Shopsmith Forums

RFGuy wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 8:41 am

JPG wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 7:46 am Trewax smells better!

Like trees, I'll bet?

No, it just is more pleasant.

That's my problem... I love the smell of JPW... Don't know why but I love it. Makes waxing the SS even more fun.

JPW probably smells better than model glue that we worked with as kids when we built model cars.

KCollins wrote: ↑Mon Nov 07, 2022 8:53 am That's my problem... I love the smell of JPW... Don't know why but I love it. Makes waxing the SS even more fun.

Kevin,

Yeah, I am the same. I like the initial smell of JPW when I first open the can...can't help not to because it is solvent inhalation euphoria (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/ne ... e/euphoria). Part of why I decided to buy another can of JPW online before it is no longer available anywhere. However, after the initial smell hits, then I remember that I am inhaling a strong solvent (and it isn't good for me). Having already burned out half of my sinuses over the years using woodworking finishes, I try to be more careful with exposure to it now, which is why I didn't want to heat up the "bad" can of JPW in the house/shop.

"It seems to me that Johnson's wax isn't worth the cost or hassle of keeping it in usable condition."

I don't understand that statement. I bought a can of JPW in 1956 and finally ran out about 10-15 years ago. It was always good. The replacement is still the same. Just kept it in an environment where it didn't freeze or get above 80.

db5 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:41 am "It seems to me that Johnson's wax isn't worth the cost or hassle of keeping it in usable condition."

I don't understand that statement. I bought a can of JPW in 1956 and finally ran out about 10-15 years ago. It was always good. The replacement is still the same. Just kept it in an environment where it didn't freeze or get above 80.

Same here...but mine has actually been in garages that get up to at least 100°F in the summertime. Never separated, though I know it is possible and could happen to anyone.

Sorry, it has taken me so long to do this experiment and report back, but it has been an unusually cold and wet past few months in the AZ desert thanks to La Niña. Finally got some warm, sunny weather to attempt this outside. As a reminder, I bought a can of SCJ paste wax from an online retailer, but on arrival it was a runny, lumpy mess similar in consistency to applesauce with a good portion of it leaking out during shipping. This is what I started with: Essentially the paste wax had fallen out of suspension as I believe it is an emulsion. The application of shear should allow it to reform the emulsion and a HW store paint mixer (shaker) would be ideal for this, but I don't have one. I thought I would try to use a paint stirrer chucked in my cordless drill so I did this for only 1 minute. I have never really liked the tin cans as they are hard to open and this one had already leaked so I wasn't sure it would seal air tight anymore so after mixing I transferred the mixture to an HDPE container. I use these HDPE containers a lot in my shop for mixing up custom wood finishes, particularly the strongly caustic ones like I use for aging cherry. The result turned out well, or so I thought at first. All lumps were gone and I had a smooth consistent finish that seemed to set nicely. I left it overnight and checked it the next day, even turning it upside down and it didn't move one bit. However, when I tried to scoop some out, it was still too runny for my taste and not matching what I was used to for SJC paste wax. Perhaps if I had continued for longer than 1 minute, it might have fully emulsified. Anyway, here is what it looked like after the paint stirrer method: The paint stirrer method is messy so I didn't really want to revisit it again to try a longer process time...So, I decided to try the methods (shear through the application of heat) that Erik and Robert used successfully, but unfortunately I did it a more risky way, i.e. don't try this at home kids. IF I had an old toaster oven not used for food anymore that would have been ideal, but I don't. What I do have is a camping stove. With an abundance of caution and a fire extinguisher nearby, I turned on my camp stove to low. It was hard to keep it on low without the wind blowing it out, but I persevered and timed 5 minutes for the procedure. Periodically I stirred the mixture and hoped for the best. This is what my setup looked like and yes I was well away from any potential flammable objects (just in case): And we're cooking with gas...liquefication in progress. This is what it looked like after 5 minutes and pouring it back into the HDPE. Note it did start to smoke a few times and I had to turn the burner down more. Jetboil camping stoves are known for boiling water very fast, but not known for going slow. About an hour later it seemed to have cooled and set nicely so I decided to check it. Below is what it looks like now. Sorry, the sun was setting so not full light on it to see but it looks more like the original SJC paste wax now. I tested it and the consistency is smooth but thicker and firm as one would expect of SJC paste wax typically. Going to call this one done at this point and move on. I especially like it in the new HDPE container and will enjoy using it more as it will be easy to screw/unscrew the lid to use it. Fortunately it didn't flash so I didn't have a fire to put out, but at least I was outdoors and prepared just in case. Anyway, posting this to confirm what others have reported for dealing with applesauce paste wax. I might move all of my paste wax into HDPE containers going forward so this experiment was definitely fruitful for me.

I appreciate all the feedback leading up to this.

Does it say on the can where it was made?

Robert,

Yeah, it was made in Mexico.

I had an idea, but that sort of kills it. My old (years) wax is made in Mexico.