Waxing

[PeteQuad]

I recently picked up some Pre-lim polish and Renaissance Wax to try on some of my older guns. I polished up something of a beater to start so that if it messed up anything it wouldn't be a big deal.

It turns out it works great, and you get a really nice shine and some protection from fingerprints and such from the wax layer. The only thing I noticed that I'm unsure about is that the wax gets stuck in the lettering on the gun, coloring the letters a yellow color. It doesn't actually look bad, but I'm not sure if I should try to get it out or not. What do you all do about this when waxing, and does it bother you at all?

 

[PeteQuad]

I recently picked up some Pre-lim polish and Renaissance Wax to try on some of my older guns. I polished up something of a beater to start so that if it messed up anything it wouldn't be a big deal.

It turns out it works great, and you get a really nice shine and some protection from fingerprints and such from the wax layer. The only thing I noticed that I'm unsure about is that the wax gets stuck in the lettering on the gun, coloring the letters a yellow color. It doesn't actually look bad, but I'm not sure if I should try to get it out or not. What do you all do about this when waxing, and does it bother you at all?

 

[DHENRY]

A fine-bristle toothbrush works extremely well.
Round toothpicks are great for cleaning all kinds of junk out of screwholes.
Generally, if you're applying Renaissance or Collinite with your fingertips, the 'excess' will be minimal, and there will be little if any need to clean out screwholes and rollstamps.
Don

 

[PeteQuad]

Ah, thanks for the tips. I must keep some toothpicks around, and a clean toothbrush to go with my dirty one.

I hadn't thought of applying the wax with my fingers, I was using a cotton cloth made out of the same material as my patches.

 

[JayCeeNC]

I apply Ren wax with my fingers. I think the slight warmth of the skin helps to "melt" it a bit.
I start by wiping the gun bone-dry with a cotton cloth, then apply Ren wax with my fingers, and then wipe it down with another cotton cloth.
Like Don said, toothpicks work well to get out excess.

 

[victorylarry]

I use the same method as John. It may also help to have a few Q-Tips on hand for areas around the cylinder release, rear sight etc. Ren-Wax makes all the difference.

 

[walnutred]

The first waxed firearm that I ever saw was a 94 Winchester owned by the farmer a few farms away from us. When I asked him why he waxed it and what he used he said that after every hunting season he carefully cleaned it, dried it, then waxed it with the same Turtle Wax he used on his truck. He felt it Turtle Wax helped keep his truck from rusting with all the use it got, then the wax should be good enough for the rifle that mostly sat in the closet.

The rifle did look good and had probably been getting this treatment for a couple decades.