Shopsmith Forums

beeg wrote:Johnson's paste wax seems to work well on a snow shovel to. To keep snow from sticking to it.

I found a can of it at a local Menards of the way home from work today. I plan on using it tomorrow and see if there is any improvement over what I have used.

BPR

I do not waste Johnson Paste Wax on my snow shovel since snow hasn't stuck to it since 1987 when I returned from an assignment in Alaska! I prefer to let the local snow removal procedure take care of the snow that piles up in my driveway - - WAIT UNTIL IT MELTS! :D That usually takes no more than a couple of hours. The last time this area had snow that accumulated was in 1985!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Actually, in 1985 there was more snow on the ground here than in Anchorage for a few days (13" here - took about three days for it do melt). In Anchorage we only had about 6" at the time.

fixit wrote:I do not waste Johnson Paste Wax on my snow shovel since snow hasn't stuck to it since 1987 when I returned from an assignment in Alaska! I prefer to let the local snow removal procedure take care of the snow that piles up in my driveway - - WAIT UNTIL IT MELTS! :D That usually takes no more than a couple of hours. The last time this area had snow that accumulated was in 1985!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Actually, in 1985 there was more snow on the ground here than in Anchorage for a few days (13" here - took about three days for it do melt). In Anchorage we only had about 6" at the time.

Fixit
I will one up you. I have my old aluminum snow shovel sitting in the garage. It has been there since I moved to Florida and I have never had to even think about using it. I keep my old down jacket and the snow shovel to remind me of the good old days.

Beeg, Thanks for the comment on waxing the snow shovel. We do get our share of snow in Colorado and I'll be able to try that idea today.

Since today was a nice day and it was time to wax the cast iron tables on my bandsaw and scroll saw, I decided to conduct an "experiment" with the paste wax I normally use and Johnson's Original Paste Wax. After removing any previous wax residue using mineral spirits and a rag, I followed up by buffing both surfaces with first a green and then a black Scotch-Brite until both tops were nice and shiny. I made sure that surfaces temperatures of both tops were the same by exposing both to sunlight for the same amount of time. Table thicknesses are the same. I applied the same amount of wax to each table and then buffed out both surfaces using a clean cloth towel, made of the same material, for each surface until there was no visible residue left. Then I used a 1" inch 2x4 cutoff, set on the end grain, and using a rubber band stretched between two nails drew it back and snapped it against the 2x4 and measured the distance travelled. The top treated by the Johnson's proved to have a lot less resistance than the top that was treated with the paste wax I normally use.

In this thread I expressed some skepticism about using furniture paste wax other than Johnson's. After today, I am convinced that the Johnson's Original Formula Paste Wax is superior to the wax I have used in the past.

You also have to remember that most furniture wax is made "for furniture" (wood) and nothing else.

Johnson's is made for more than just wood, but for metals and plastics also. That's why is works so well on protecting woodworking equipment.

One other thing I discovered: don't throw the rags in with the wash or you willbe forced to rewash the whole load again as I had to do at the request of "the Boss". Oh well, another lesson learned!:rolleyes:

BPR

ryanbp01 wrote:One other thing I discovered: don't throw the rags in with the wash or you willbe forced to rewash the whole load again as I had to do at the request of "the Boss". Oh well, another lesson learned!:rolleyes:

BPR

That's one of the reasons I now use ONLY those blue shop towels! They can be thrown out. They are used for every wiping and washing job in my shop. Besides. they are pretty inexpensive at Wal-Mart.