thecapgunkid
40 Cal.
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2014
- Messages
- 342
- Reaction score
- 6
I don't have any pictures for this, and the last batch I made was in 1992. I use it intermittently enough and keep it stored so well that it has held up and all I need to do is add a little pine oil to freeshen it.
Where do you get this stuff? Well, Lads, this is the age of the internet. Try searches such as ..."making Coad"...or..."Shoemakers handwax"...or..."The Crispin Courier"...which is an almost global site for any of us involved in Cordwaining. The museum villages such as Williamsburg or Pete Oakley up there in Sturbridge might also have good advice.
That brings me to the most important point; I just re-kindled my shoemaking and 18th Century after a long Haitus into Cowboy Action Shooting. When I made my COAD in 1992 there were nowhere near as many shoemakers or qualified sources as there are today.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD SHOEMAKERS TO ADD TO THIS POST AND STAKE IT IN THE GROUND, or to point to other posts that carry their valuable info. IN another post in the Re-enacting section I pontificated that the biggest value of living history is running into other people. Bet your tools on that
So, C'mon you Waxheads, pitch in here.
There are a couple of tips that you should not have to learn the hard way;
When you melt the resin and pitch, use an expendable, cheap pot. One source used a double boiler. Heat slowly on low heat and keep an extinguisher handy and do it outside.. You're on your own hook here, and some petty fogging guy in a property and casualty cubicle is not going to relate well when you file a claim because of the moral value of keeping our history alive. The stuff is gross and may even be toxic in a closed room.
I cited fifty fifty resin and pitch, but that'll vary to taste. I also cited pine oil rather than beeswax to be added to the mixture. Both of those will enhance the pleasant aroma of the finished product as well as add to its quality. Stay away from anything synthetic.
I failed to mention that the final ball of wax (yeah, that's where the phrase came from) has to be pulled like taffy to make it usable. I don't even know why.
Being an impatient sort, I mentioned that I kept mine in a little crock for storage. Not having the ball-in-the-bucket thing happening, that puts an onus on me to get it effectively onto the thread. Sssoooo......
When I burnish it in, I use two leather pads on my thumb and forefinger that I made with some suede and contact cement. They look like band aids. In addition to keeping the waxing operation less messy, they also saturate with the COAD. I dump 'em right into the crock when done and use them every time.
That's why I use the 50-50 mix formula, expecting to have to work a little harder to get a nurdle of it out of the crock and into my thread. On the other hand, I don't have any cool looking Meershaum pipes, stained and aged beautifully with the discoloration. Besides, I'm not allowed to smoke, although I'll do it on long drives to events while pumping out some bluegrass on XM.
Don't be afraid to just use Beeswax and worry about COAD later. I went through my entire apprenticeship without touching COAD and only started using it after about two years on the rendezvous and fort circuit when this living history was in its heyday.
Don't get your hands into nothing your fanny can't pay for. Good luck
Where do you get this stuff? Well, Lads, this is the age of the internet. Try searches such as ..."making Coad"...or..."Shoemakers handwax"...or..."The Crispin Courier"...which is an almost global site for any of us involved in Cordwaining. The museum villages such as Williamsburg or Pete Oakley up there in Sturbridge might also have good advice.
That brings me to the most important point; I just re-kindled my shoemaking and 18th Century after a long Haitus into Cowboy Action Shooting. When I made my COAD in 1992 there were nowhere near as many shoemakers or qualified sources as there are today.
NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD SHOEMAKERS TO ADD TO THIS POST AND STAKE IT IN THE GROUND, or to point to other posts that carry their valuable info. IN another post in the Re-enacting section I pontificated that the biggest value of living history is running into other people. Bet your tools on that
So, C'mon you Waxheads, pitch in here.
There are a couple of tips that you should not have to learn the hard way;
When you melt the resin and pitch, use an expendable, cheap pot. One source used a double boiler. Heat slowly on low heat and keep an extinguisher handy and do it outside.. You're on your own hook here, and some petty fogging guy in a property and casualty cubicle is not going to relate well when you file a claim because of the moral value of keeping our history alive. The stuff is gross and may even be toxic in a closed room.
I cited fifty fifty resin and pitch, but that'll vary to taste. I also cited pine oil rather than beeswax to be added to the mixture. Both of those will enhance the pleasant aroma of the finished product as well as add to its quality. Stay away from anything synthetic.
I failed to mention that the final ball of wax (yeah, that's where the phrase came from) has to be pulled like taffy to make it usable. I don't even know why.
Being an impatient sort, I mentioned that I kept mine in a little crock for storage. Not having the ball-in-the-bucket thing happening, that puts an onus on me to get it effectively onto the thread. Sssoooo......
When I burnish it in, I use two leather pads on my thumb and forefinger that I made with some suede and contact cement. They look like band aids. In addition to keeping the waxing operation less messy, they also saturate with the COAD. I dump 'em right into the crock when done and use them every time.
That's why I use the 50-50 mix formula, expecting to have to work a little harder to get a nurdle of it out of the crock and into my thread. On the other hand, I don't have any cool looking Meershaum pipes, stained and aged beautifully with the discoloration. Besides, I'm not allowed to smoke, although I'll do it on long drives to events while pumping out some bluegrass on XM.
Don't be afraid to just use Beeswax and worry about COAD later. I went through my entire apprenticeship without touching COAD and only started using it after about two years on the rendezvous and fort circuit when this living history was in its heyday.
Don't get your hands into nothing your fanny can't pay for. Good luck
