Renaissance Wax for rust protection?

H

Halberd

Joined
Oct 3, 2000
Messages
5
Among the products for protecting blades against rust, Tuf Cloth seems to be the most popular one. The only problem with it is, that nobody seems to know whether it is safe on knives used for cutting food. Renaissance Wax (manufacturer: Picreator Entreprises) is an alternative which is used by museums all over the world to protect many kind of materials, including steel.

Here are my questions: Does anyone out there have some information about the toxicity of Renaissance Wax? In other words: can it be used safely on blades used for cutting food? The manufacturer does not easily provide information on this question (same as with Sentry Solutions!), but maybe someone has some information and can help me out.
 
I use Renaissance Wax ALL the time. It's probably THE best rust inhibitor PERIOD!! Every knife that leaves my shop gets a protective coating of it. Just by the way it smells, I would NOT recommend it for use around food. I use good old veggie oil on my kitchen and game prep knives, that's IT. I get some discoloration on the blades but to me, that's not a big deal.


Neil
 
The market for food use of such products is very small, the regulatory requirements are very high, and the liability issues are huge. So, most makers of such products are not going to encourage the use of their products for food preparation or serving knives. There is one exception: WD-40 us USDA approved; it says so on the label.

The general conclusion here has been that once Tuff Glide (the active ingredient in Tuff Cloth) drys, the residue left behind isn't very harmful especially in the quantities that you're likly to get off of a knife blade used to cut your dinner.

Ren wax is even safer. What's left on the blade is high-grade carnuba (sp?) wax. Carnuba wax is actually a common food ingredient. Many candies, especially, are coated with a thin layer of Carnuba wax to make them shiney. So, while it has no food value, it is safe to eat the dried wax in small amounts. The product coming out of the jar contains other chemicals that are probably not so good for you.
 
I used to coat all my knives with Ren wax, but then some of them rusted very badly and developed cracks in the handles. Now I use more oily stuff for my blades that I suspect will be more susceptible to rust(AG Russel makes some good stuff), even though I don't like the greasy feel. On handles like ivory, I use mineral oil.
 
Originally posted by Gollnick
The general conclusion here has been that once Tuff Glide (the active ingredient in Tuff Cloth) drys, the residue left behind isn't very harmful especially in the quantities that you're likly to get off of a knife blade used to cut your dinner.
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Alright, I'm gonna trust you on that one! (licks blade) :)

The first week I used Tuf-Cloth, I'd get a headache just smelling the stuff. Now I think it smells quite good. I don't think eating a little bit of the dried stuff would really hurt, but holding the blade in your mouth really stinks and is dangerous.

Er... just my useless contribution to the thread.
 
tuf-glide would definitely not be good for knives used in cutting food. The substance, from what I understand is a petrollium product with 100% oderless mineral spirits mixed together.

If you want to use a knife for food coat the blade with vegetable oil, it will protect it as well as regular honing oil.


hope this helps
 
Originally posted by AlphalphaPB
Alright, I'm gonna trust you on that one! (licks blade) :)
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Now, they just have to make flavored Tuf-Cloth! ;) (Maybe better smelling, too!)
 
A while ago Max burnett introduced me to Ballistol as an alternative to WD-40 and similar products. Ichecked out their website, and got a small bottle of the stuff. I haven't used it long enough to give it a true "review", but so far it seems better thanits claims (if that's possible). First of all it, altho it smells bad, but it claims to be totally bi-degradeable, non-toxic, and non-carcinogenic. But here's the kkicker for knives -- it claims to neutralize tannic acid in leathers, and therefore helps keep hi-carbon blades from picking up "leather cancer" when sheathed. Personal experience: I made a vertical sheath from latigo leather for a Schrade LB-7 folder with brass frame. I sprayed the inside of the sheath with the ballistol, and 6 months later the knife has no tarnish, not even on the brass !
Pretty impressive.
I say again, I have limited experience with its use, but what I've seen so far tells me it's safe to use, prevents rust, and is a pretty good lubricant toboot. Anybody else have an experience with it?
BTW, back on the original subject, I use carnuba waxws also, but not the Ren wax brand -- seems they get a lot of extra cash for the name.
MtMike
 
Thanks for the answers. If I try to summarize, neither Ren Wax nor Tuf Cloth is guaranteed to be safe for food cutting. However, given the small quantities that could get into the food, opinions vary somewhat on whether there is a real risk or not. I found the recommendation for Ballistol quite interesting. According to many sources it is appearently ok for food. I don't know, however, whether it leaves an oily or a dry surface condition. Any comments about this?
 
