What wax?

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
Growing up, we always used Johnsons paste wax for about everything. Some kind of wax with mineral spirits solvent. Wondering, what kind of wax is it?

On my cars, I use ( used to as modern high tech stuff) carnauba wax.

A lot is said for bees wax. Can't go without my Snow Seal on my boots! In a solvent of some type.

There is paraffin wax. I keep a fat candle for my planes and saws. I think it can be dissolved in solvents/oils to a paste.

Some have lemon or orange extracts. A lot have no hint to what is in them.

What wax is preferable for wood finishing over/with various oils. BLO usually. Don't care about "food safe". I don't eat my saw handles or side tables.

Wondering if the modern automotive "ceramic" magic waxes would be better on our tool tables. I use them on my fiberglass shower stall and it does make cleaning easier. I have yet to test on ceramic tiles and grout but it makes sense as long as no cleaner or white residue.
 

Echd

C
User
I heard they were discontinuing Johnson's Paste Wax. Anybody else heard that?

I've heard that but I don't know if it's true. I still see it on store shelves here and I first heard the rumor a good while back. Maybe it was just covid availability causing a scare?

If JPW does become unobtainable I suspect some automotive wax could serve the same purpose. Carnauba may be a little "hard" but possibly softened with mineral spirits. I've used a lot of different waxes for casting bullets and one of the most common mixes people use is JPW thinned with mineral spirits. The difference in hardness between JPW and some of the other common waxes was notable and probably would effect the ease of use that JPW is so popular for.

Maybe beeswax and mineral oil thinned to a proper consistency could be a good stopgap?
 

mdbuntyn

Matt
Staff member
Corporate Member
Nearly all of the homebrew recipes I've seen use beeswax, and some of them add a small amount of carnauba for extra durability.

I did a quick search, and I've seen several instances of people claiming that they were told by SC Johnson customer support that the paste wax was discontinued
 

Strom

New User
Strom
Growing up, we always used Johnsons paste wax for about everything. Some kind of wax with mineral spirits solvent. Wondering, what kind of wax is it?

On my cars, I use ( used to as modern high tech stuff) carnauba wax.

A lot is said for bees wax. Can't go without my Snow Seal on my boots! In a solvent of some type.

There is paraffin wax. I keep a fat candle for my planes and saws. I think it can be dissolved in solvents/oils to a paste.

Some have lemon or orange extracts. A lot have no hint to what is in them.

What wax is preferable for wood finishing over/with various oils. BLO usually. Don't care about "food safe". I don't eat my saw handles or side tables.

Wondering if the modern automotive "ceramic" magic waxes would be better on our tool tables. I use them on my fiberglass shower stall and it does make cleaning easier. I have yet to test on ceramic tiles and grout but it makes sense as long as no cleaner or white residue.
JPW is woodworking friendly as it has no silicones. Watch that car wax!! If you ever introduce silicone into your shop, you can forget finishing wood unless you use anti fisheye .
 

cyclopentadiene

Update your profile with your name
User
You should not use the silicone waxes directly on your car either. Details garage teaches a great buffingand polishing class in Concord where you learn paint correction and waxing. They teach the use of different compound formulations to take out imperfections and proper machine waxing technique. I practiced on my 20 year old truck before my car and it worked great. All of the Chemical Guys waxes are Carnauba based. They are easy to apply and easy to strip.

Leave the silicones for the rubber and plastic. Works great on tires

Next. I want to use the car polishing techniques for woodworking projects.
 

HITCH-

Hitch
Corporate Member
I stopped using carnuba wax as part of my Beall Buff Setup when I learned that water can leave white spots on carnuba wax. I now use beeswax instead.
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
On my last project (river table) I used OSMO, which is a finishing wax; this was the first time I had ever used the product and I was very pleased with the outcome. It is somewhat expensive, but a little bit goes a long way.

I too have an old can of JPW, which I use to protect metal surfaces in the shop, everything from the top of the table saw to the soles of my hand planes. Ironically, now that I think about it, I have never used JPW directly on a wood surface.
 

tvrgeek

Scott
Corporate Member
No one has any idea what was in JPW?

On cars, there are the new generations of "ceramic" waxes. Won't burn. Easier and more durable than carnauba.
 

NOTW

Notw
Senior User
if JPW is going away as the rumor suggest what is a good substitute? I use JPW to wax my hand tools and cast iron tools
 

drw

Donn
Corporate Member
No one has any idea what was in JPW?

On cars, there are the new generations of "ceramic" waxes. Won't burn. Easier and more durable than carnauba.
JPW - Johnson’s Paste Wax, the product and abbreviation was used earlier in the thread.
 

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