doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Wax For Gun Stocks

Hi all, kind of a follow up post to one I made earlier.

Anyway, always looking for a good wax to give my stocks a sheen. I've used Johnsons, Trewax, Howards. Trewax is good, better IMO than the others. But I did try one today that really gave the stock a great sheen and made the grain really pop out. The wax I used was: Meguiar's Gold Class Carnauba Plus. It's a car wax, but sure does work nice, easy on and off. Didn't scratch or hurt the finish (it is after all a wax).

So....has anyone else used this wax, if so were the results the same as I got?

If you care to, what wax do you all use?

Thanks and all the best!

Greg

No wax but I do use Wilbert's Lemon Oil on my gun stocks from time to time.

I am in the wax camp as well. IMO: A good hard paste wax is the best way to give your gun some real protection. One I have used with good success is Flitz's Gun Wax.
Jim

Seems to me a car wax such as Greg used would by its very nature be more durable than most household wax products.

I said it on your other thread, I'll say it again here: RENAISSANCE WAX.

It's a tad pricey, but you owe it to yourself and your guns to get a little tub(jar?) of this and try it out on a gun you own, maybe one that hasn't been waxed before. I guarentee you won't be disappointed, in fact you'll be over the moon with joy.

I apologize for this, but to detour this thread a bit, have any of you used your favorite wax on a gun that orignally had a plain rubbed oil finish? The wood being rich, but more dulled than shiny. Is it OK to wax over such a finish?

Agreed on Renaissance Wax. Great product for protecting and spiffing up the looks of old wood. But if you are going to take a nice old gun out in what may be rough weather conditions, you can also use a high quality automobile wax on both wood and metal, like Collinite automobile wax. I have used in for over 10 years to protect guns before going duck hunting. Better by far than oil. The few splashes of salt water or freezing rain over the years never had a chance to do any damage. The automotive wax provided great protection.

What would you use to remove the car wax if you wanted to freshen up the stock finish?

Unless you're using real wax...pure bees wax or carnauba, which are actually basic to some oldtime stock finishes....virtually every product sold as "wax" today contains oil. Either good old Pennsylvania crude (petroleum) or synthetic (silicone).

I don't want either oil in my wood.

If you have a proper finish, wax is unecessary. If you find wax is necessary to protect your wood, you don't have a proper finish.

JMO.

Greg: Ken Eversull once told me old-fashioned Johnson paste wax was as good as anything. I don't really wax my stocks, but rather just rub in a tiny bit of boiled linseed oil with my fingers from time to time. I have, however, used Renniasance wax on rainy days, where I take a little bit with a Q-tip and place it at wood to metal fit areas where I don't want water to penetrate, such as around the locks. I think this may just be giving me a false sense of security, but I do it anyway. D Trevallion once told me Best guns with perfect wood to metal fit are pretty much waterproof except at triggers????? I once put some Reniss wax on a stock and it didn't look real good. I wonder too if dirt and grime couldn't stick to it also?? I prefer to just occasionally rub in TINY amounts of the boiled linseed oil to an oil finished stock, which is what I assume you are referring to.

The latter (highlighted) is especially deleterious to subsequent finishing. Someone said recently that every gun eventually is sold, and that you should keep that in mind when work is done on them. Unless a cased collector piece, I could see most stocks needing a little TLC over their lifetimes. 40 years of woodworking has solidified a conviction that wood and wax go together like oil and water. For the sake of the next guy, leave waxing to the moon.

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