Storage for a Longsword
Jul 21, 2023 13:40:00 GMT
Post by mrstabby on Jul 21, 2023 13:40:00 GMT
I did a bit of testing with RenWax.
I used SK5 cutter blades.
1 - Rust can grow underneath and over time break through the wax seal. I left a few spots and they seem to have grown a bit, not in width only in height (and probably debth).
2 - Oil residue messes with the wax, it won't fully harden and I could wipe it away with relative ease the next day. This blade was almost dripping oil though. My guess a bit of oil residue is ok and you don't need to use alcohol or acetone to wipe the blade first, a dry tissue is enough, but if you want to be sure, use some solvent.
3 - Heating makes a big difference. I used a hair dryer to warm the blade a minute or so after application (I tried it today on the unheated blade, application was 5 days ago, it didn't want to make the same nice finish, so there is a time component), you can see the wax flowing and making a more uniform coating. The next day the unheated wax still looks a bit more milky and streaky compared to the heated sample. The heated sample also feels more resistant to scratching the wax away and water runs off much smoother than on the unheated sample. On the heated sample the rust looks to be covered in a thin layer while on the unheated one the rust seemed to have sucked up the wax and looks pretty dry (the rust patches on the unheated sample were bigger, might just be the size).
I used SK5 cutter blades.
1 - Rust can grow underneath and over time break through the wax seal. I left a few spots and they seem to have grown a bit, not in width only in height (and probably debth).
2 - Oil residue messes with the wax, it won't fully harden and I could wipe it away with relative ease the next day. This blade was almost dripping oil though. My guess a bit of oil residue is ok and you don't need to use alcohol or acetone to wipe the blade first, a dry tissue is enough, but if you want to be sure, use some solvent.
3 - Heating makes a big difference. I used a hair dryer to warm the blade a minute or so after application (I tried it today on the unheated blade, application was 5 days ago, it didn't want to make the same nice finish, so there is a time component), you can see the wax flowing and making a more uniform coating. The next day the unheated wax still looks a bit more milky and streaky compared to the heated sample. The heated sample also feels more resistant to scratching the wax away and water runs off much smoother than on the unheated sample. On the heated sample the rust looks to be covered in a thin layer while on the unheated one the rust seemed to have sucked up the wax and looks pretty dry (the rust patches on the unheated sample were bigger, might just be the size).
This is interesting to me because in the manual it says pre-heating the object makes it harder to apply because heat drives off the solvent, but, like eastman said, the pros say you should. In all heating after application (I forgot to do it beforehand) seems to make a more durable layer.
I might do it again with pictures when I find my USB microscope. All of this is just very superficial, but the heated wax does feel different.