Bingo, this is from the company that makes Ren wax:
> Dear Larry
thanks for the e-mail.Renaissance should not be applied over the oil, you
are right in saying that. Yes you should clean the oil off with mineral
spirit first before using the wax. If you were to apply the wax over the
top of the oil (or anything else that had been used ) you would merely be
sealing in the resulting problems that occur eventually, under the wax
layer.
As a good illustration we often mention the Wallace collection at
Somerset House. Many years ago, a new curator took over the task of
looking after the collection of the edged weapons there. He discovered
that the entire collection had always been looked after with oils which
by nature attract dirt. He wrote to us , after having cleaned off the oil
and using Renaissance wax instead, that the maintenance programme needed
previously was no longer necessary.
Whatever you use to clean the wood / metal parts, make sure that all
traces of the product are removed before waxing and that the item is 100%
dry aswell.
Call our office if you need more help.
Michelle
I just bought a can of your Renaissance wax and I would like to know if
> there is any special type of preparation needed when applying to shotgun
> barrels, actions and stocks. Can it be applied right over existing oil
> or should the oil be removed with something like mineral spirits or
> Isopropyl Alcohol or does it really matter?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Larry
>
