Renaissance Wax Polish , 200 ml

This is a stupendous product for which I already wrote a review several years ago. It read: Unlike other micro-crystalline waxes, this leaves no white residue on your work. Do you need to waterproof a calligraphy project? Renaissance Wax is a product which is often sold to prevent rust but which can have good uses for the Calligrapher.Renaissance Wax is a brand of microcrystalline wax polish that is used in antique restoration and museums. (According to the label on the can, The British Museum uses it.) It is also used as a protective finish for metals to prevent tarnish and rust. (One reviewer on the Amazon site claims to have used it to prevent having to polish his copper sink.) It is also used as a primary finish for cabinetry and furniture. Although not appropriate for all materials, one commercial supplier states it has been used, “to revive and protect valuable furniture, leather, paintings, metals, marble, onyx, ivory etc.” (I have never tried it on any of these surfaces and probably wouldn’t as there are other, specifically formulated products that have been manufactured for most of them.)Wax coatings are used to produce barriers that exclude moisture and oxygen from surfaces. As such I have used Renaissance Wax to cover calligraphy that might be exposed to moisture: Name tags, individual place cards, envelopes.I rub the wax onto the already lettered paper with a soft cloth, then buff it quickly. (If you rub the wax on before you do the calligraphy, the wet ink will not stick to the paper.) Some papers will briefly turn more translucent but will return to the original as the product dries. Then paper will not be shiny when the wax is dry.Renaissance Wax is a blend of refined microcrystalline waxes which remain neutral. I have tested Renaissance Wax and found its pH to be 6.8 (or higher.) It contains petroleum products, rather than all natural waxes. Most current commercial waxes (based on beeswax and carnauba wax) contain acids that can spoil original finishes and cause paper to yellow. I make no claim, however, as to whether it should be used on paper that is expected to last a long time. I do not use it for this purpose. It is great for making sure food or drink does not cause the ink on name tags or place cards to run.Do keep the lid on the jar when not in use; Renaissance wax does evaporate. Given its odor, I believe the wax should also be used in a site where there is good ventilation. While one site claims it “has high moisture resistance, and can be used to protect paper book covers from finger prints and adds luster to water colors and other works on paper,” I recommend trying it on a small sample before using it on any paper. Most creams and whites do fine with it. It causes some darker colors to become “dusty.” Depending on the shininess of photographic prints, it can cause streaks.Renaissance wax can be purchased on a number of internet sites. I have not found any place in the Greater Cincinnati Area that sells it. The price is usually comparable from one site to the next. Amazon and New York Art Supply sell it for about the same price.

So I have ordered this after reading a big deal on sword collector sites.It is the panacea for all the needs of collectors, and so far the fame seems to be deserved. I have 2 occidental swords, limited edition from Lord of the Rings movies (Museum edition series); and I was concerned about how to keep these beauties in a clean and nice way.Tried with silicone oil, mineral oil and while they solve the purpose, leave the blade and hilt greasy and attract a lot of particles, making them quite bad to look at, and in continuous need to be cleaned (get a spoon, put it in honey, lick all honey off and then roll the spoon on the carpet...this is how the swords would look like...I don't have a museum with weatherproof sealed boxes, so dust get on them no matter what :D )Used this once, and so far great results! It cleaned the old stain on the metal, and the dried residual of oil; and made the metal a bit more shiny (not sure if it removed the aging coat that the sword maker put on the sword; or if it just cleaned it); but it won't look like chrome, so be assured that the sword will stay nice and clean but not shiny and "bling". It works great on the blade, hilt and grip (which is made of leather); I've coated the scabbard too (made of wood, metal and leather), and it looks awesomely clean.The big advantages are that you don't need to coat every few months the blade, since this wax stays on for quite a long time (heard that you need to give another coat once every 6-8 months, based on how much you handle the sword), it doesn't leave grease all over and if you touch the blade with your fingers (don't do it), you can easily wipe away the blade and you are fine; while with the oil you would have to give a new coat (if the grease on the hands goes under the oil coat, with air, it will cause rust to appear on the carbon blade, that's why you never touch with your bare hands a carbon steel blade, unless you clean it thoroughly after).I am happy with it; there is plenty for 10 years of coating :) Tried it on other old items, like silver items which had a dark coat on it, and it didn't work as well as the sword; I guess that Silver has to be cleaned with other products before you can use this wax. Works good on leather and wood chairs, altho it will be expensive to coat 4 chair every 6 months...you may have better luck with common cheaper products, unless you have a louis 15th type furniture :)

I bought this to help keep the high dollar tools in my woodshop clean and waxed, but once I found out how versatile it was, I bought two more and have been using it for many applications. There is a reason this wax is the chosen product by museum curators.What I like most about this is that it cleans as well as protects - it takes off dirt and oils as you apply it, better than other paste waxes I have used in the past. My old favorite was Behlen paste wax, which is a great product, but Renaissance wax has supplanted Behlen as my go to product. This is easier to work with, cleans better taking off dirt and grime, and is easier to buff to a shine. Sometimes Behlen would set up to quickly and leave a haze / streaks, where Renaissance is much more forgiving on set up time.In the shop I use this on MANY things - plane bodies / irons, my Starrett rules and squares - pretty much any metal tool that I want to clean and protect. And the bonus again is it really cleans well in one step! Sometimes I apply / buff twice for dirtier tools, and it works well. I have also used this on my jointer and planer beds to make the surface slick, and even the table saw. I try and use cheaper paste waxes on my tool beds due to the cost of this wax, but it does work well if you want to foot the cost.I have also found this works great on restoring / protecting more than just my tools - just like in the museums, I have been using this on some of my antiques where I want to keep the patina, yet protect it. I am now using this with more confidence in those applications - this wax simply takes off the dirt and oils, yet leaves the patina without leaving a high sheen. Very nice.I highly recommend this wax to anyone for most any application - it is not cheap - but the results are top notch!Thanks for reading!