# Homemade string wax?



## philhoney (Feb 25, 2010)

Hi,
I'm not sure if it would work for strings but I used to make up my own mix of wax for woodturning finishing. A mixture of carnuba wax and pure beeswax seemed to give the best results. You would have to experiment with proportions as too much carnuba would be too brittle and would flake off the string while too much beeswax would be too tacky.
Phil


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Thanks philhoney! Keep 'em coming guys!!


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## erictski (May 20, 2009)

pretty sure i read somewhere you dont want to use bees wax on a string...

i think string wax would be one DIY item that i would not want to DIY...best to keep this one to the manufactors in my opinion


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Im sure that it is not rocket science to make a blended wax for bowstrings. I have seen recipes for traditional stuff, but was wanting something with silicone in it. Someone has to have experimented with this at some point...


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## philhoney (Feb 25, 2010)

Hi,
What does wax do to a string?
From what I understand it does 2 things.
1. Protects the string from water. With the newer sythetic strings this should not be a problem.
2. Holds the string together and stops it parachuting. If you're shooting a short ATA bow the distance between servings (end, centre, peep etc) does not leave much room for parachuting.
Is wax really needed today?
Phil


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Yes, wax is needed today even with short ATA bows and newer string materials. It does protect the string from absorbing moisture. It also acts as a lubricant from cable slides. With silicone in it it will be able to protect the strands in the inner bundle from the friction of each other.


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## Deer Eliminator (Jan 21, 2010)

philhoney said:


> Hi,
> What does wax do to a string?
> From what I understand it does 2 things.
> 1. Protects the string from water. With the newer sythetic strings this should not be a problem.
> ...


I guess my question is if wax isn't needed. Then why is all the string material loaded with wax? I believe wax is needed. I believe not all string material I use is synthetic, and some requires waxing from time to time. Wax is a lubricant and seals the fibers together. That alone helps the string in many ways.


Hutch


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## philhoney (Feb 25, 2010)

Hi, 
Please don't get me wrong. I'm 61 yrs old and have only been shooting for the last 2 yrs and understand why wax is used on natural strings but can't get the reasoning behind waxing "plastic" strings.
I belong to a small target club in the UK and have asked just about all the members how often they wax their strings and 9 times out of 10 the answer is "never". The most extreme case is our club secretary who is using the same bow and string that she bought 20yrs ago and has never waxed her string but is one of the top scorers in the club.
Is waxing the string a throwback to medieval archery when linen strings were used or is it a marketing ploy to get us spend more of our hard earned dollars, pounds, yen, etc.
Phil


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## amcardon (Mar 17, 2009)

bacon83 said:


> Does anybody have any recipies for a homebrew string wax? Preferably something with silicone in it. I have searched high and low to no avail.


I was hoping that with a name like bacon that this was going to be a recipe for diy string wax made with bacon grease! Write the let down...  when you figure it out please let me know - it will be multipurpose as string wax, bear attractant and scent cover!

I use venom wax personally. If you shoot a lot outdoors and scrape your wax it is straight up dirty. I wax my strings to lubricate, yes, but also to help keep crap out of my strings that could break them down and degrade them... 

Good luck on your search, brother!


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Bacon Grease is what I was going to call it!!!!


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## jarrodj04 (Jul 30, 2010)

Id just pay 3 or 4 bucks and buy the stuff already made it lasts a good while and is made for this reason on mixing no coming up with concoxions (sp?) and cheap


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## ironhorse89 (Feb 22, 2009)

All I want to say is Ive bought a lot of used bows on here and there are many more people that dont wax as opposed to ones that do wax. I know because ive bought bows that were a year old and the strings were never waxed and frayed to the point that I replaced them before I even drew the bow because I didnt know if they would hold or not. I can tell you if it is possible to overwax a string, Im guilty. I can also tell you that this last season, I replaced the original string and cable on my Mathews MQ 32, not because it was frayed but because I went to a 65% let off cam and you have to change the string and cable when you go from 80% to 65%. When you consider the money involved in your archery set up, is 2.50 really alot to spend? Just my 2 cents.


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## Deer Eliminator (Jan 21, 2010)

I build and sell strings for more people that don't take care of there strings, then the one that need replacements. 


