Wax for potting.....

[WhoFan]

A guy at work over heard me talking to a buddy that i want to learn how to take pickups apart and wax pot them.... Today he gave brick of pure candle making WAX.... Parifin or whatever it is called. It is just a raw brick of wax with 0 colouring or anything... Meant for candle makers... would this brick of wax be the right stuff for potting if i ever learn how to do it?

WhoFan

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Wax for potting.....

yes, paraffin is standard "luthierie wax", used for seaaling wood /potting pickups /lubricating screws....

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Wax for potting.....

I hate to admit that on more than one occasion I used parafin based candle wax! :smack: It worked!

B

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wax for potting.....

I hate to admit that on more than one occasion I used parafin based candle wax! :smack: It worked!

B

That's what I use also.....Works fine,drys and feels just like what Duncan uses.

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Wax for potting.....

That's what I use also.....Works fine,drys and feels just like what Duncan uses.

You must be right buddy.

Having heard lotsa urban legends about the particular wax EVH used, I used to think that candle wax was lame! :laugh2:

B

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Wax for potting.....

Hey this is no urban legend. He used wax for surfboards. I got some sticks cheap on a buyout - it works and smells better than pure parafin! And ont forget: Looks cool - its light blue and pink!!

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Wax for potting.....

Cool..... the guy that gave me the wax is from Holland and his wife likes to make candles so they had a bulk load of bricks of pure wax ready for colouring and.... The brick he gave me is the size of a house brick....

What tempature is the right range to melt this wax at for potting PU's? And i heard something to the effect that you need to use a double boiler system of some sort and hang the pickup in the wax with old guitar strings so it does not touch bottom.. What are the tricks of doing this? Safety tips?

I most likely will only pot some cheap ass Pickups sometime in the future... Some Cheap PU's i have that squeal should be potted and i'd leave the expensive and vintage stuff to the pros....

 

[dr.barlo]

Re: Wax for potting.....

You gotta be careful man, really careful. Parafin is quite flammable! Be careful ok?

Here is a link that you might find interesting:

http://www.stewmac.com/tradesecrets/electronics/ts26fralin/ts26fralin.html

B

 

[Scott_F]

Re: Wax for potting.....

Save up a lot of ear wax?

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Wax for potting.....

Cool..... the guy that gave me the wax is from Holland and his wife likes to make candles so they had a bulk load of bricks of pure wax ready for colouring and.... The brick he gave me is the size of a house brick....

What tempature is the right range to melt this wax at for potting PU's? And i heard something to the effect that you need to use a double boiler system of some sort and hang the pickup in the wax with old guitar strings so it does not touch bottom.. What are the tricks of doing this? Safety tips?

I most likely will only pot some cheap ass Pickups sometime in the future... Some Cheap PU's i have that squeal should be potted and i'd leave the expensive and vintage stuff to the pros....

I wait just long enough for the wax to turn into a watery looking liquid and then I dip the pickup for only about 20 seconds or so.....I don't see the need for the pickup to stay sub-merged in 170 degree plus wax and every pickup I've done this way has been fine! It surely doesn't take long for that wax to get itself inside and around every aspect of the pickup,even with the cover on...I'll dip the pickup coil side down and then flip it baseplate side down,pull it out and let the wax setup....I wipe most of the excess wax off before it hardens and get the rest later..

 

[octavedoctor]

Re: Wax for potting.....

A guy at work over heard me talking to a buddy that i want to learn how to take pickups apart and wax pot them.... Today he gave brick of pure candle making WAX.... Parifin or whatever it is called. It is just a raw brick of wax with 0 colouring or anything... Meant for candle makers... would this brick of wax be the right stuff for potting if i ever learn how to do it?

WhoFan

No. Candle wax is too hard. it actually has quite good acoustic properties and, for a wax, transmits sound quite well. It also has a high melting point and can damage some coil bobbins. I used to be a design sculptor and got into the habit of blending my own waxes for certain special purposes so I know a bit about waxes! LOL!

I use a mixture of BP microcrystalline wax, a dermatological grade LMP wax, petroleum jelly and anhydrous lanolin. The resulting sludge has virtually zero acoustic transmissibility, a bit like earwax...

Another benefit is the lower melting point so it's safer if you are unsure of the bobbin material.