Renaissance Wax Removal on G10

DanR217

DanR217

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I accidentally got some Renaissance Wax on the black G10 handle of a knife. How can I remove it without discoloring the G10?
 
I’d try isopropyl alcohol and a toothbrush first.
 
Renaissance Wax is mostly microcrystalline paraffin. It's able to be cleaned with non-polar solvents. Isopropyl alcohol will not do a very good job, as it's a polar solvent. The least-harsh method of removing it will be a little bit of oil allowed to sit on the surface for a bit, then scrubbed with a brush and cleaned with soap and water. If you have mineral spirits or naphtha it will also remove it, but is more likely to have an impact on the G10 due to being much more powerful solvents. That being said, those are probably safe on it. G10 is pretty chemical resistant.
 
Ammonia is also polar, and so is not very effective on waxes. Never mind the fact that household ammonia is only a 1-3% concentration of ammonia in water, which is quite polar. Remember the simple adage of "like dissolves like" and it'll help a lot with determining what will work and what won't. Things like oils, fats, waxes, and aromatic/aliphatic solvents like petrochemicals are all non-polar and don't mix well with water without emulsifiers being used. Things that will dissolve in water are generally polar, including alcohol, ammonia, bleach, acetone, etc.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Renaissance Wax is mostly microcrystalline paraffin. It's able to be cleaned with non-polar solvents. Isopropyl alcohol will not do a very good job, as it's a polar solvent. The least-harsh method of removing it will be a little bit of oil allowed to sit on the surface for a bit, then scrubbed with a brush and cleaned with soap and water. If you have mineral spirits or naphtha it will also remove it, but is more likely to have an impact on the G10 due to being much more powerful solvents. That being said, those are probably safe on it. G10 is pretty chemical resistant.
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Science! Thank you! I was afraid of using mineral spirits because I didn't want to take the chance of discoloring the G10. This oil method worked great. It was a little slow but slow and clean is better than fast and dirty!

You wouldn't happen to know what dissolves loctite that is safe on things like G10/carbon fiber/micarta, would you?
 
Strange-ammonia has been used to strip floor wax for decades.
I guess it just doesn't work.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Strange-ammonia has been used to strip floor wax for decades.
I guess it just doesn't work.
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Floor waxes are commonly complex emulsions containing not only wax, but products like shellac and soaps. It's likely the ammonia is being used to attack those elements of the floor coating rather than the wax itself. If you were to take a piece of solid carnauba wax and put it in a bottle of ammonia it would not dissolve. It appears, for instance, as though ammonium palmitate is often used as an emulsifier in floor wax emulsions because of the fact that ammonia water will dissolve it, but it will form a hard, clear, and water-resistant coating when dry. So ammonia itself is ineffective on waxes, but may be used to advantage in some emulsions. As the wax in question was a nearly pure paraffinic wax, ammonium would do virtually nothing to it.
 
DanR217 said:
Science! Thank you! I was afraid of using mineral spirits because I didn't want to take the chance of discoloring the G10. This oil method worked great. It was a little slow but slow and clean is better than fast and dirty!

You wouldn't happen to know what dissolves loctite that is safe on things like G10/carbon fiber/micarta, would you?
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Gentle heat from a heat gun or hair dryer is usually sufficient for those purposes. However, as a chemical remover, some googling seems to indicate that Loctite is based on poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA -- the same polymer as plexiglass, also known as acrylic), which dissolves in ethyl acetate--a common solvent used in many nail polish removers due to its low toxicity and fruity aroma. I also see ethyl lactate being recommended by some sources as being especially low toxicity to humans and the environment. Acetone also works, and is actually used in the production of plexiglass as a precursor chemical. Loctite themselves makes a stripping compound they call "Chisel" that's mostly methylene chloride and would also work. All told, though, a high-strength nail polish remover of one kind or another will probably do the trick without damaging G10, and will be the easiest to source economically.
 
I'd just wax the whole handle. Not going to hurt it. G10 is pretty color fast and non absorbent. Micarta will discolor easier, so I usually rub a little car wax on micarta handles to keep them looking good longer.
 
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