# Why You Shouldn't Wax Your Bowstring



## Lucas Cooney (Mar 10, 2017)

Kevin Wilkey explains why he and the majority of pro shooters don't wax their bowstrings.


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## BOWHUNTINDO (Feb 10, 2011)

Majority Pro Shooter ?
Come on.

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## Slippyshaft (Dec 20, 2008)

I’m going to go wax my strings now.


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## icemanls2 (Mar 15, 2007)

I've been waxing my bow threads since I was a kid , shot competitively, and ran a pro shop. I can honestly say i have never saw damage to a string due to waxing. If your bow is in your car at a temp that is that is melting the wax out of the threads, the wax is the least of your worries and you need to look at your limbs. The pros I know use something like Venom that is liquid wax and soaks in quickly and don't leave buildup.


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## George Charles (Oct 18, 2012)

Where do people come up w/this stuff? It is like watching CNN, desperate for ratings. Don't wax your string, but use a "waxed" string to clean it off, seriously?


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## spike camp (Jun 2, 2008)

I agree with everything he said.


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## catkinson (Jul 17, 2007)

I’ve never understood why waxing your string would protect it !?


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## orarcher (Jun 3, 2006)

Makes sense


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## LFM (Jan 10, 2004)

Most everything has a Tendency to Change whether it Dries Out or Stretches with a String Wax It helps with keeping it Consistent the same as when it was "new". Being we shoot in warm and Hot Weather and what might be a part of the material is no longer there and why we Wax our Bow Strings so we don't have to keep replacing them so Soon...
Like many Things on the Internet They have No Real Proof I could see if they were a Reputable String Maker and were for a long time but Just to say you don't Need to is another Myth... As Strings Cost some money and can and do stretch over time so to try and prevent that we wax our Strings... Maybe with the newer string Materials but they are all some kind of Fiber Material and we have all see the fray and break a strain over time... Why take the Chance? 

LFM


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Like a professional guitar player, pros change their strings far more often than a regular shooter. Waxing or not waxing probably isn't much of a factor for them, as a new string will be put on well before its lifespan is up. Not so much for the average dude.


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## Early Ice (Mar 18, 2008)

I wax my string cause i'm sick of looking at the fuzz....


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## Mackpappy (Apr 9, 2017)

Hmm.


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## The Old Guy (Mar 28, 2017)

I have had strings last 5 years and they were waxed often. I don’t shoot everyday, just everyday it is fit to be outside.


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## TheTracker (Sep 11, 2009)

Maybe because they change their strings every season and get new FREE strings whenever they want or need them?


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## stiff_muffins (Oct 24, 2017)

BRB going to wax my strings. Thanks for the reminder.


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## [email protected] (Mar 23, 2017)

Early Ice said:


> I wax my string cause i'm sick of looking at the fuzz....


Me too and I don't use a rasp to apply it.lol

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## Dryfly24 (Apr 26, 2016)

I regularly waxed the strings on my old Hoyt Xtec and my buddy never did on his. One day while drawing back his bow the strings let go causing a pretty bad dry fire. Luckily he didn't get hurt. Even after years and years the strings on my bow looked like they were brand new and worked fine until I had them replaced just because they were so old. By the way, I probably regularly shot my bow twice as much as he shot his in case you're wondering. 

I'll continue to wax the strings on all my bows, thanks anyway though...


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## Dryfly24 (Apr 26, 2016)

George Charles said:


> Where do people come up w/this stuff? It is like watching CNN, desperate for ratings. Don't wax your string, but use a "waxed" string to clean it off, seriously?


:thumbs_up


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## doulos (Apr 2, 2006)

Either I really stink at shooting or I am just dumb and ignorant. Maybe I have all three qualiites . But I never noticed a sight setting not being accurate any more after waxing my string. I almost cant beleive I heard that when he said it. Did I hear that right? Has anyone else ever seen a point of impact shift after waxing your bow string?


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## njbowhntr (Jan 18, 2015)

doulos said:


> Either I really stink at shooting or I am just dumb and ignorant. Maybe I have all three qualiites . But I never noticed a sight setting not being accurate any more after waxing my string. I almost cant beleive I heard that when he said it. Did I hear that right? Has anyone else ever seen a point of impact shift after waxing your bow string?


Not me. I wax and proud of if. I could see someone saying you do not want globs of wax falling off the string. But I keep my strings waxed.


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## Huntinsker (Feb 9, 2012)

He's absolutely right that you can do more damage to your string while waxing.........if you go at it like a drunken monkey. If you're using an ounce of common sense, you won't damage anything. I think people tend to over wax their strings but not waxing it at all isn't the solution. Just do it correctly and you'll be fine.

