used with buffers, these contain all maner of waxes and polishes in stick form.
 
Max, do you make your own pine pitch from the knots?? Sounds like a very good sealer to me.
 
I have used it on wood for years. I buy the bars, available from most woodworking stores, and use a 10 inch loose buff to put it on and smooth it out. It hardens up as soon as ytou move it from the wheel and it stays good for years. Takes a little practice to get it on evenly but is worth the effort, and you don't wait for anything to dry. You can take if off the wheel and use it in the rain. I usually do my blades with it before shipping to customers.

Try it- you'll like it :)

Dave
 
No Ray, I buy it from www.jastown.com It's listed as brewers pitch in the 'bulk' section. It's a very clean food grade pitch for sealing the inside of wooden barrels used for storing beer in :D

It's a little pricey at $7 a pound but it doesn't take much to make a batch of cutler's resin. And it lasts a good long time depending on how many knives you make and use it on.

I'll tell you my secret when using it as a terminal glue on full tang knife handles just in case you were wondering. The secret to a good fitup with a rough handle/tang surface is to use a thin piece of suede (leather with a finished side won't seal as well) leather as a filler and expansion joint for the handle slab. Make the suede piece slightly oversized so it hangs out all the way around as it will shrink slightly in the hot resin. Get the leather soaked good in the melted cutler's resin and lay it on the pre-drilled tang (have the pin holes already cut out) and before it has a chance to cool down put the handle slab with the pins sticking through on top and drive the pins through. The do the other slab the same way and soak the whole handle in the hot resin until it's hot all the way through. Take it out and use the heat gun to keep it hot and let it drip off a bit. Take it to the vice and calmp it up and secure the slabs so it compresses the leather and let it cool a bit (make sure the pins are at the right depth for peining). Take it out of the clamps while it's still warm and tacky and pein the pins so you don't risk breaking the seal provided by the cutler's resin. Then back to the hot resin until it's hot clear through again. Take it out and use the heat gun to get all the hot resin off that you can to prevent waste. Wipe the handle down and dip it in cold water to set the resin. Let it soak a while to get cold all the way through. Finish the handle as you normally would. If you got all the excess resin off it won't clog your belts, especially if you use your gum cleaner frequently. Keep the resin hot because you'll need to soak it again after the finishing. After you soak the handle again and remove the ecesss and cool it off again, buff the handle with medium steel wool or a 3M scrubby pad. Then follow up with a piece of stiff cotton canvas or some wool felt or even a hunk of wool army blanket. I use an old wool sock left over from my military days.

You'll be surprised what kind of finish you can get on wood, antler and bone. And because it's done hot it soaks in fairly deep. It's a fairly messy process but totally non-toxic. Don't worry about getting it all over the blade because it comes right off with a little heat gunning and a rag. Trim the leather at the ricasso area with a sharp bench knife for a nice close fit. I really like this process with forged distally tapered tangs. Takes all the guesswork out and there's no need to grind on it at all. And that rough surface just helps the cutler's resin do it's job better. There you go buddy. Have fun and let me know how you like cutler's resin if you ever decide to use it. I've been using it for several years now and have had no problems with it. One word of warning here. If a knife with cutler's resin as the terminal glue is left on a dashboard or in a hot vehicle the resin can relax a bit and maybe make a mess. It won't effect the knife if the pins were peined properly with countersunk pin holes though. That's the only drawback to using it on a knife order. The customer has to understand that this old fashioned method of construction has it's limitations. But on the positive side I don't believe that leather spacer will ever rot and it makes the sealing surface totally waterproof if done right. There you go.
 
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