Shopsmith Forums

Robert,

Yeah, I bought one can of SCJ online, just to have a backup before I couldn't get it anymore. It came like applesauce and there was wax leaking all out of the can and box on arrival. It was a real mess. I lost maybe 20% of the product during shipping. There was absolutely no padding around the product in shipment so it got dented. The company was great about it and sent another can for free to replace it. With better packing this time, the second can arrived undamaged and was what I expect for SCJ paste wax consistency. Both cans were manufactured in Mexico. Glad I could salvage the first can so I didn't have to waste it and now it is in a better container for easy access.

Mexico for the last several years.

Mexico for the last several decades.

My oldest can I bought in the mid 1980's is labeled from Mexico.

Okay, final shot. This is what it looks like now in the noon day sun so easier to see it. It is a firm paste now like all of the prior SCJ paste wax I have bought in the past.

I have had to reconstitute my can of TreWax a couple of times, dropped the can during cold weather and the wax shattered. To avoid the risk of over heating, and fire, I put the can in a pot with an inch or so of water in it, and heated it on the stove over with a fairly low heat.

rpd wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:08 pm I have had to reconstitute my can of TreWax a couple of times, dropped the can during cold weather and the wax shattered. To avoid the risk of over heating, and fire, I put the can in a pot with an inch or so of water in it, and heated it on the stove over with a fairly low heat.

Ron,

Thanks. I was mainly trying to keep the solvent fumes out of my house though. Doesn't it bother you to smell the solvent in your house? Maybe it is just me, but I find the smell of SJC paste wax a bit addictive so I try to keep the lid off for only a short time in the shop. When I looked it up, I discovered that solvent inhalation euphoria is a known medical condition (see links below). Maybe the type of solvent in either SJC or TreWax doesn't cause any issues other than the smell in the house, or perhaps it would take inhaling A LOT of it to affect one's health. I agree it is a serious concern to heat it up as I did. IF one wants to do it outside as I did perhaps using an old toaster oven or a camp stove like I did with a pot of water on it is the smarter path. I don't know if I am making too much of this issue or not, but after inhaling too much poly fumes over the years I am always careful now to use a respirator in the shop when I do finishes to save what is left of my sinus cavities. I just don't want to expose my family to solvent fumes. Whatever method one chooses for this, I highly recommend the best ventilation you can use for it as a precaution. Thanks again for the feedback.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/ne ... e/euphoria

https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/20 ... addictive.

rpd wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 5:08 pm... I put the can in a pot with an inch or so of water in it, and heated it on the stove over with a fairly low heat.

You shouldn't need to heat the pot with the wax in it. Heat the water, take the pot off the stove and put the can in the hot water. The water should have enough residual heat to melt the wax.

I didn't get it hot enough to boil the water, and took it off burner (electric) once the wax had mostly melted. Heating in a water bath just makes it easier to not overheat the wax (can't get over 212 deg) My sense of smell is not very acute, I don't find the smell of the solvent unpleasant, but I am not "sniffing" it either.

Hey... RFGuy... Great experiment. Thanks for seeing it through. I'm very curious bout the HDPE containers you have. Where did you find those? Got a link?

KCollins wrote: ↑Thu Feb 02, 2023 12:04 pm Hey... RFGuy... Great experiment. Thanks for seeing it through. I'm very curious bout the HDPE containers you have. Where did you find those? Got a link?

Kevin,

Thanks. Yeah, I really like these. I found them on Amazon. The description doesn't say it, but in the Q&A and according to the recycling code on them they are supposed to be HDPE. I have put some caustic (aging finishes) in them and no leaks so 99% sure they are HDPE.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CR ... UTF8&psc=1