Everyone concerned about wax melting in the bundle and changing your tune, the only place that could happen is on the ends where the serving it placed. When strings are built, like he said, the wax is stripped out and the serving is laid over the dewaxed fibers so there is a minimal amount of wax under the serving anyway. Don't wax the served sections of the string and no wax will melt in the heat and change your tune.


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## chasemukluk (Jun 10, 2008)

TheTracker said:


> Maybe because they change their strings every season and get new FREE strings whenever they want or need them?


Also they dont even shoot their bow more than a year in most cases. 

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## billhunter 3131 (Jan 29, 2018)

Wow thank GOD I am not new to archery , to wax or not wax wow.


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## NY_bowhunter (Aug 8, 2010)

The guy is HIGHLY uneducated about strings and shouldn't be near a bow.


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## Doty Bumb (Apr 9, 2010)

LOL----------Time to wax my strings.


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## savage 14 (Sep 19, 2010)

wax on wax off that is the question?how many of us own a shop or make your own strings,so if you do waxing would not matter.i would hope he does not leave his bow in the hot truck so the wax runs out because that's not a very good way to remove the wax.keep waxing!


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## nock tune (Jul 5, 2009)

I agree don't wax save a bee!


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## young7.3 (Jul 11, 2012)

I'll continue waxing my strings.


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## BOWHUNTINDO (Feb 10, 2011)

nock tune said:


> I agree don't wax save a bee!


Are Bees endangered species Now 

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## Bowgren2 (Jul 13, 2016)

Just a stupid question, Why does string material come waxed and new strings are waxed?


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## frankenstein71 (Aug 20, 2010)

i partially agree with him. but every string needs some wax


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## Huntinsker (Feb 9, 2012)

Bowgren2 said:


> Just a stupid question, Why does string material come waxed and new strings are waxed?


They don't come waxed because your strings need to be waxed necessarily, though I believe proper care involves periodic cleaning/waxing. They come waxed because the materials strings are made of do not absorb dyes so they are actually coated with colored waxes to create the color. If you've ever touched the raw material, you can easily feel the wax, especially on bright or deep colors. Compared to something like 452x Natural color, which doesn't have any coloring added to it, Red 452x is very waxy....as an example.

Personally, I wax all the strings I make before taking them off the jig after the final measurement.


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## shiftydog (Apr 18, 2013)

Vegas winner Alex Wifler shoes off his string waxing technique.


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## banzaiengr (Mar 13, 2013)

Waxing your string causes your sights to become misaligned. I'm going with that because every time I shoot my bow I have to re-sight.
:embara:


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## Krieghoffman (Mar 20, 2018)

My strings get ragged if I doing wax often enough on traditional bows.


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## banzaiengr (Mar 13, 2013)

Actually I asked the guy who makes my strings about this. His says no wax. He states that it (wax) changes the properties of the string material. If you do it, then do it every day. Otherwise if it's just a once in a while deal it will cause your bow to shot different.


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## Artem256 (Mar 30, 2018)

Um i read somewhere to wax the serving, which i did along with the rest of the string, having regret about that. Do you leave the serving dry? Also when im rubbing in the wax, there’s little hairs appearing, is this normal?


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## 013 (Feb 26, 2018)

I stopped using engine oil in my car, you know, because it's messy sometimes, and it eventually breaks down, and friction, who really worries about that anyways ... :set1_rolf2:

*This from BCY Bowstring:*

Question: Is it necessary to use "special" wax with certain types of bowstring material?

Answer: Not really. There are four main reasons for using wax on a bowstring: 

1. To lubricate the fibers and prevent "fiber to fiber" abrasion 
2. To help keep the "bundle" of strands together 
3. To maintain and extend the life of the string 
4. To help prevent water absorption 

BCY applies a generous amount of synthetic wax in liquid form, which insures that from its origin the bowstring material is well lubricated inside and out. It is this process which gives the material its basic protection from fiber to fiber abrasion and helps keep the bundle of strands together. Generally the type of wax used would be a good quality standard "tacky" wax. At this stage it would be unusual for the wax to include silicone which is very slick and, particularly in the case of Flemish strings, makes it difficult to convert the bowstring material into a finished bowstring. However, after the string is made, it is recommended that the archer look for a "maintenance" wax that contains some silicone because a wax blended with silicone penetrates the string material very well and keeps the inside fibers lubricated as well as the outside. Wax can be applied with fingers, with a cloth, or with a chamois leather. *It should be applied frequently and rubbed well into the string.*


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## escorza88 (Oct 14, 2012)

Disco89 said:


> Like a professional guitar player, pros change their strings far more often than a regular shooter. Waxing or not waxing probably isn't much of a factor for them, as a new string will be put on well before its lifespan is up. Not so much for the average dude.


