# Wax for Screws



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Well, time for my weekly weird question. 

I have a small 2oz brick of triple filtered beeswax from when I worked on a few vintage smoking pipes, been using to put onto screws to help 'lube' them up to go in more easily, but the 2oz brick is solid as a rock.

Watched a Crimson Guitars vid, and he was using some sorta mystery cream that even he had no idea where it came from which looked way easier to work with.

Started to google search and lots of videos on making a beeswax wood polish which I suspect is what he had, but lots of variations... some were wax/turpentine/linseed, some wax/turpentine, wax/mineral oil, wax/jojoba oil... kind of the same stuff but many variations.

Anyone ever work with this stuff? Recommendations? 

Linseed sounded good but when dried out may almost glue those screws in, jojoba I suspect in time may go rancid though won't be using that much, still, would hate for any wood rot around the threads... what do you guys think?


----------



## Guest (Dec 2, 2017)

Beeswax and coconut oil.


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

I was thinking that... just used the last of my coconut oil with sweet almond oil to make some beard oil yesterday, which is what got me thinking about the wax. 

Was going to take a chunk of the wax and melt into the mix, make it a bit more of a balm.

... maybe I'll mix it all and make a beard balm screw lube. That'll be a fun label to make.


----------



## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

Mineral oil, available in the laxative section of your local drugstore, is a standard oil to mix with beeswax, works very well & is dirt cheap - just heat up on the stove in around a 50/50 ratio, adjusted to how juicy you want it to turn out. Mineral oil is foodsafe meaning you can use that mix to treat your wooden salad bowls etc., but also won't eventually go rancid the way some oils will. Just be careful melting it together with the wax on the stove, as it's flammable. Keep it in the pot away from the flames, and don't do a beer store run while waiting for it to heat up on the stove.

Most woodworkers use paste wax to lube screws, from Johnson & Johnson, or Minwax or someone like that.


----------



## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

Paste wax


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Oy, just looked online at the SC Johnson Paste Wax, $40 a tin. Bit much for my needs. 

I do have abnout the same amount of mineral oil as I have wax so will give that a go. I like using what I have on hand vs buying stuff... but if doesn't work well, that minwax mentioned is about $12.


----------



## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

$40, oy - that'd better be a pretty big tin of paste wax!


----------



## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Bar of Soap? Or do want the organic thing 
$40 of Johnsons' damn ... I love that for waxing saws


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

16oz, $40.60... but hey, free shipping!!!!

May be one of those items on Amazon that for some reason is just really pricey. Walmart.ca has it for $92.59 as a 6pk only not as single tins, so only $15 each but, stuck buying 6 tins. 

I'll give the wax+mineral oil a try first. Minwax second.


----------



## troyhead (May 23, 2014)

So, stupid question... just melting a candle and dipping the screws in that wax is not recommended? That seemed the cheapest option to me, but maybe I'm wasting my time.


----------



## AlBDarned (Jun 29, 2017)

troyhead said:


> So, stupid question... just melting a candle and dipping the screws in that wax is not recommended? That seemed the cheapest option to me, but maybe I'm wasting my time.


Pretty risky ... fire hazard.


----------



## Ayr Guitars (Oct 24, 2016)

Bar soap will will as well as anything. So will chapstick.


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Parafin wax available at any hobby store


----------



## BGood (Feb 20, 2015)

Dish soap ?
Vaseline ?
Punch a hole first ?
Pre-drill ?

You don't need fairy dust to thread a screw in a piece of wood.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I just slide the threads across an old candle. Cheap and easy.


----------



## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

I have found that dish liquid tends to make the screw rust ,if i never had the proper wax i would grab something practical & cheap like chapstick .


----------



## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

AlBDarned said:


> Pretty risky ... fire hazard.


if lighting candles is pretty risky, my mother is evil knievel.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

1SweetRide said:


> I just slide the threads across an old candle. Cheap and easy.


I do the same with an old piece of paraffin.


----------



## TWRC (Apr 22, 2011)

I use a bar of soap for this.


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

copperhead said:


> I have found that dish liquid tends to make the screw rust ,if i never had the proper wax i would grab something practical & cheap like chapstick .


Exactly why I started this thread... couple mentions of dish soap, which now doesn't seem to be that good of an idea unless you like rusted screws.

My concern with the cream wax recipes were that some involved linseed and food related oils... I wanted to avoid having screws getting essentially glued in, or the wood swelling/rotting around the threads which over time may cause the screws to wiggle loose and have to glue dowels in and redrill holes again.


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Just wanted to say, I did roughly a 50/50 of the triple filtered wax I had with mineral oil and it's a noticeable difference.

