I'm using Renaissance wax & dry PTFE spray on my knives...

M

Morthawt

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May 30, 2017
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I have seen some knives come with a Teflon (PTFE) surface to aid in decreasing the resistance when cutting certain materials. But others have said on here such finishes wear off when cutting very abrasive/fibrous materials and then that feature-point is gone.

I have been coating my knives in Renaissance wax for years to help protect them from moisture, make them look and feel nicer and possibly aid cutting. Then years later I found info on Dry PTFE lubricants and that they are very very good to use on cutting blades and saws to help things not stick to them and increase their cutting life etc.

So for the past few months I have been combining this by coating my knives in the wax and while it is still wet I give them a good spray of WD40 Specialist Dry Lubricant (PTFE) which evaporates quick to leave the microscopic particles in place to act as a lubricant. Then I finger paint around with it to help mix it into the wax, leave to dry, buff up and then apply a really thin quick extra wax layer and give it a quick immediate buff and spray a quick spray of PTFE on the top of that and leave, then gently buff. My goal was to provide a drop in resistance through cutting, by adding more PTFE throughout the wax to hopefully withstand more cutting before needing to repeat the process.

I have noticed the effect lasting a nice amount of time and I can angle my knife at a light source and see rainbow colours.

Has anyone else tried anything like this? Any thoughts or theories about the effectiveness of this? It appears to be useful, to me, but I am not exactly a scientist either.
 
I doubt it’s lasting more than a few cuts.
 
I thought the same. But even after time of using, I hold the knife up to the light and angle acutely and I see the waxy smooth mirror reflective effect intact. This is just through years of using just the wax that I noticed this. That is what gave me the idea of mixing PTFE into the equation and maybe it would help. I do not know if it's placebo but it feels easier to cut and it certainly feels smoother to the touch, so the wax appears to be more hardy than expectations would have us believe is possible.
 
If you’re seeing the rainbow colors it’s highly likely that it’s just oily residue left over or carriers in the products. Wax simply isn’t going to hold up to abrasion.
 
rycen said:
If you’re seeing the rainbow colors it’s highly likely that it’s just oily residue left over or carriers in the products. Wax simply isn’t going to hold up to abrasion.
Click to expand...
Even using a clean rag and solvent, I still see the rainbow patterns. It's not from leftover grease or something.
 
I do this but only on my woodworking edge tools.
The idea is to reduce friction but mostly the wax / what not is applied to the large surface that guides the tool such as the sole of the hand plane or sides of a saw. It does help on mortising chisel bevel and back as well.
Generally wax isn't going to protect from moisture much. Generally wax is porous and atmosphere still makes it through.

As far as the Teflon this could mess with glue adhesion in the wood joints, wax doesn't ever seem to be a problem; too little on the actual surface most likely.

Honestly I just wipe my knives with a damp cloth and dry them and use them. I wash the blade with soap and water when used with food.

Show pieces / collector knives / safe queens that might be different.
I have only one safe queen; an all black Spyderco Para 2. She likes a little light mineral oil on the DLC to even out the flat black appearance.

These threads always remind me of the old Radio Show : Click and Clack Car Talk show.
They used to say : Go to your auto parts store, walk up and down the isles until you find something with "Miracle" on it. Dump that in the gas tank.
When that doesn't work call us back.
:)

I will say a bit of candle wax on the sides of a box knife blade does help.
Box cutting is pretty high friction; the blade is hot when I stop and check it. This probably effective on a box knife because some wax hangs in the scratches and grind marks on the sides of the blade and feeds out as it melts from the heat.
Subtle though and as was already said short lived.

Even on the woodworking tools I keep an old candle on the bench and scribble it on regularly or wipe on the camillia oil in the little black and white applicator for the mortising chisels.
A pocket knife ? Not so much.
When I do precision cuts that have to look factory to the customer at work on soft rubber I put light mineral oil on the blade I reserve just for this task and mineral oil all along the line of cut. This makes a phenomenal difference but it is A LOT OF WET OIL . . . not just a light wipe on the blade.
IMG_2544.JPG
 
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PS :
Hahaha
I am reading The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells for the first time. For Halloween.
It could be that if you fool around with this stuff long enough you just might end up rendering your knife completely invisible. He talks about how ground glass is white in air but put it under a layer of water and it totally disappears. Put oil on paper and it becomes clear.
Be careful . . . at least close the knife or put on an edge protector before you put it down after having it's little massage.
:)
. . . is there a way back ? Is there a way to undo the fiendish condition ?
(I haven't got that far in the book . . .)
. . . don't mess with what you don't understand is my advice . . . what none of us understand . . . what only Griffin understands ! ! ! !
AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA
 
About the moisture thing and wax. One of the primary jobs of what Renaissance wax was created for was to prevent oxidation/rusting. It is waterproof and soluble in some kind of spirit, I forget what kind of spirit it is. People who know and care, cover statues with the stuff to stop them going green and people cleaning coats of armour, once waxed, typically all they need doing is dusting.

"
What makes Renaissance wax so different?

It has a crystalline structure much finer than totally natural waxes, a property that confers a highly efficient moisture resistance. Countless statues and monuments in city streets are now protected by Renaissance wax from weathering corrosion. Arms and armour, steel and kitchen equipment of brass and copper in historic house museums, are kept bright and corrosion-free."

~ http://picreator.co.uk/renaissance-wax/

I am wondering if it's "micro-crystalline" structure is getting into the microscopic nooks and crannies and maybe surviving abrasion during knife use? I do not know, all I know is I rarely wax my knives and every, every time I inspect them against the light that have that glowy glossy reflective sheen that I have almost never seen natively from bare metal.
 
Renaissance Wax is just wax that is extremely easy to wipe/buff off. It doesn't hold up well to handling.
Want something that's cheaper and works better? Neutral paste shoe polish. It just doesn't buff as easily.
 
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Sorry you didnt get the answer you wanted.
These guys know what they are talking about, I use neutral polish on my high carbon knives, more as a storage coating than anything else.
I bought Ren wax once, too expensive for the payoff in my mind.

Russ
 
I use Renwax on my Blued Revolvers, protects the finish and they look nice. No rust other than the blueing itself but I am in the desert so rust is not much of a issue anyways. I imagine there is a light coating of wax and the spray left on the blade and if it works for you keep doing it.
 
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