Hutch


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## dustoffer (Jan 24, 2009)

Was visiting with a former bow shop owner this week to try and isolate the noise in my bow. He pulled a ball of dark brown waxy material out of his range box and rubbed it on my strings and cables. I asked him where he got the string wax and he said "Made it out of beeswax and rosin" He melts couple of teaspoons of rosin and then puts the beeswax in it and stirs 'til melted. Then as it cools, he forms it into a ball and when cool and solid, puts it in his box.


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

I think I'm going to experiment with beeswax and rosin. It would be nice to add some silicone in the mix. I'm gonna mix some stuff up and see how it goes. I have a "virgin" set of strings I just made that have no wax on them other than what was on the spool from bcy. I'll mess around and see what works for me. If I ruin the set I can always make another. Besides I like to make my own stuff just for the simple satisfaction of doing it myself rather than buying it, even if it is only a few dollars.


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## l3rian (Mar 11, 2011)

Well your going to be making mine soon and I can assure you I always take care of my strings. Whats a bow without a good string?





Deer Eliminator said:


> I build and sell strings for more people that don't take care of there strings, then the one that need replacements.
> 
> 
> Hutch


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## OzArcher1 (May 25, 2007)

I have always waxed my strings, and I have used at least one for over ten years. I was under the impression that it was needed to maintain the string in a good safe working order, as soon as my strings (and cables) start to show the slightest fuzzies they get a good waxing. 

In this country at field shoots if a string is even slightly fuzzy it will not pass the bow check. 

I was at my club the other day and a newer member asked me to repair his string serving, while I was doing this I noticed his string had never been waxed and was showing so much wear and tear that it made me nervous just fix the serving. It was a truely ugly sight and could have broken any time. I was so concerned at the condition of his string that I also gave it a good waxing to show him how it was done and gave him a new tube of wax so that he could do it himself from then on. 

Having had a string break at full draw, take my word for it, it is not somthing that you really want to experience if you can avoid it.

If it was not necessary to wax strings why would BCY and Brownell (String Fibre manufacturers) have their own proprietry concoctions?


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

to the top!!


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## jrdrees (Jun 12, 2010)

I'll keep waxing it!!


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## Flame-Tamer (Mar 1, 2009)

jrdrees said:


> I'll keep waxing it!!


.

My Dad always said " There are 2 kinds of liars in the world... Those who dont "Wax" their "String" and those who say they don't....:wink:


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## sawdust2 (Jan 7, 2009)

This is what I use.

Heat the bees wax and mix in approx. 50 % Meguiar,s High Gloss Hot Shine Tire Gel (silicone). Takes a little bit to get the two thoroughly mixed. Let cool and rub into the string with your fingers, a little messy,and then wipe down with a paper towel. This makes for a nice shiny string with good lubrication and also has some UV protection from the silicone. To date, my 452X seems less prone to fuzzing.

Good luck

sawdust2


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## eaglecaps (Nov 4, 2009)

l3rian said:


> Well your going to be making mine soon and I can assure you I always take care of my strings. Whats a bow without a good string?


 A stick...


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## 963369 (Nov 15, 2003)

I melt beeswax, and add a wax GLUE available at MIchaels crafts called Tacky Wax. I have tried silicone but had issues with accessories moving on the string. (Of course I used Plumbers silicone, so that was overkill.) What I ended up doing was the beeswax and tacky wax for the string, and the mixture with silicone for my cables. They really zip thru the slide with almost no friction now.


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## EnglishKev (Aug 8, 2009)

philhoney said:


> Hi,
> Please don't get me wrong. I'm 61 yrs old and have only been shooting for the last 2 yrs and understand why wax is used on natural strings but can't get the reasoning behind waxing "plastic" strings.
> I belong to a small target club in the UK and have asked just about all the members how often they wax their strings and 9 times out of 10 the answer is "never". The most extreme case is our club secretary who is using the same bow and string that she bought 20yrs ago and has never waxed her string but is one of the top scorers in the club.
> Is waxing the string a throwback to medieval archery when linen strings were used or is it a marketing ploy to get us spend more of our hard earned dollars, pounds, yen, etc.
> Phil


This is why I see archers shooting 'woolly' strings at the shoots I attend, even within my own club.
The strings (especially on compounds) may be synthetic but will still fray without proper care and thus eventually fail.
I use String Snot for my compounds, but made my own mix of bees and parafin wax for my recurve strings.
Both work perfectly.
I will keep waxing mine, and advising everyone I know to do the same.

