Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

Well what fun I didn't have, during my first attempt at rewaxing red plates onto a reed block. I used the paintbrush method as per the short video on the CGM web page. The brush stuck to the edge of the reed plate immediately it touched. With a bit of persuasion and a bit of practice, I got better at it, but now I have the aforementioned "Lumpy wax" problem.
I have ordered a variable heat soldering iron, as a means of being able to smooth it off. Is there any better way to do it? and.....While I'm at it, any waxing hints would be gratefully received.
It looks so easy in the video 


Sir John

[Theo]

I’m surprised that the paintbrush method works at all, but maybe the wax needs to be hotter, which brings its own problems.  If you re-do the waxing with a soldering iron I would recommend removing the brushed on wax, and starting afresh with new wax.  I find it very difficult to get a nice smooth neat finish when re-melting wax in situ.

[boxcall]

I found using the paint brush method that the amount of wax left was thin and that the brush got gummed up quickly. Also that keeping the wax and brush hot enough was key, which I didn't have the right set up to do that. I made a copper spoon on my last job which worked good on the bass reeds with big spaces in between the reeds and also good for the treble bottom and top but a little tough doing in between the sides where the space is smaller. I was finding I wasn't moving fast enough at times and getting to much wax which would then have to be scrapped away. I just melted the wax in the spoon itself, a wax pot would have been better.

This makers has a pretty cool tool for applying wax you can see it here at about 1:50 in.

Has any one played one of His boxes? He makes some pretty interesting grills and the rest of the construction work seems good.

Edit to add the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YTGUyI-me1s&time_continue=151&ebc=ANyPxKq0chQogU9lcj-polHjcxsWXZ8Qu869wtETXl22UgQzNy0QV0Ed8x75OwRg4wNWiMAN5dfcYbUONJec1yz4gWfLYeXlYw

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

Diatonix has a pretty cool looking wax spoon, on a You Tube video, but I can't see one to buy anywhere.


SJ

[boxcall]

I've seen that and based the one I made on it. The copper is good for holding the heat and easy to solder together, seems like frequent trips back to the pot is needed though. I found by the time I was almost finished with the amount that was in the spoon it was cooling down and not flowing as good.
Like I said a pot full of wax would have been better and more controllable as to the amount that was in the spoon. I tended to have to much since I was melting it in the spoon.
I noticed Diatonix would dip it then dump a little out so as not to have this problem.

[Winston Smith]

Watching these experts waxing is a bit daunting, I find. However, I think it's very much a case of them being confident in what they are doing which makes it look so easy. I'm sure that with a bit of practice that confidence would soon come. (But I'll be sticking to my trusty soldering iron for the time being.)

[boxcall]

Down side to the soldering iron is the smoke it creates which is bad to breathe ( I was told) , I'm not sure if the vapor from warming the wax is bad also or just the smoke?
Any one care to answer?

My guess is that as long as it's not smoking that maybe its not as bad and therefore I would think wax pot and spoon would be better if you were doing a lot of it.
If it is just as bad then this is a load of ****

[Lester]

Down side to the soldering iron is the smoke it creates which is bad to breathe ( I was told) , I'm not sure if the vapor from warming the wax is bad also or just the smoke?
Any one care to answer?

My guess is that as long as it's not smoking that maybe its not as bad and therefore I would think wax pot and spoon would be better if you were doing a lot of it.
If it is just as bad then this is a load of ****

Yes the smoke is bad for you, I wear vapour mask whenever I am waxing but I am an asthmatic. If there is a lot of smoke it's because the iron is too hot. I run mine through a light dimmer switch to enable me to regulate the temperature.

[Winston Smith]

I think it is the smoke as opposed to whatever else, but I'm not a regular waxer. I was a regular smoker for over 40 years, so the old bellows are probably about shot, anyway!

[boxcall]

Right the smoke then, I asked this question in my recording king repair thread but wasn't clear on the answer.
I did touch up with a soldering iron and had a cloth on hand to wipe off any wax that remained on the iron, seemed like that was when it smoked the most.

[tirpous]

 

I did touch up with a soldering iron and had a cloth on hand to wipe off any wax that remained on the iron, seemed like that was when it smoked the most.

Matches my experience.  I use a paper towel to wipe wax from the iron (and no, it does not burn).

[malcolmbebb]

If there is a lot of smoke it's because the iron is too hot. I run mine through a light dimmer switch to enable me to regulate the temperature.

What he said.

[Theo]

Any fumes from hot wax, even when there is no visible smoke, is a potential hazard.  If you are  only waxing occasionally the risk of harm will be less.

[Rog]

For heating wax this is 'the business'
http://www.carinidena.it/MS5ECOMMERCE60/jsp/eco_cc_home_bs_portlet.jsp?p=dettarti&codarti=12151

And with this spoon.
http://www.cgmmusical.co.uk/CGM_Musical_Services/Reed_Waxing_Tools.html#0

And for small jobs and tidying up etc....a soldering iron with variable heat setting (they are very cheap).

[boxcall]

Any fumes from hot wax, even when there is no visible smoke, is a potential hazard.  If you are  only waxing occasionally the risk of harm will be less.

Thanks Theo,
I got that now. You probably said something similar before but I wasn't getting it.

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

Well the new temperature controlled soldering iron arrived this morning, and I'm very happy with the resultant tidy up of my crap waxing.

SJ

Found this site for Diatonix type wax spoon

https://www.akkordeonshop24.de/wachsloeffel.html

[Rog]

Well the new temperature controlled soldering iron arrived this morning, and I'm very happy with the resultant tidy up of my crap waxing.

SJ

Found this site for Diatonix type wax spoon

https://www.akkordeonshop24.de/wachsloeffel.html

That spoon is a very cool tool

[John MacKenzie (Cugiok)]

It arrived today. Takes a bit of getting used to though. You need to keep it moving, and you need to learn when to tip it back to stop the flow. All in all, a grand tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjGaLwqrtOs

Sir John

[boxcall]

Nice!
Yes it does take a little time to get the hang of it, I found the hard part was the first pass at the bottom setting them in place without knocking them out of place.
Here's a picture of my homemade job, nothing fancy. It didn't cost a thing since I had stuff lying around to make it.
Definitely a tool to have.

[mselic]

I've used the paintbrush method, and was surprised at how well it actually worked. Paramount to success was getting the wax hot enough, and then to keep the brush moving while applying. It would take a few passes with the brush (dipped back into the pot each time) to fully wax a reed in place.  It wouldn't look like much wax was there, but I was amazed at how difficult it then was to remove a reedplate from the fresh wax; plenty there to do the trick!  If the brush ever got gummed up, a quick dip back into the hot wax fixed that problem.

Doing the two inner-facing reedblocks on a HA114 took a very, very steady hand and thin brush.  I ordered a waxing spoon a month ago, but it has yet to arrive in the mail, so I've made do with the brushes...