What Wax To Use On Rigging Line

[JFMJr]

Rookie here. 1st Build.  I learned you wax the ropes for the rigging.  I  experimented with paraffin wax I had. Was amazed how much easier it was to work the ropes.  Is paraffin okay to use? I see bee's wax etc. 

[allanyed]

The material of your rigging line will be part of the equation.   In general a wax with neutral pH is best.  As paraffin is alkaline (pH of 9)  it could affect the longevity of the fibers.  How much depends on the type of rope you are using.    Bees wax is typically pH neutral so may be a better way to go if you want to use wax.   In either case, wax will hold dust and very difficult to clean so be sure your model is properly cased.    There has been mention of conservator's wax, hopefully some members can shed more light.

 

Allan 

[druxey]

Sorry to contradict, but regular beeswax is acid! Use Renaissance (conservators') wax, if you have to.

[allanyed]

My fault Druxey.  Just went with what I saw on line  which I know is not always the best idea. 😕   From the American Bee Journal

As beeswax is the primary construction material of the beehive, its chemical composition is integral to how the hive functions. This same material, the storage location of food resources and developing brood, must be relatively non-reactive, so beeswax's neutral pH (7) suits the need perfectly.Aug 1, 2015

  Allan

[JFMJr]

Appreciate the comments.. So bees wax? Yes or no? or no wax at all?

[Mike Shea]

Not sure if it will work but fly tying wax might be worth a try. I use it all the time to apply dubbing for my trout flies. You can find the stuff at nearly any sporting good store that sells fly tying materials. Usually just a few bucks and comes in little thumb-screw plastic container. 

[Chuck Seiler]

On 3/29/2024 at 5:40 AM, JFMJr said:

Appreciate the comments.. So bees wax? Yes or no? or no wax at all?

Use Renaissance (conservators') wax.

[paul ron]

ive never used renasaunce wax but i did look it up and downloaded the msds. the msds says its white spirit and a micro crystaline wax... whatever that means. it also says in the description its used as a polish... no mention as a preservative.

 

https://restorationproduct.com/shop/renaissance-wax/

 

i have been using bees wax for over 50 years and my old ship rigging is still looking good. they may be a bit brittle but i atribute that to age of materials not fault of the wax on the threads used... mostly linen and cotton. 

 

i see plenty of recomendations for polyester thread for rigging but does the polyester need to be waxed? i see some people recomend using india ink on polyester... never seen that as a recomendation in all my years till recently in these forums.

 

 

Edited March 30 by paul ron

[Jaager]

22 minutes ago, paul ron said:

white spirit and a micro crystaline wax.

It drys to a hard shell.   It is used to protect steel tables and tools from humidity produced rusting.  So it will not be a sticky dust magnet.  It also does not contain trace amounts of insect digestive enzymes or anything to allow hydrogen ions for to be acidic.

 

Plastic polymer line IS a shell.  There is nothing about it that needs a wax coating of any kind.

[paul ron]

is renasaunce wax a petroleum based product? what kind of wax is microcrystaline?

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

21 hours ago, Chuck Seiler said:

Use Renaissance (conservators') wax.

  'Always knew you were a 'Renaissance man".

[HumphreyG]

2 hours ago, paul ron said:

is renasaunce wax a petroleum based product? what kind of wax is microcrystaline?

Technically yes. It is mostly a combination of microcrystalline wax and mineral spirits. Both of which are derived from petroleum. However, that description can be misleading and you need to be careful in what you infer from calling it a petroleum product.  

 

The mineral spirits quickly evaporate, and the wax is heavily refined so that it is actually very inert. It is unlikely to react and is well established in its use in museums which are very careful in the care and preservation of artifacts.

[Chuck Seiler]

1 hour ago, Snug Harbor Johnny said:

'Always knew you were a 'Renaissance man".

Yo!  It's my Philly suburbs upbringing.

