Shoe cream as wax?

[Forging Carver]

I was asking around about what to use to wax my hooks. Moony recommended Penetrol which I am going to definitely try out. I am a wood worker and had some melatonion shoe cream in my tool box that I use to stain and condition some of my finished carvings. So I figured what the hec lets try it out on my hook. I got a cloth and put some cream on it then rubbed it on the hook that had a touchable heat. It came out great color wise, but I am not sure if it will protect the hook from rust? Anyone out there know if shoe cream has wax or something in it to protect steel from rust? The brand cream I used was melatonion shoe cream. I will put up some before/after pictures. Another concern I have is that on the bigger hook, you can see what looks like chips almost like if the cream chipped off. Maybe I should have applied it better? Or maybe I will just remove it all with steel wool and use the Penetrol?

  Thanks

[Glenn]

What is the purpose of the coating you are going to apply? How long do you expect it to last and protect ? WIll the product be inside or outside in all sorts of weather ?

If you are at a demo, you want something quick and easy to apply and that will last long enough that the customer does not complain. It needs to be CLEAN and not sticky because it will be handled or go into the customers purse or pocket.

If you are in the shop, you can take a little longer and a little more effort to apply. It should remain in good condition until it is sold, and longer in order to please the customer.

If you are making the item for yourself, your spouse, or your friend, you want the longest lasting finish you can find as they know where you live. They will bring the item back so YOU so you can fix the rust.

If you buy a car you want to the paint to last 10-20 years before it needs resurfaced and repainted. Do the same with your metal. Preparation to get the item down to bare metal, coat with galvanized, apply a good primer, and then apply several coats of a good paint, followed by a clear protective coating.  You may want to look into a marine paint. The cost of the finish will most likely be more expensive then the metal product itself.

 

Coatings such as oils and beeswax have been used for years. Cooking oil, veggie oil, olive oil etc can by used for tools being used around and with food.

Modifications of beeswax coatings are all over the place. One that keeps popping up is beeswax, boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and Japan dryer. Boiled linseed oil can be used as a warm dip and then hung to dry (takes 3 days to a week).

Paint from a rattle can on clean metal is another option but does not last long in outside conditions.

Powder coating has been suggested and works as long as there are no defects in the coating. Once water, air, or moisture gets into or under the coating, rust will start from the inside and pop the power coating off the metal. The only way to repair the power coating is to strip the old coating off, get it down to bare metal and apply a new coating. This can be expensive  and exceed the cost of the item.

You MUST always plan on abrasion, impact, etc. no matter what the coating. For instance a dinner bell that will be hit with another piece of metal will NOT hold a protective coating where it is constantly being hit.

As I said, what to YOU want, and how well do YOU want to protect that metal ??

 

 

 

Edited September 8, 2015 by Glenn

[Alan Evans]

For interior domestic stuff shoe polish…(shoe cream/wax) works fine. Very interesting using the pigmented polishes. Red makes the metal look warm still. Green and blue give it a sophisticated appearance and black is a good irony finish.

It does not seem to come off any worse than it does from your shoes. Just don't reckon to apply it with the workpiece lying on a white table cloth…remember what happened to your white socks when you did not take your shoes off before applying polish to them!

We have Kiwi brand and Meltonian over here. Sounds similar to your Melatonion.

Renaissance wax which is a bend of Microcrystalline and Polythene waxes is the most robust and tack free (high melting point) wax finish I have found.

Do a search on here wax recipes have been discussed a few times.

Alan

[Frosty]

Shoe polish works well on interior pieces. Apply it to pretty warm work so it'll liquify and fill the little nooks and crannies and it'll set up pretty quickly. Buff the excess while it's still warm.

 I use Trewax brand Carnuba, indoors or out, it's very durable and I like the finish, the pieces look wet with a bit of shine.

I don't know about waxing, oiling, painting, plating, etc. over Penetrol and I don't know how Penetrol stands as a finish on it's own.

The only chips I see in the pics are scale, black iron oxide. A brisk wire brushing at red heat usually cleans it to burnished steel silver and provides a surface the finish has a good chance of sticking to for a while.

Pretty  nice hooks. The point at the top needs to be longer if a drive hook or bent in a hook if an S hook. A J hook needs a feature that allows it to be connected to function as a hanger.

Frosty The Lucky.

[swedefiddle]

 

Pretty  nice hooks. The point at the top needs to be longer if a drive hook or bent in a hook if an S hook. A J hook needs a feature that allows it to be connected to function as a hanger.

