wax potting question

[Supernautilus]

Hey all, I got a pickup that's giving me some trouble and I was thinking of trying to wax pot it. And I had a question or two if you don’t mind.

I’ve watched a bunch of videos online and I see people either use the stove or a large crock pot or something. But my space is limited and I don’t always have access to the kitchen. I’m seeing some smaller melters on Amazon for pretty cheap, for candle making or bikini waxing. Something like that would be the perfect size for my small work bench. Would that be appropriate if I just want to pot the occasional pickup now and then?

Oh also, I got a giant block of paraffin wax. Is that enough or do I NEED to mix it with bees wax like some people say to do?

Any advice would be helpful, thanks.

 

[Chistopher]

One of those little fondue crock pots might work

 

[jeremy]

ive always used a blend of bees wax and paraffin. as long as you can consistently keep the temp at 155-160 F and the wax is deep enough to fully submerge the pup (hopefully without touching the sides or bottom) it should work fine. temperature is more important if you have older softer bobbins, butyrate for example, as they can melt at higher temps

 

[GuitarDoc]

Some pups use pure paraffin wax, some use other mixes. I use a mixture of 2 parts paraffin and 1 part beeswax. I don't have any reason for doing it that way, it's just how I do it.

The only caution about heating paraffin is if it gets too hot it can burst into flames. I have just used a tin can in a pot of hot water (like a double boiler affect).

 

[ICTGoober]

I've been using a little quart crockpot for decades. Made a lot of money with it. I use a mix of paraffin and beeswax.

 

[marcello252]

campbell's tin can , a blend of paraffin and wax, a wooden stick and a wire to suspend the pickup

 

[hamerfan]

Maybe I am a little late to the party, but my short experience as a winder told me, if I had feedback trouble with a pickup, it had loose or vibrating parts like magnets, backplates, bars or covers. In the worst cases I used double sided sticky tape eg inside the humbucker cover. That was much easier than dealing with hot and runny wax. By the way on my first attempts I used surf board wax, which stays quite hard even on hot days, on a stand alone cooker.

 

[jeremy]

i basically only worry about the coils when potting. if a coil has a loose wire, it can cause issues with feedback. all those things you mentioned can cause feedback and while potting a pup can fix them, as you suggest, there are other ways to deal with it