What he said.


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## GotDraw? (Jun 30, 2014)

Clearly its time to develop Brazilian String Wax, pulls off the fuzz and leaves and nice, clean string behind.

This will be a product that waxers and non-waxers can embrace and agree upon.

JL


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## EC9 (May 9, 2018)

Excellent point! 😀


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## leoncrandall74 (Apr 9, 2017)

Thanks for sharing but no thanks..

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## bowman extreme (Sep 22, 2003)

Idiotic. Someone is always attempting to be the next shaman.
Wax is there to protect the fibers from cutting themselves. Wax should be removed and replaced as well. Wax can hold dirt, which can also damage fibers.
I use Scorpion lubricant and also clean my string on occasion.


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## cleggy (Aug 26, 2006)

Straight mineral oil for my strings. People do more harm when they add wax to a dirty bowstring and don't clean it off first. Mineral oil provides lubricity, and won't build up over time.


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## Straight-Arrow (Jun 12, 2015)

This was funny! My strings and cables are dripping with wax.


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## Jdunn2847 (Jun 3, 2018)

And they y’all missed the main part of the video. He’s a string builder himself. He doesn’t want you to wax your strings so you have to buy a new one from him more often!!! Ha


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## skyfox66 (Aug 6, 2011)

*makes a note to buy more wax*

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## P.Coy (May 21, 2018)

This is exactly what I was thinking. Pros probably change their strings twice a year. waxing or not waxing would have no affect what so ever, in my opinion. I'm going to continue waxing to help preserve the life of the string and keep the fibers full of life so they don't dry out and start to fray. Meanwhile, I'm also going to strip the wax and clean my strings every so often to get rid of the dirt and crud build-up. It's just like my guns. I don't run them dry, I also dont just lube them without cleaning them.
Also, I live in Florida. It gets hot in Florida, believe it or not. I dont leave my bow in my car for too long, but it definitely experiences hotter than usual temps and that mixed with the humidity i can say that it probably doesn't take much more for the wax to to liquefy and run off although its never happened to me. That being said, I'd rather not find out


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## Dallas_M (Oct 7, 2017)

interesting


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## Sharpt4 (Jul 17, 2018)

Wax on...wax off...wax on....wax off... lol


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## Crashman (Jan 20, 2005)

Most bows these days don't have much exposed string anyways. In reality if you apply wax it is probably a low percentage of coverage when compared to the total length of the strings and cables. I wax, and will continue to do so, I have been at this 30 years, I am no expert and I do not make a living shooting a bow, but to date I haven't had one single string failure so I will stick with what I am doing.


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## BBalash3 (Apr 6, 2010)

I’m going to keep waxing my string...


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## GuntherChaconne (Mar 9, 2015)

gotdraw? said:


> clearly its time to develop brazilian string wax, pulls off the fuzz and leaves and nice, clean string behind.
> 
> This will be a product that waxers and non-waxers can embrace and agree upon.
> 
> Jl


$$$$$$$ we have a winner lol$$$$$$$


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## NoviceAddicted (Dec 25, 2015)

After going to all the effort of making a set of compound strings, especially when you have made one that you think is A++, right twist ratio, right lengths, tunes easy, shoots good, looks good. I'm going to wax those strings to last as long as possible, and periodically run a piece of string material burnishing them, cleaning off old dirty wax to get 6, 7, 8, etc. thousand shots on them or as long as they are holding up and doing the job.


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## bangerb (Jul 16, 2018)

I will also continue to wax. Been doing it since I can remember, with no ill effects.


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## NoviceAddicted (Dec 25, 2015)

I never thought of that. I'm going to try and remember to do that next time I make a set of strings.


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## NoviceAddicted (Dec 25, 2015)

That post was supposed to have quote in it and was in reference to waxing strings right after making them, I'm going to try it.


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## Moose39x (Feb 23, 2017)

Not waxing strings is just a dumb idea. Especially when real good ones are over a 100 bucks a set. Were not all gifted with sponsors and get free strings when ever we want them. Would you run a set of strings dry? Would you build a 10,000 dollar engine for a race car and not run oil? Didnt think so


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## Zx636 (Feb 12, 2016)

Still waxing


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## kabaer (Nov 16, 2018)

New to bow care but I've read/heard that everyone needs to wax their strings...not sure what I think about this.