Frosty The Lucky.

Good Morning,

I agree with Frosty, It looks like the Hooks need to be finished, before needing an application of a "Finish". Maybe it is the way the picture was photographed??

We use Floor wax, pretty well any manufacture that has Carnuba in it. Bees wax also works well.

Neil

[Forging Carver]

Ok thanks for all the help guys I will try some of the stuff you recommended.

[Forging Carver]

For interior domestic stuff shoe polish…(shoe cream/wax) works fine. Very interesting using the pigmented polishes. Red makes the metal look warm still. Green and blue give it a sophisticated appearance and black is a good irony finish.

It does not seem to come off any worse than it does from your shoes. Just don't reckon to apply it with the workpiece lying on a white table cloth…remember what happened to your white socks when you did not take your shoes off before applying polish to them!

We have Kiwi brand and Meltonian over here. Sounds similar to your Melatonion.

Renaissance wax which is a bend of Microcrystalline and Polythene waxes is the most robust and tack free (high melting point) wax finish I have found.

Do a search on here wax recipes have been discussed a few times.

Alan

That is pretty cool that red makes the steel look warm. Do you have a picture of something you or someone else used red shoe cream with? Oh and sorry i meant to say meltonian.

  Thanks

Shoe polish works well on interior pieces. Apply it to pretty warm work so it'll liquify and fill the little nooks and crannies and it'll set up pretty quickly. Buff the excess while it's still warm.

 I use Trewax brand Carnuba, indoors or out, it's very durable and I like the finish, the pieces look wet with a bit of shine.

I don't know about waxing, oiling, painting, plating, etc. over Penetrol and I don't know how Penetrol stands as a finish on it's own.

The only chips I see in the pics are scale, black iron oxide. A brisk wire brushing at red heat usually cleans it to burnished steel silver and provides a surface the finish has a good chance of sticking to for a while.

Pretty  nice hooks. The point at the top needs to be longer if a drive hook or bent in a hook if an S hook. A J hook needs a feature that allows it to be connected to function as a hanger.

Frosty The Lucky.

Thanks for the help frosty. Yeah it is really a drive hook not a j hook. I might try out that trewax too then. Moony told me he used the penetrol which i will try also. I tried the shoe cream, now i am going to also try the trewax, penetrol, and some wax mixes and see what i like best.

  Thanks for all your help

 

What is the purpose of the coating you are going to apply? How long do you expect it to last and protect ? WIll the product be inside or outside in all sorts of weather ?

If you are at a demo, you want something quick and easy to apply and that will last long enough that the customer does not complain. It needs to be CLEAN and not sticky because it will be handled or go into the customers purse or pocket.

If you are in the shop, you can take a little longer and a little more effort to apply. It should remain in good condition until it is sold, and longer in order to please the customer.

If you are making the item for yourself, your spouse, or your friend, you want the longest lasting finish you can find as they know where you live. They will bring the item back so YOU so you can fix the rust.

If you buy a car you want to the paint to last 10-20 years before it needs resurfaced and repainted. Do the same with your metal. Preparation to get the item down to bare metal, coat with galvanized, apply a good primer, and then apply several coats of a good paint, followed by a clear protective coating.  You may want to look into a marine paint. The cost of the finish will most likely be more expensive then the metal product itself.

 

Coatings such as oils and beeswax have been used for years. Cooking oil, veggie oil, olive oil etc can by used for tools being used around and with food.

Modifications of beeswax coatings are all over the place. One that keeps popping up is beeswax, boiled linseed oil, turpentine, and Japan dryer. Boiled linseed oil can be used as a warm dip and then hung to dry (takes 3 days to a week).

Paint from a rattle can on clean metal is another option but does not last long in outside conditions.

Powder coating has been suggested and works as long as there are no defects in the coating. Once water, air, or moisture gets into or under the coating, rust will start from the inside and pop the power coating off the metal. The only way to repair the power coating is to strip the old coating off, get it down to bare metal and apply a new coating. This can be expensive  and exceed the cost of the item.

You MUST always plan on abrasion, impact, etc. no matter what the coating. For instance a dinner bell that will be hit with another piece of metal will NOT hold a protective coating where it is constantly being hit.

As I said, what to YOU want, and how well do YOU want to protect that metal ??

 

 

 

Thanks for that Glenn. I can see how that will really help in time and money if i ever start a buisness or decide to sell or do demos