Blue finish & Paste Wax....

S

Skans

New member
So, I did a little internet research and the consensus seems to be that Renaissance is the best paste wax, and overall the best protection for the finish on blued firearms.

But, I've got a tin of Johnson's paste wax that is still quite fresh. Is there any real difference between Renaissance and regular old Johnson's? Also, Renaissance is not stocked anywhere - I'd have to order it, which I'd rather not do right now.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Is Johnson's going to damage my gun in any way?
 
Sorry I can't answer your question directly but I just wanted to note that I bought a tin of Johnson's Paste Wax at a local Ace Hardware store - I just asked for it by name. That was less than a year ago near Atlanta. Good luck!

- whoops, just realized you said Ren wax wasn't stocked. Yeah I didn't find it either that's why I went with Johnsons. I used it on my blued Model 27-2 for a short while but then I discovered Eezox. But I wasn't going to do any super-long term storage anyways as the Model 27 is the Nightstand gun for HD.

The Johnsons paste wax did not harm my gun/bluing in any way. It looked nice. I didn't get it on the grips though so I'm not sure what would happen if you got any on an unfinished surface of wood grips. Only downside is that I chose not to use it on the checkered surface of my revolver or in deep grooves in the back strap because it was a pain to buff/wipe out the excess and would leave wax chunks. But excellent for the smooth parts. I suppose for ultimate protection if you don't need it to look pretty you could just apply it and let it dry without buffing off the excess and you'd have a pretty thick coating.
 
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It's good. Just be sure the wax doesn't have polishing compound/fine grit in it. Some waxes clean, polish and wax. Plain old Johnson's is what most people use.

I have Ren Wax. It's great and so fine you can even wax paper items with it.

Another one I have is Butcher's Bowling Alley wax.
"Great for Sculptures, Concrete, Countertops, Painted Surfaces, Metal, Copper and many other surfaces that need protection without discoloration."
 
Johnson's is fine for metal. Renaissance is derived from crude oil, Johnson's is a carnuba wax. The difference being that Renaissance is more stable, is clearer, and is a 'thinner' wax (i.e. it will adhere more precisely to the surface and forms a thinner more transparent layer). It's also non-acidic and resists acids, which was why it was originally developed. Another big advantage of Renaissance is that the resulting surface doesn't feel sticky or waxy.

But Johnson's won't hurt anything. You might want to do a spot test to determine if you like the resulting finish, and the feel of the wax.
 
Is there a difference?

I don't know.

But, I do know that I've used Johnson's with great effect on my guns for over 20 years now.
 
Rennaissance Wax was formulated for items that won't be handled a lot, and to be easy to wipe to a high shine. It's also expensive.
Paste wax is tougher, cheaper. Works great.
A tin of neutral paste shoe polish from the grocery store works wonderfully, is cheap, and lasts/wears well. This is what I use to finish expensive antique cutlery restorations.
 
I have used Renaissance Wax with great success not just on guns, but on a variety of items including leather holsters, knives and fountain pens. Also, even though it may be more expensive a little goes a long way. I believe the material is readily available from Brownells and Amazon.
 
Well it's settled - Johnson Paste Wax (or neutral shoe polish) is what I'm going to use! I have to say, this isn't the response I expected when I asked this question. I sort of expected that there would be one or two that say: "I used cheap paste wax on my Colt Python, and it not only ate through the bluing, but pitted the metal in 1 week". Glad that's not the case, I've got some fresh Johnson's just waiting to be used.
 
I started using Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax and I like it better than Turtle Wax.

Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax is more oily than Turtle Wax.

I waxed the slide on my G34 and I like it. It is easier to cycle the slide than if it had a light coat of oil on it. And it's more protected than if the slide were wiped completely dry.

The way I do this though is that I put a light coat of fairly thick oil on it first. I use Halvoline SAE 50 on the outside of the slide - just basically wiping down the slide with it. Then I wrap the pistol in cloth and let it sit over night. The next day I give it a wipe down with a dry cloth so I can't see the oil. The oil is still there... you can smell it and you can feel it with your fingers... it is in the pores of the finish. But anyway, then I apply the wax. The wax takes longer to dry because it's not being applied to a painted surface with a clear coat finish - it's being applied to a surface that's been oiled. So anyway the wax probably takes three times as long to dry as it would on a car, but it does dry. maybe the wax is acting as a wick to evaporate the chemicals in the oil that would dry up over time - I don't know. But anyway, I then polish it out with a cotton cloth and my slide has a fairly hydrophobic coating on top of the gun's finish.

