pipemakersforum.com

Quick question. What kind of store would customarily stock carnauba wax and the different types of buffing wheels generally used by the pipe-making community. Home Depot probably has the buffing but what about the wax? Thanks

I got my carnuba, brown trip., & white buffing compound all at Woodcraft. They are local for me and have lots of locations. Check out their website:

www.woodcraft.com

bscofield wrote:I got my carnuba, brown trip., & white buffing compound all at Woodcraft. They are local for me and have lots of locations. Check out their website:

www.woodcraft.com

Yep, they are a *great* source for many things, including small carving gouges, chip knives, needle files, hardwoods, etc. There's one in most major cities or in outlying areas.

Best,

Todd

I order my buffing compounds from Lee Valley tools.

Random- I would try using denatured alcohol rather than isopropyl alcohol.

Random,

As far as I know there is no reason to break up the flakes. Of course, this will facilitate dissolving, but it's not such a big deal that I would risk contaminating it with anything that might be on your hands.

Mixing with Isopropyl is probably the biggest no-no. Isopropyl has an alcohol content of about 45-55%, not nearly enough to use for this application. That may explain the incompleteness of dissolving. So, try some denatured alcohol next time (95-98% grain alcohol) or everclear if you are a purist. That will help you dissolve the flakes much more thoroughly and quickly.

I can't remember the proportions off-hand, but check with shellac.net for that info.

The cloudiness may also be attributed to the kind of shellac that you purchased. I use extra-blonde, or whatever their lightest stuff is. Having never purchased anything from woodcraft, I don't know what they carry, but shellac.net has an excellent selection, the best I've seen by far, great customer service, and quick shipping.

Hope this helps.

Jeff

Hey Random,

Beleive it or not I got my denatured alcohol at Wal-Mart and it was the quart size. I found it where they sell the paint thinner products. I think I paid like $2.50 for it.

achduliebe wrote:Hey Random,

Beleive it or not I got my denatured alcohol at Wal-Mart and it was the quart size. I found it where they sell the paint thinner products. I think I paid like $2.50 for it.

Yeah, pretty much every hardware store I've ever been in, Ace, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. has it in quart sizes. If you're operating out of a van though, you may just want to go to the local liquor store and get a flask sized bottle of Grain Alcahol, what we call PGA in the south. It's probably only $5 and you can keep it in your pocket at all times if you've no place to store it.

Todd

Just about any store that sells paint supplies should carry denatured alcohol. Some states do not sell everclear (grain alcohol), but I have successfully used this as well.

Just a couple of observations.

The Carnuba wax from Woodcraft appears to be a bit harder and more durable than others I have used.

I have had the best results finishing a rusticated pipe by chucking a 1/2" dia. round, stiff bristle brush in the lathe and applying wax with this. It gets into the recesses and levels the wax to a reasonable degree.
I follow this by applying dewaxed shellac ( ultra blonde, thinned to a 1 lb. cut) on top of the wax with a brush. The alcohol appears to disolve the wax and combines it with the shellac, resulting in an even uniform finish.
The gloss can be increased with a second application of shellac if desired.

Mike