Wax Potting

rrhoads17

New member
I tried wax potting my pickup in paraffin at 140 degrees f, and it seems like the wax nearly solidifies as soon as I put the pickup in and when I pull it out it's nearly impossible to get all the wax out of the gaps on the sides where the tape goes around the bobbins. I want it wax potted but I also want it to have a clean look too.
 
Re: Wax Potting

i pot mine a touch higher than that, maybe 150 usually, and let it sit in there for a bit so things warm up, then pull it out, let it drip then wipe it down. there is some residue but it wipes off without too much effort. what mix of wax are you using?
 
Re: Wax Potting

^ +1. Let the pup sit in the melted was for 10 min or more to heat the innards enough for the wax to flow throughout.
 
Re: Wax Potting

Yeah, it's kinda like boiling corn. When you first drop an ear of corn in there, the water is gonna cool off quick. Let your pickup cook for awhile in there, it's messy but that's how ya do it.
 
Re: Wax Potting

thats true, i use a good size pot and make sure its stable at temp before i drop the pup in. one at a time of course
 
Re: Wax Potting

Patience is the key here.... Of course the paraffin congealed immediately, as the pickup was cool. Let it sit until the bubbles stop coming out of it. Then it will drain well when you pull it out and set it on a paper towel.
 
Re: Wax Potting

I use a mixture of pure Beeswax some my own some from other bee keepers and preheat the Pup also before dropping at 150 for 10 minutes.
 
Re: Wax Potting

Yeah, if the pickup is cool you’ll have to wait longer for the heat (and wax) to get into the coils. Like everybody has said...wait til the bubbles stop. I’ve had to wait up to 30 minutes at 140-150 when the room is 65-70ish.
 
Wax Potting

Exactly, when I repotted my pickup a couple of weeks ago I found I needed to raise the temp slightly to get the wax properly melted again. I had let it cool to about 140 and found that, that was too cool and it was coagulating on the baseplate. As I raised it to 150-ish the wax melted off of the baseplate. I let the pickup soak for about 20 min. Every so often I gave it a little shake to let the air escape. I made sure my homemade harness was securely holding the pickup before submerging it initially. This way I had no worries when I gave it a lil wiggle.
 
Re: Wax Potting

Just don't get the wax too hot...above its flash point. Which means DO NOT heat the wax directly on a burner or a flame. Always have the container of wax heating in a pot of water.
 
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