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Beeswax Or Armor All?


Maurizio

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I have both of these things in my house. Between the 2, which would be better to use on my modern resin pens?

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Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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Resin? None. If you'd have said wood, beeswax. Usually they have a clear layer over the resin to protect them.

 

If you really want to do something, use beeswax, it's super neutral.

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I agree that the bees was would be the better option. Maybe even carnauba wax used in car waxes would be good. You might end up with a slippery pen though.

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Why? Because wax can ruin the resin, or, because wax may have a tendancy through contact with ones' fingers to migrate down onto the nib, or some other reason?

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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Meguire's Scratch-X (found in the auto section of WalMart, auto supply stores and on line) is popular amongst many MB owners for removing slight surface scratches on resin. Plus I think it does provide a nominal protective layer.

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That's a nice tip aardvarkbark. I'll look for it. Do you happen to know its ingredients - eg carnuba wax, some type of Armour All-like acrylic etc?

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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It´s not a good idea to use any kind of wax on a FP.

 

That is IMO over reaching.

 

There are pen specific waxes/polishes that are just fine for pens.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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That is IMO over reaching.

 

There are pen specific waxes/polishes that are just fine for pens.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

That's what I thought - and my post assumes so. I've seen several posts discussing polishes and waxes. My question is simply can I use something I've already got in the house for a secondary purpose as a pen polish/protector?

 

Scratch-X is something I'll look into and I'm curious what its ingredients are, Maybe this weekend I'll stop into my local Wal-Mart.

Edited by Maurizio

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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Beeswax contains fatty acids that will eventually turn copper or brass green. I have not tried Armor All and have no idea what is in it.

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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Car detailers won't use armor all-

In all honestly- nothing works too

Just wipe down with a damp cloth and call it a day

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That is IMO over reaching.

 

There are pen specific waxes/polishes that are just fine for pens.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

 

I reached the point some time ago where I disagree, which is why I quit using Carnauba wax. Carnauba wax has natural acids in it. You want to avoid contact with acid with some of the resins and celluloid in particular. There have been studies by conservators discussing the difficulty of removing materials like Renaissance wax. The consensus that has developed over the last few years that it's better if you don't use any wax on pens. Hard rubber has some wiggle room, maybe. But not plastics.

 

The only polishes that I recommend using, and use myself, are ones that contain an abrasive and water only, no solvents, no waxes. The results are spectacular.

 

Now - Armor All. There are many who won't use it at all. Don't ask for documentation, but I've seen articles that say that it actually causes damage to vinyl and rubber. I don't use it. I certainly wouldn't use it on a pen at all. Using something because it's handy has cause a lot of damage to pens. I get to see it and clean up the mess, which is another reason why I'm cautious about what I use.

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There was a craze a while ago in the fly fishing community to Armor All the PVC fly-lines, the glass or graphite rod blanks & even the lin guides, in an effort to cast farther.

I have ruined a couple of top quality $70.00 + fly lines using this product.

One of them almost melted from this stuff. :(

 

We later learned that improving our fly casting skills can lengthen the distance we want to cast, not applying a gimmicky cleaner.

 

In my experience, I've found Armor All very difficult to remove, without using undue friction or harsh chemicals.

I would not recommend it for any pen material.

 

I have a question for Ron Z:

What do you think of the polishing cloths that have two sides (yellow & red), the yellow side a plain polishing cloth, the red side impregnated with some form of oily micro grit?

I'm hesitant in using the red side on any of my pens (molded or machined resin & Celluloid) in case it has some jeweller's rouge in it.

*Sailor 1911S, Black/gold, 14k. 0.8 mm. stub(JM) *1911S blue "Colours", 14k. H-B "M" BLS (PB)

*2 Sailor 1911S Burgundy/gold: 14k. 0.6 mm. "round-nosed" CI (MM) & 14k. 1.1 mm. CI (JM)

*Sailor Pro-Gear Slim Spec. Ed. "Fire",14k. (factory) "H-B"

*Kaweco SPECIAL FP: 14k. "B",-0.6 mm BLS & 14k."M" 0.4 mm. BLS (PB)

*Kaweco Stainless Steel Lilliput, 14k. "M" -0.7 mm.BLS, (PB)

 

 

 

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I reached the point some time ago where I disagree, which is why I quit using Carnauba wax. Carnauba wax has natural acids in it. You want to avoid contact with acid with some of the resins and celluloid in particular. There have been studies by conservators discussing the difficulty of removing materials like Renaissance wax. The consensus that has developed over the last few years that it's better if you don't use any wax on pens. Hard rubber has some wiggle room, maybe. But not plastics.

