coat barrel with wax?

[chucktaylor]

So i was talking to a guy who has done some black powder rifles and he said that after he browns the barrel he takes some wax from a toilet seal and puts that on it instead of oil. Could anyone tell me the pros and cons of this method? Also how would be the best way to do it? Would you be able to buff the wax so that it is not sticky on the barrel? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tallbear]

Chuck
I use straight beeswax.Just heat up the barrel untill the wax runs ,let it cool reinstall and buff off on the top only.Since I don't take out the barrels to clean it leaves a nice thick coat on the bottom that won't dry or penetrate the wood like oil or grease would.No Mess!!!!

Mitch

 

[chucktaylor]

Thanks! What is the best way to buff it? And do you ever do additional coats of wax? Or touch ups after cleaning?

 

[Ephraim]

That is bee's wax and that is how I finish my barrels. I heat the barrel with a torch just hot enough to melt the wax while rubbing in on the barrel then buff with an old sock. Seems to stop rust and makes a nice finish.
Ephraim

 

[tallbear]

Chuck
I just use a rag to buff it off with.You can dissolve beeswax in terpentine until it is the consistency of vasilene to use for touch ups.Just rub it on ,let dry and buff off.

Mitch

 

[paulvallandigham]

Bore Butter( Wonderlube, Natural Lube 1000, Young Country 101 Lube) is made with beeswax, and oil combined. I use it, after cleaning my barrel, to coat the barrel for storing. The oils help to spread the wax on evenly, and eventually evaporate. The wax remains to protect the metal from fingerprints. A new coat goes on after every cleaning, or if the gun is handled. Simple.

The toilet ring is Beeswax, or used to be. I am told they are making them now out of some synthetic, but have no idea why they would do that.

If you heat up a small lump of beexwax, until its melted, dip it or pour the wax on a piece of paper towel, and then use the towel to transfer it to your metal parts. The wax won't be as soft as Bore Butter, but as long as it is warm, it will spread pretty evenly. Just don't dawdle with it. A warmed barrel will take the wax faster, and more evenly than a cold one.

 

[Rogue River]

I just use Min-Wax finishing paste wax on the whole rifle after I clean it. I even put some on a patch and do the bore :grin: , then buff it with a dry patch. No rust problems.

 

[hawkeye2]

I am holding a toilet ring that I just picked up at Lowes. It is made by a very well known manufacturer and the box states that it contains "40% more wax than standard wax rings". So how much is wax and how much is something else? I don't believe that any toilet rings have been pure wax for many years now. There are no ingredients listed on the box but I do remember reading the ingredients off a box a few years back and there were a lot of "plastic" sounding things in it.

 

[paulvallandigham]

You are asking the wrong person. If there is a manufacturer listed on the box your ring comes in, google them, and either email or call them direct to find out what else is in the rings.

Beeswax is available from local beekeepers for next to nothing. Contact your county Farm Extension office to find out who the keepers are. And, Beeswax is sold in hobby stores, for candlestick making. The price is outrageous, but considering how little you will need, and use, a 1 lb. brick of beeswax should hold you for a long time.

 

[CZMark]

I am holding a toilet ring that I just picked up at Lowes. It is made by a very well known manufacturer and the box states that it contains "40% more wax than standard wax rings".

That simply means it is a thicher than normal ring, containing 40% more of whatever "wax" material it is made from.

 

[bingo1952]

I was curious so I checked a MSDS sheet from Harvey's and they do not say what it is made of (proprietary formula) but they do say it is a "mixture" so they are not pure beeswax. I doubt if all the bees in this country could produce enough wax to handle all of our manure these days. :haha:

 

[chucktaylor]

I called the manufacturer of one of the seals that I have and the guy said it is a petroleum based wax. So probably no beeswax at all. It may work though. Maybe I will try it on a small piece.

 

[rafterob]

I use a paste wax after reading previous posts on this subject. It has allowed my browned barrel to mature very nicely where it was a little spotty at first. The advantage of wax over oil is mainly that it doesn't easily rub off and provides a moisture barrier. Bee's wax is quite expensive unless you have a direct source. Compare the price of a toilet ring to the price of the little disk of bee's wax you can buy in the plumbing departments and you will realize that the toilet rings are probably not made of pure beeswax.

 

[tallbear]

Guy's don't bother with the toilet rings!!!!!!!!!Just get some pure beeswax.It's not expensinve!!

Link for beeswax; beeswax

Buy a little or a lot :wink: :wink: :wink:

Mitch

 

[Russ T Frizzen]

Beeswax is the best and you don't use that much anyway. A small piece will last a long time. Makes a fine patch lube and over-ball lube for revolvers when mixed with tallow and a little olive oil. :thumbsup:

 

[kansas_volunteer]

I agree beeswax is best, just cause I like it for many things, however the toilet ring would probably do as well in a practical sense. A few years back I did quite a bit of reading about waxes, looking for a bullet lube formula. I learned that all the things we call wax are hydrocarbons, just like oil or gasoline. The difference between them is the way the molecules are arranged. Beeswax is a hydrocarbon. Gun oil is a hydrocarbon. Hydrocarbons protect steel from rust.

Beeswax when buffed to the point it is no longer tacky polymerizes, it's molecules get rearranged and it becomes tougher. That's why I like bees wax as a protective finish. Looks great on furniture but takes a heck of a lot of rubbing to get a tough finish.

 

[Onojutta]

I am holding a toilet ring that I just picked up at Lowes. It is made by a very well known manufacturer and the box states that it contains "40% more wax than standard wax rings".

That simply means it is a thicher than normal ring, containing 40% more of whatever "wax" material it is made from.

That's what it sounds like to me too; just marketing that theirs contains more volume of wax.

 

[ghostdncr]

Link for beeswax; beeswax

Thanks for the link, Mitch! :hatsoff:

 

[Old40Rod]

Good old fashioned Johnson's paste wax works pretty well also. I picked up a large can of the original formula for about $4.00 at my local hardware store. It works like a champ and isn't gummy like bees wax can be. Harlow Wilcox would be proud of you.

 

[Twice boom]

One way was to warm the barrels and rub them with a piece of flannel cloth while still quite warm and finish with little bees wax and tupentine..