Halberd -- Ballistol is an aerosol spray. Leaves a light wet coating, but not tacky. I wipe any exess off blades -- it absorbs into leather, darkening it slightly.
Mike
 
I have used Ballistol on carbon blades & guns for some time and have not had any rust/corrosion thus far. I sqirted some in my house locks and it has made them very slick, key goes in & out like silk!!
 
I know this is an OLD thread, but Ive used RenWax, Ballistol, EEZOX, BreakFree, Rem Oil, Hoppes---you name it. I wont eat ANY CLP or Hoppes product. Hoppes eats copper. Ballistol is moderately effective in a wide range of applications, you can use USP grade mineral oil, and skip the other Ballistol ingredients. EEZOX performs best in my testing, but is a single product only format, you use EEZOX---nothing else.

RenWax is being evaluated for "rust & dust" protection in a high humidity environment. Seems easy enough to apply---wondering when I should reapply.
 
yitz said:
I used to coat all my knives with Ren wax, but then some of them rusted very badly and developed cracks in the handles. Now I use more oily stuff for my blades that I suspect will be more susceptible to rust(AG Russel makes some good stuff), even though I don't like the greasy feel. On handles like ivory, I use mineral oil.
Click to expand...

While I realize this is a very old post, since someone has already brought the thread up, I thought I'd ask - has anyone else experienced this? Blades rusting with Renaissance wax? This is the first I've heard of such things; I had the impression that Renaissance wax was the best.
 
I may be drinking from the Holy Grail here....(Indiana Jones music) BUT I HAVE EXPERIENCED failures with RenWax. Now what I can't figure out is, Is that the fault of the product, or did I unknowingly leave something on the high carbon stuff that screwed up the waxes performance?? I stripped the steel with acetone beforehand, so I don't get it. I don't eat anything that smells like shoe polish.

As for Leather cancer, two good applications of EEZOX with a quarterly wipe down has protected my A2 steel BLACKJACK copy of the Randall 14, left in the sheath for over two years. I pretreated the sheath with Cetaphyll skin cream, believe it or not, then 3 treatments of BALLISTOL to kill the nasty chemistry left over in that high grade well made sheath, then 2 coats mink oil!!!

Overkill?? Maybe. But the damn knife has had NO rust or corrosion
 
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Hi,
I have used Ren Wax on many knives (and sheaths) and other tools for years with no rust formation. I also live in a very dry climate, so that may affect how effective Ren Wax is (and any other wax, for that matter).
 
Sacramento Johnson said:
Hi,
I have used Ren Wax on many knives (and sheaths) and other tools for years with no rust formation. I also live in a very dry climate, so that may affect how effective Ren Wax is (and any other wax, for that matter).[/QUOTE

Yes, my brother it does indeed, if you keep realitive humidity below say 40% in a closed environment, rust usually never forms. Now if you have steel cancer body chemistry like me...and normal to high RH levels, you'd better stay on that protection like ugly on a monkey LOL !!!!
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Anything that remains oily attracts gunk.

When I want that kind of protection I use the same polish/wax I use on my cars and motorcycles.

If there is something on your carry blade that you are afraid will make you sick, just wipe it off good and eat.
 
tikkidaddy said:
As for Leather cancer, two good applications of EEZOX with a quarterly wipe down has protected my A2 steel BLACKJACK copy of the Randall 14, left in the sheath for over two years. I pretreated the sheath with Cetaphyll skin cream, believe it or not, then 3 treatments of BALLISTOL to kill the nasty chemistry left over in that high grade well made sheath, then 2 coats mink oil!!!
Click to expand...

I'm intrigued by the Cetaphyll skin cream. Was it used just for odor?
 
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