Tuesday, February 24th, 2015
Informative series of posts from my entry at: Violin Makers and Luthiers/Blog at LinkedIn:
Carnauba Wax
Expert Luthier in Brooklyn with easy access by subway/bus/car; CEO of AZG Musical IncTop Contributor
What are the pro and cons of shining up vioins/cellos with pure liquid carnauba wax for wooden instruments?
Research & development at Bois d’Harmonie
If pure, the carnauba is a solid that melt at 80°C.
Your liquid carnauba is then not pure, and the question of use on wood instruments depends more on the quality of the solvent (regarding the instrument’s varnish), and the concentration of the wax in it.
Expert Luthier in Brooklyn with easy access by subway/bus/car; CEO of AZG Musical Inc
Top Contributor
This item is sold by Planet Waves and comes in a squeeze out small bottle. It seems to polish very well to a high shine with little effort. It works on nitro the same as on French Polish.
Assistant to the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Argosy University
As I see it, build-up and wood contamination concerns me in this scenario. If all you are looking for is a bowling-ball-like, one-time shine on a new and inexpensive instrument, I guess a purified wax is fine – though, I wouldn’t do it because I avoid what I consider to be bad practices. Wax will build-up and deaden sound, if used continually, while contaminating bare wood/cracks on used instruments – making future restorations potentially more difficult. A good grease-less polish, such as OZ Polish, is what I prefer for properly cleaned and protected violins and bows.
http://www.mohawk-finishing.com/catalog_browse.asp?ictNbr=154
I have no connection to this company (Mohawk Finishing) and the above is just my humble opinion. 🙂
Expert Luthier in Brooklyn with easy access by subway/bus/car; CEO of AZG Musical Inc
Top Contributor
After consulting the company with your concerns, they informed me that as long as there is a covering on the wood with either French Polish or nitro finish there will be no wax buildup. The wax leaves a haze when it is applied. It has to be buffed out at that point to get the shine. This remove a micro thin layer of lacquer from the instrument which produces the high shine. It should not be applied to raw wood to avoid your concern.
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