What paste wax for table saw top?

I use Minwax paste wax.

A better to reason to not use a car polish is that it may contain silicone and you don't want that in your shop.

You can still buy JPW here at the BORG.

Try TopCote ... it is more expensive, but works better and lasts longer. Available at just about any woodworking supply store: Rockler, WoodCraft, Cutting Edge,. Porter Cable stores, and many places that supply cabinet parts and hardware to the trades.

If you can't find it locally, you can still get Johnson's Paste Wax directly from the manufacturer:

meguiar's carnauba paste wax. get it at an automotive parts store.

While TopCote looks expensive, I have only used 3 cans of it since 1989. I live in humid Houston so it does get tested. Keep in mind to put on at least 2 liberally heavy coats to start and as time goes by you can use it less and less. Now I use it to simply slick up the surface, which is what it was originally intended for. I discovered that it also kept the rest away. And, it is simple to use. Spray it on, wipe it off if you want. I never wipe it off any more.

I have been very disappointed in TopCote. Minwax paste wax works better for me. TopCote is very expensive. Maybe I'm not applying right. But I find Minwax works better and lasts longer. What am I doing wrong?

Bob

Johnson's paste wax is carried by Ace Hardware.

Bob

Funny. That is the exact opposite of my experience. I was using paste wax but was disappointed and was constantly applying more wax. Now that I am using TopCote, the treatments are few and far between.

Al

I seem to have read that somewhere. :)

Nothing at all ... it's likely a climatic thing. You use what works best for you in your particular climate.

Great link.

They only want $5.80/can. The last time that I bought the Minwax paste wax at Lowes it was closer to $10 IIRC.

$5.99 shipping/no tax is not bad if you buy a couple of cans.

Thanks,

Steve

Johnson's is still manufactured. It's tough to find in some areas, but it's still available. Your best bets are real hardware stores (e.g. Ace, Tru-Value, or any independent mom-and pop operation) and smaller grocery stores.

Lowe's does carry it, but not in every store. They can probably order it for you. According to a post by Silvan earlier this year, the Lowe's stock number is 44690.

Home Depot and WalMart are alleged to have it in some stores. I've never seen it at either one, and nobody has posted stock numbers.

You can also order it direct from the manufacturer:

It's a bad idea in any event. Most automobile waxes contain silicone, which will cause "fish-eye" in a lot of wood finishes. You don't want silicone anywhere near any of your woodworking tools.

Johnson's, or Butcher's Bowling Alley Wax.

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TopCote works better and better over time as the layers build. You have to start off with 2 liberally heavy layers and reapply as necessary afterward. Applications become farther and farther apart.

I have to admit that I tried TopCote for the first time, here in FL, and I'm having problems with it as well. First I applied a coat and wiped off...found rust the next day. Tried again with the same results. Posted a message here and got a suggestion to put it on but not wipe it off. Tried that, too. After applying two coats & not wiping off, was working near the saw, and a couple of drops of sweat fell on the table top. I figured it should be fine, but 20 mins later when I looked back, the drops of sweat had rusted the table.

Went back to Johnson's paste wax I had a bought a couple of months ago. Put on a liberal coat and left it (unbuffed). As of now (a week later, and a couple of projects later) no rust. I did have a small issue with the first couple of boards sticking a little bit, so I guess I should have buffed it out, but when I was using the unbuffed TopCote, I found that it made the top VERY sticky.

Just my experience, and I assume that I'm doing something wrong with the product because of all the people here that rave about it, but I guess it's just too high-tech for me ;-)

Trace

While nothing is perfect, salt water is pretty corrosive. I am not sure anything is going to protect against standing salt water. I believe that most of the protective products are more aimed at constant humid conditions that cause large areas of rust.

I didn't read all of the responses so forgive if this is repetitive.

I use a non-silicon product called Slipit. It is a contact lubricant but works well on metal tables and does not leave a residue. It come is both paste and spray form and the salesman at the Grizzly store recomended paste for durability. You brush the gooey paste on with a brush, then wipe it off with a rag. Sounds messy but not that bad. The lubricant also frees up your miter gages and if your fence rides on the table it will slide more smoothly for a while.

A can of paste is available through Grizzly for about $10. I have had a can for about 2-1/2 years and use it on everything 4-5 times a year and have used less than 1/4 of the content. It might be available other places too.

Ron

I wonder if he sweated on the JPW as well?

On Wed, 06 Oct 2004 04:43:15 GMT, "Bob" calmly ranted:

I've seen it at Walmart in two different states, too. Check the floor polish/mop area in grocery stores as well.

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Did you clean the top completely before you applied the TopCote ??? I live on a salt creek and 3 miles from the ocean and Topcote works fine on all my tools.

Johnson's paste wax left unbuffed is going to be a sticky mess.

William Wils>