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## pippodick (Apr 10, 2012)

wax my strings. too


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## Rclark57 (Feb 14, 2019)

I just keep waxing it to keep the little fuzz down. However, I don't glob it on there like some do.


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## leoncrandall74 (Apr 9, 2017)

I won't ever have to wax my new string!!

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## By-tor (Jan 31, 2021)

[email protected] said:


> Me too and I don't use a rasp to apply it.lol
> 
> Sent from my SM-J320R4 using Tapatalk


I make my strings out of braided "SpiderWire" 50 lb test fishing line 14 strand & never have to worry about fuzz or waxing them! Strong and smooth as steel. And cost me pennies to make.


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## johnno (Apr 11, 2006)

I like to lightly wax mine - then leave the bow in the sun so the heat softens the wax and allows it to melt into the strings.


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## JBMKIII (Jan 25, 2012)

Looks like the video has been removed. What was the gist of the message?


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## TotenTeufel (Feb 20, 2021)

I assume not to wax your string. I personally wax my strings, I don’t like seeing the fuzz. I’ve seen some pretty nasty looking strings and the people said they’ve never waxed it and didn’t want them waxed. I’ve had a bow string break while under draw, anything I can do to prevent that from happening again, I’m going to do.


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## talyhalm (Feb 7, 2021)

've been waxing my bow threads since I was a kid , shot competitively, and ran a pro shop. I can honestly say i have never saw damage to a string due to waxing. If your bow is in your car at a temp that is that is melting the wax out of the threads, the wax is the least of your worries and you need to look at your limbs.


snaptube vidmate


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## brettmuller (May 16, 2020)

I’ll use the wax 


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## Bucket monkey (Oct 17, 2020)

I dont know about all that


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## ijustwantedtobuyabow (Jul 19, 2021)

Enlightening, The comments even more so.


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## Kamehana (Aug 6, 2021)

I use wax, but very infrequently. After reading the comments on this tread, it appears that there are quite a range of opinions as to whether or not waxing is necessary or even makes a difference.


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## cwshire (Aug 19, 2021)

This just seems odd, the video isn’t available for me anymore - maybe taken down for mis-information? 🙃 hehe


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## Jaded Carbon (12 mo ago)

Make it part of your regular maintenance and you forget you even do it. You clean and oil guns right? Clean, oil, and wax your bow...stop being lazy 🤪


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## MatthiasPeregrino (11 mo ago)

Dryfly24 said:


> I regularly waxed the strings on my old Hoyt Xtec and my buddy never did on his. One day while drawing back his bow the strings let go causing a pretty bad dry fire. Luckily he didn't get hurt. Even after years and years the strings on my bow looked like they were brand new and worked fine until I had them replaced just because they were so old. By the way, I probably regularly shot my bow twice as much as he shot his in case you're wondering.
> 
> I'll continue to wax the strings on all my bows, thanks anyway though...


Appreciate the anecdote. Cheers.


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## ThumbsMcGee86 (Aug 28, 2019)

I didn’t watch the vid but it was obviously produced by the Big String Industry so your strings wear down more and you have to buy strings more frequently.


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## SoyKraut (Dec 8, 2014)

Wax just enough to keep the fuzz down. No one likes fuzz.


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## BigXX78 (Mar 16, 2005)

When I start getting a free set of Vec99 strings from my sponsors every time I need them, I'll stop waxing.

Strings can definitely be over waxed--too much, too often, with too much left on strings, but I've found regular waxing, with just enough, really helps improve string life. Waxing really helps reduce wear from the normal consequences of hunting--weather and contact with brush.

I've never had strings get damaged from waxing them nor have I had peeps change due to wax. I can often get 2-3 years out of a string set, by waxing regularly, even with lots of hunting wear.

30+ years ago "pros and experts" were writing articles about why people should never fletch arrows left helical--"because it'll make your points come unscrewed." (Of course, some wax on the point threads can fix that problem too.) In 30 years, these guys advising not to wax will be just like those same old timers back then.


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## BigXX78 (Mar 16, 2005)

013 said:


> I stopped using engine oil in my car, you know, because it's messy sometimes, and it eventually breaks down, and friction, who really worries about that anyways ... :set1_rolf2:
> 
> *This from BCY Bowstring:*
> 
> ...


That's a crazy answer: "Not really", but here are the good reasons you should do it...

I'm sure their string materials are much more profitable than the wax they sell.


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