Here is my Glock 17L buffed out with three coats of Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax on it.

attachment.php
 
The thing about using automotive waxes is that most contain abrasives-a BIG no-no for application on blued guns.

Renaissance Wax is a museum quality product for preserving and beautifying metal, wood and leather surfaces stored under controlled conditions. Is it expensive-a little but nothing hideous. Then again, a little goes a long, long way. How expensive are the guns you're working on?

Everybody must do what they feel is best but unless you're sure that the paste wax you are going to use on your gun is abrasive free, save it for your car, which is what it was intended for. If you're storing guns in an uncontrolled environment where moisture and rust can get to be an issue, there are products better than any wax such as Eezox, Birchwood Casey Sheath or RIG.

;)

Bruce
 
So, I did a little internet research and the consensus seems to be that Renaissance is the best paste wax, and overall the best protection for the finish on blued firearms.

But, I've got a tin of Johnson's paste wax that is still quite fresh. Is there any real difference between Renaissance and regular old Johnson's? Also, Renaissance is not stocked anywhere - I'd have to order it, which I'd rather not do right now.

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Is Johnson's going to damage my gun in any way?
Click to expand...

Renaissance is very highly thought of and may even be "better" than JPW for protecting blued guns, but JPW still works very well indeed.

I put a couple of coats on my blued Mauser sporter and hunted elk in Colorado for a week. The gun was exposed to rain, sleet and snow, temperature changes both fast and slow and didn't develop a speck of rust anywhere. It works great.
 
I find it interesting that Johnson simply tells you what they put in their paste wax. I've tried to do a little research on Renaissance Wax and only find articles telling you why its better but nothing about what its made of.

Anyway, after reading this thread and some of the links provided, I went ahead and coated several of my firearms with Johnson Paste Wax. One is a 1960 Colt Python; One a Colt SAA 1st Gen .45; a Remington 1858; an early '70's Hi-Power and a blued slide on another gun.

I was very pleased with the results on the Python, Hi-Power and Colt SAA. I'm sure it's protecting the 1858 as well, but it is in rougher condition and it wouldn't show smudges or finger prints anyway.
 
It's semi-synthetic and made from oil, but it's acid free. When you read the linked article, remember that it's written from the point of view of a museum and is about museum-quality preservation. Because Ren Wax is totally acid free it can be used on paper and leather and delicate items. And it doesn't yellow which is important when you have thousands of items sitting on shelves for decade after decade.

www.restorationproduct.com/renwaxinfo.html
 
Shoe polish is made to protect....... guess?? SHOES
Rennaissance Wax is made to protect stuff in museums.
Guess which one holds up better?
I have R/W, and use it occasionally. It's best attribute is that it buffs off nicely. It's not bad stuff, but it's not the end-all protectant that most people think.
Regular paste wax or neutral shoe polish works as well, or better, for gun use-and it's a lot cheaper.
 
but it's not the end-all protectant that most people think.
Click to expand...

That's true. I like it because of the finish that is produces. But I wouldn't expect it to hold up under a lot of handling or harsh conditions. Renaissance is meant for pieces that you want to preserve and present.
 
For people who show cars, or are obsessed with their car's looks, there are many different gradations of car wax from cleaner to "pure" polish.

Then there are gradations of "agressiveness" of cleaner waxes, everything from removing bits of tar (more aggressive) to just removing pollen and bugs (less aggresive).

I don't recomend just getting general car wax like turtle wax or something. Only the experts know where that falls on the scale - and whether or not it has some mild abrasives in it for cleaning or not. Nothing against Turtle Wax.

But Meguiar's (pronounced like McGuire), Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax is a pure polish with no abrasives at all in it. It's meant to be a final application wax and any abrasives would mark the previous surface treatment.

So anyway, it's completely abrasive free. It is composed of a blend of waxes and oils, and that's it.

Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus Paste Wax also has a neutral Ph.
 
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