 

The only polishes that I recommend using, and use myself, are ones that contain an abrasive and water only, no solvents, no waxes. The results are spectacular.

 

Now - Armor All. There are many who won't use it at all. Don't ask for documentation, but I've seen articles that say that it actually causes damage to vinyl and rubber. I don't use it. I certainly wouldn't use it on a pen at all. Using something because it's handy has cause a lot of damage to pens. I get to see it and clean up the mess, which is another reason why I'm cautious about what I use.

 

What about jeweler's rouge or one of the mild abrasives intended for use on plastics?

 

Personally, I don't believe in polishing pens. The little mars on pens I have used for thirty or forty years I accept. Where I have several midnight blue Parker 51s, the particular little mars on the one I bought new in 1970 help me to identify it if it gets mixed up with the others of the 51 lot.

"Don't hurry, don't worry. It's better to be late at the Golden Gate than to arrive in Hell on time."
--Sign in a bar and grill, Ormond Beach, Florida, 1960.

 

 

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Thanks for the comments. They're informative. I thought Armor All protected and extended the life of vinyl and plastics. I'm going to do a little research on this but not use it on my pens.

 

And the consensus is that natural waxes, which contain acids, will damage pen resins?

 

Is there anything which can be applied to resin pens to create a protective coating?

The prizes of life are never to be had without trouble - Horace
Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much - Pascal

You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream - C.S. Lewis

 Favorite shop:https://www.fountainpenhospital.com

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Beeswax contains fatty acids that will eventually turn copper or brass green. I have not tried Armor All and have no idea what is in it.

 

No, I have a bass guitar with brass frets that I need to treat with beeswax once in a while. Been doing that for over 7 years, still no oxidation.

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No, I have a bass guitar with brass frets that I need to treat with beeswax once in a while. Been doing that for over 7 years, still no oxidation.

It turns to green cheese on the brass rivets of my hunting knives and on my brass candlesticks.

Can a calculator understand a cash register?

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All:

 

Carnuba or other paste wax preparations made for household and industrial uses are not pure carnuba wax. If they are a soft solid, paste, or liquid then they contains solvents or liquids to soften the wax for easy application. Pure carnuba wax is a very hard solid wax. I have a can of carnuba wax for wood floors, furniture, etc. It contains mineral spirits, which are distilled and refined from petroleum. Mineral spirit is not one material, it is a family of many materials with varying compositions and blends.

 

I would not trust a wax or anything else on fine resins or even ebonite or wood pens. I do not think pure carnuba wax is much of a threat (but it might be), it is the other additives to the wax that I would not use. Carnuba wax comes from a plant, so you do not know what it contains either.

 

I would stick with what has worked best for others. And use only products sold by reputable people specifically for use with fine pens. Even beeswax is a natural wax that is made by bees in their bodies, and thus has a complex organic chemical makeup. I would only trust it if others have used it for years without problems.

 

The green on brass that is in contact with leather usually comes from the chrome tanned leather, which has residues left over from the chromic acid tanning used to make most leathers today. There is nothing you can do to keep the brass rivets and eyelets in these leather products from turning green with verdigris. Nickel plated brass retards this but eventually the acid with get through the nickel and green erupts. So, it is the combination of beeswax and the chrome acid that turns the rivets green, but the chrome tanned leather is the wost of the two.

Eschew Sesquipedalian Obfuscation

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Pledge....sigh....no problems I've noticed and have used it for some six years....more than likely will be said to be bad.....carnauba wax is all the way across town.....and I forget when ever I cross town, but buy some. :rolleyes:

I have mostly old pens from the '30-50-60's. When I get them I finger polish with semi-chrome, an buff with a flannel cloth. I don't polish a lot....I'm not looking for brand new, just well maintained.....lazy.

 

Every 3-6 months I remember to re-wax my pens. What few mars I did have, that were removed with polishing and because of the 'wax' have/had no mars.

Certainly makes the pens shine.

 

I think something like Nova...which I can't get, could well be worth it. It is a three level polish.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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