Do you wax your rods?

[Mister Bill]

With what?

How often?

I have an unopened bottle of Casey's Gun Stock Wax. Can anyone endorse that?

Bill

[bulldog1935]

probably fine.
I use Butcher's bowling alley wax and probably wax my rods once/year

[rsagebrush]

Renaissance Polish, Wonderful stuff, used by Museums.

[dale]

Ugh, I thought there was a recent thread about this, which had a bunch of opposing views.

viewtopic.php?f=65&t=61982

Dale

[BambooNut]

I use Johnson's Paste Wax. It's something to do while watching the Bronco's.

[DT4F]

With what?

How often?

I have an unopened bottle of Casey's Gun Stock Wax. Can anyone endorse that?

Bill

I also use Casey's Gun Stock Wax, although it contains silicone, which we are to avoid using on bamboo rods. Not sure why.
Doc

[Pfphantom Pfisherman]

No. I did one time using Renaissance Wax.

The first time I used the rod, after waxing, my friend and I got
caught in a downpour. After waiting it out and enjoying
some fishing, I looked at the ole Granger Champion 8642
and it looked like a Pollack oil in reddish-caramel color and
a milky white! Yuk!!

Just wipe 'em down really well with a soft cloth. Just me.

[Hellmtflies]

I used to wax my rods with Butcher's too until I was cursed by a notable rod maker. His concern was that varnish needs to breath. Once you place wax over the varnish that halts the exchange of air and gases and moisture. Also, having the wax build up was a nasty issue to deal with when making a repair. It apparently creates a mess while trying to remove old varnish if needed and replace it with the new coat. I have stopped the practice of waxing rods.

[Flyman615]

Keep in mind, not all paste waxes are created equal. Some can and do soften varnish.

If you decide to use a brand not recommended in this thread, you might want to test it on an "expendable" rod section or two first.

FWIW, I have also used Johnson's Paste Wax in the yellow, black and red tin for years without a problem.

Scott

[flyfishingpastor]

I used to use Butcher's, but like Mark, I had a builder tell me to just wipe it down after each use and let it dry completely and then leave it alone - unless you have a scratch that goes down to the cane and then touch it up with spar varnish (what he used).

Pat

[Flykuni3]

Like Scott, I'm still on a can of yellow, 15 years old, don't use much. Esp on impreg'd rods, mostly for the wraps -- had rodmaker tell me tht cracking could be avoided by wax use, so I do. But once a year is about it. Also believe it helps to clean the rod of dust, dirt, etc., and lubes ferrules.

[bvandeuson]

With what?

How often?

I have an unopened bottle of Casey's Gun Stock Wax. Can anyone endorse that?

Bill

I also use Casey's Gun Stock Wax, although it contains silicone, which we are to avoid using on bamboo rods. Not sure why.
Doc

The concern with silicone is any trace of it will "fish eye" (leave little round divots) when applying fresh finish. Any good exterior finish should stand on its own...just dry and wipe the rod off before putting away.

BB

[GrassSticks]

Like Mark said. Used to use Butcher's Wax but not after I got a nasty *ss chewing. I just wipe them down really well and let dry.

Although I will apply Tung oil and buff out my impregnated rods once a year.

[fisherman911]

Well, my Grandmother and Mother applied Butchers wax to all their varnished furniture and hardwood floors for at least the last 80 years with no ill effect. I have waxed all my cane rods, especially the Orvis impregnated ones, for the last 40 years with no ill effect. Art Weiler, who I highly respect as a knowledgeable rod builder specify told me to apply a coat of good wax to his rods at least once a year. So I will continue to do so because it seems to work plus it is a fun thing to do on a cold winter night.

[Greg Reynolds]

I've used Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Wax, a silicone, carnauba & beeswax blend on all of my guns and rods (impregnated, varnished & oil-finished) since the early 1980s and like it. I mostly use it as a cleaner, and it's much easier to apply and remove than paste waxes I've tried. There's no way it will hurt varnish and I've only had excellent results using it.

My rods are typically waxed multiple times a year, mostly during the hot weather months. My double gun get waxed after every use. Ruffed grouse guns go through a lot of rough cover getting very cruddy in the process, and the Birchwood Casey wax really helps with the cleaning.

Three of the impregnated rods have gone back to Orvis for ferrules and wraps. I notified the rod shop of the silicone use each time--they've been unconcerned and the rods come back as-new. The ferrules of my polyurethane-finished rod were reset without varnish problems. I refinished the stock of my Savage model 1899 rifle without fisheyes occurring. For that matter. I've refinished quite a few pieces of antique furniture that have been waxed with silicone-based products without problems.

Angling products such as fly floatants and line dressings contain silicone. It's hard to escape anyway.

I'm not arguing that silicone won't cause fisheyes if not completely removed during a refinish, just reporting my experiences...

[PYochim]

Just wipe 'em down really well with a soft cloth. Just me.

Me too!!!!

[bamboocollector11]

I use Butchers to wax the rods when I get around to waxing them.


Ed

[Mister Bill]

I inquired about Casey's because I live in a small town and have access to it.

What about Casey's Stock Sheen?

Could Butcher's be found at a hardware store or furniture store, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc?


Bill

[Tim Anderson]

For what it's worth, I put a coat of Trewax paste wax (my cans of it are almost antique) as the last, finishing step on every rod I make. If I need to do anything later on such a rod, I just wipe it down with a piece of paper towel dampened with alcohol. The alcohol take off any wax and doesn't seem to do anything to the finish. Of course, since I finish my rods with Gorilla Glue, I can't say what effect the bit of alcohol would have on "normal" varnish.

Tim

[DrLogik]

Yes. With Towntalk orange wax. Wonderful smell!