[Capt. Kelso]

When I built my first wooden ship model, Model Shipways Katy, I read an article on rigging written by Erik A. Ronnberg Jr., his "tip" was to dissolve beeswax in a solvent like turpentine (I use turpentine). Soak the thread in the solution and clean it by drawing it through a clean cotton cloth (I use an old t-shirt).

 

The rigging on the oldest model I still have, built in 1992, shows no signs of deterioration and unlike me, the rigging is not sagging. 

 

 

 

 

[paul ron]

On 3/31/2024 at 12:10 PM, HumphreyG said:

Technically yes. It is mostly a combination of microcrystalline wax and mineral spirits. Both of which are derived from petroleum. However, that description can be misleading and you need to be careful in what you infer from calling it a petroleum product.  

 

The mineral spirits quickly evaporate, and the wax is heavily refined so that it is actually very inert. It is unlikely to react and is well established in its use in museums which are very careful in the care and preservation of artifacts.

if the diluant is a petrolium product... its a petoleum based product. is white spirits aka naptha which evaproates without leaving any residue?... or...is it mineral spirits aka paint thinner which leaves an oily residue.

 

i see the description says its used on photographs as well as artifacts? really? you'd coat a 100 year old photo with this stuff? i doubt it. you'd coat a pre Columbian artifact with this stuff? really?... museum employees have to wear special gloves when handling artifats which makes me doubt its being used for archival preservation of anything of value.... then again i wouldnt even use bees wax on anything. this stuff sounds too good to be true.

 

I'll will try this new wax on my next ship... but im skeptical till i get more info on this product.

 

i emailed the archivists organization...

 

https://www2.archivists.org/groups/museum-archives-section/museum-archives-guidelines

 

 

 

 

Edited April 1 by paul ron

[Keith Black]

 Museums are very conservative in their approach to maintaining and restoring those artifacts in their care as well they should. As individuals we have much more latitude in what products we use on our models. Those modelers who are capable of creating museum quality work aren't second guessing what products they use on their models. For those of us that fall outside that group I dare say it matters not as nothing used on our models is going to destroy them in our lifetime. After we're gone it'll be wee hands and the family cat presenting the greatest danger to our creations for in the end, it all turns to dust. 

 

 

[Snug Harbor Johnny]

1 hour ago, Keith Black said:

 After we're gone it'll be wee hands and the family cat presenting the greatest danger to our creations for in the end, it all turns to dust. 

 

 

  All things to nothingness descend,
Grow old and die and meet their end,
Man dies, iron rusts, wood goes decayed,
Flowers fall, walls crumble, roses fade …
Nor long shall any name resound
Beyond the grave, unless 't be found
In some clerk's book, it is the pen
Gives immortality to men.                     (Author anonymous) 

[JFMJr]

All replies were educational..that is great. 

[Dr PR]

Second law of thermodynamics. Entropy increases with everything that happens. And the writing of men is no less susceptible than the finest works of art. Not even the words of poets.

[Bob Cleek]

On 3/30/2024 at 1:02 PM, paul ron said:

i see plenty of recommendations for polyester thread for rigging but does the polyester need to be waxed? i see some people recommend using India ink on polyester... never seen that as a recommendation in all my years till recently in these forums.

 

On 3/30/2024 at 1:33 PM, Jaager said:

Plastic polymer line IS a shell.  There is nothing about it that needs a wax coating of any kind.

I'm with Jaager on this one. Given the scarcity of fine quality linen thread these days, the professional museum curators seem to have accepted Guttermann "Mara" polyester thread as sufficiently archival for laying up scale rope for museum models. There is no problem coloring polyester thread with black India ink. India ink is basically lamp black and shellac thinned with water. The shellac will ensure the lamp black sticks and doesn't smear and will also stiffen the line. Clear shellac will do the same for purposes of stiffening the line without changing the color. Quality thread like Gutterman's Mara doesn't have any noticeable "fuzz," the reduction of which was the primary purpose of waxing line in the past. (Fuzz can also be removed by "flaming," running the line quickly through a flame to burn the fuzz off. 

 

It would seem waxing line is a practice that can be dispensed with entirely if polyester filament thread is used to lay up the line.