The wax I had, when on a screw, didn't make much of a noticeable difference when putting screws in.

The wax with mineral oil, actually seems to lubricate the threads and they go in noticeably easier. Can also get the wax onto the threads much more easily.

So, not all things work the same.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

THRobinson said:


> Just wanted to say, I did roughly a 50/50 of the triple filtered wax I had with mineral oil and it's a noticeable difference.
> 
> The wax I had, when on a screw, didn't make much of a noticeable difference when putting screws in.
> 
> ...


Won't the oil loosen the wood fibres over time and make the screw less secure?


----------



## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

12.35oz Clear Paste Floor Wax

I use this in a lot of variations in my shop. $20 a can. It's the same thing as Johnson's pretty much. I heat the wax on one of them warmers used to keep your coffee in the mug warm in a small heat resistant measuring cup (dollar store). You can use it straight for screws. I generally cut it 25% with:

3 in 1 oil...for my metal tools and surfaces for rust protection
Boiled linseed oil...as a finish
Mineral oil....as a soft wax

Paraffin wax can be used. You can buy bars of it cheap in the canning section of the grocery store or hardware store. You can rub the screws on the block to coat the screws. Candles are generally paraffin (you can get those at the dollar store too) unless they are bees wax candles.

Bees wax is a bit harder to track down but whole food and natural food stores have it. If you know someone with an apiary it would be easier.

Paraffin is harder and bees wax is softer than furniture wax, so adjust the oil percentage. Bees wax and mineral oil is a good food safe finish for cutting boards and salad bowls.

Extra tip of the day:

If you are using brass screws, get a steel screw the same size. Drill your pilot hole and use the steel screw first to cut the threads, take it out and replace it with the brass screw. If you have ever twisted the head off a brass screw, you'll love that one.


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

1SweetRide said:


> Won't the oil loosen the wood fibres over time and make the screw less secure?


No idea... that's why I started this thread. To see what's good or bad. Had a few with good advice, and had a few who say use whatever.. and suspect if there are issues of wood rot around threads, they're the ones that are gonna have it. 

That said, such a small amount used, I'm hoping not an issue.


----------



## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Parafin wax

Check out the canning section of your local grocery store, you can get a pound of it for next to nothing.
I use it on my hand tools (plane bottoms) and screws, all kinds of things around the shop.
I'm still on my first brick, going on 6 years now.

Nathan


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

nnieman said:


> Paraffin wax
> 
> Nathan


We must be from the same (old) school!


----------



## JHall55 (Dec 6, 2016)

1SweetRide said:


> I just slide the threads across an old candle. Cheap and easy.


Me too. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Well, I was just dragging across a small block of wax myself, triple filtered from another project, may be a factor because solid as a rock... and was cheap/easy... but didn't work as well as the wax/mineral oil blend I have now. 

So... old candle may work, but may also not be the best.


----------



## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

Just remember wax ,oil or any chemical may cause Finish problems if this is done before finishing .with the correct size hole you shouldn't need lube to aid a screw .. with that said you can soften Paraffin wax to a softer pliable state by melting it & stirring in Paraffin oil , if you can find it here in Canada ..It's something Pickup winders do to soften Paraffin wax.


----------



## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

I do the same as some have said already - Run the threads through a block of paraffin wax (canning / sealing wax) or a white (paraffin) candle. Job done.

Btw, anyone reminded of the Stones lyric "perfecting ways of making sealing wax"? B#(*
Of course, they could have meant the envelope or legal document kind...


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

fernieite said:


> I do the same as some have said already - Run the threads through a block of paraffin wax (canning / sealing wax) or a white (paraffin) candle. Job done.
> 
> Btw, anyone reminded of the Stones lyric "perfecting ways of making sealing wax"? B#(*
> Of course, they could have meant the envelope or legal document kind...


I had to laugh, I've never read the lyrics before and I always thought they were saying "ceiling wax". Thought it was some strange British term. Mystery explained. Lol


----------



## Brett Pearson (Apr 26, 2016)

Interesting thread this....you had me at screwing and lube


----------



## DavidP (Mar 7, 2006)

+1 on paraffin - add me to the 'old school' crowd!!


----------



## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

woodworkers use this stuff and i don't see why it would hurt a guitar


----------



## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

Sorry if this is a newb/stupid question, but why lubricate screws with wax or oil? What is the reason for this?


----------



## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Greg Ellis said:


> Sorry if this is a newb/stupid question, but why lubricate screws with wax or oil? What is the reason for this?


Makes it easier to thread the screws into a dense hardwood.


----------