Kev


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## philhoney (Feb 25, 2010)

Hi,
Just for the record I wax my strings at the beginning and end of the outdoor season. We don't shoot in the rain so waterproofing is not an issue.
I did wax a recurve string for one of our young lady members whos' string was very wooly, rubbed the wax in with a piece of leather and then she complained that she got a trace of wax on her coat. Never again, I'll lend them the wax but they can DIY from now on.
Phil



EnglishKev said:


> This is why I see archers shooting 'woolly' strings at the shoots I attend, even within my own club.
> The strings (especially on compounds) may be synthetic but will still fray without proper care and thus eventually fail.
> I use String Snot for my compounds, but made my own mix of bees and parafin wax for my recurve strings.
> Both work perfectly.
> ...


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## EnglishKev (Aug 8, 2009)

philhoney said:


> Hi,
> Just for the record I wax my strings at the beginning and end of the outdoor season. We don't shoot in the rain so waterproofing is not an issue.
> I did wax a recurve string for one of our young lady members whos' string was very wooly, rubbed the wax in with a piece of leather and then she complained that she got a trace of wax on her coat. Never again, I'll lend them the wax but they can DIY from now on.
> Phil


Know what you mean Phil, just no pleasing some folk is there!

ATB

Kev


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## bacon83 (Sep 9, 2010)

Good ideas guys!!! Keep it coming!!


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## LoneWolf14 (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm not sure if you are still looking for infor But here the 1 I found and use on string "2/3 bees wax and 1/3 toilet seal wax by weigh melt make into small cakes out of them....


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## nvcnvc (Jan 27, 2009)

I bought a silicone based stick about 5 years ago for $7-8, and it is still about 1/2 full. BTW, I wax regularly 3 to 4 different bows. If you are looking to save money, it is not worth it. If you like to tinker however, I can see the point. good luck! Sorry, I have no suggestions for u.


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## caspian (Jan 13, 2009)

^^ this.

there's a time to DIY, and a time to just spend $8. I have *nearly* used the first stick of wax I bought 6 years ago, and I cannot imagine how many strings I have made with it, let alone my bows maintained.

I have three more sticks which, at current rates of consumption, will last me until >2030.


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## bbjavelina (Jan 30, 2005)

Wax, or don't wax? I figure a lot depends on how and where your bow is used. 

I'd wager that if shooting exclusively indoors a string cold go for a long time without wax, but if shooting outdoors, especially in dusty conditions, a string should be cleaned and waxed more often. Most of todays waxes will attract any dust and grime from the environment. These gritty substances will wear any material as it bends to go over any cam, roller, or cable slide. That's where the wax from the factory comes onto play. 

Jacket sleeves and arm guards can adversely affect the area just below the center serving. Waxing surely helps with that. 

I am, by nature, a DIY type person, but even at that, I use a Bohning stick with Silicone. 

References were made above to synthetic string materials. That leaves me puzzled a bit, because if your not using sinew, rawhide, or linen, what do you think you have?

Best of luck to each of you in your choice.


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## gofor (Feb 4, 2013)

philhoney said:


> Hi,
> Please don't get me wrong. I'm 61 yrs old and have only been shooting for the last 2 yrs and understand why wax is used on natural strings but can't get the reasoning behind waxing "plastic" strings.
> I belong to a small target club in the UK and have asked just about all the members how often they wax their strings and 9 times out of 10 the answer is "never". The most extreme case is our club secretary who is using the same bow and string that she bought 20yrs ago and has never waxed her string but is one of the top scorers in the club.
> Is waxing the string a throwback to medieval archery when linen strings were used or is it a marketing ploy to get us spend more of our hard earned dollars, pounds, yen, etc.
> Phil


Although the strings are synthetic, they are still prone to damage from abrasion and friction. Waxing does two things: it applies an outer coat that helps keep moisture from carrying contaminants into the string bundle and reduces friction from the cable slide, etc. It also lubricates the individual strands in the bundle to reduce heat and friction (if worked into the string/cable.) 

Strings/cables go through a lot of stress caused by rapid tension changes and vibration. Even aIrcraft control cables, which are made of high strength steel that is much harder, tougher, and stronger than bow string material, require periodic cleaning and lubrication to keep them from wearing out.

Synthetic does not mean indestructible. "Plastic" fibers are usually much smoother, which can actually increase the friction heat generated when they rub together. Most plastics melt at a lower temp then would damage a natural fiber.

My opinion

Go


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