Ax Wax

[Bertram Henze]

I've seen ads of Dr. Duck's Ax Wax recently, they say it's good for EVERYTHING, even as a string cleaner. Since I am reluctant to believe in wonders: has anybody tried this and had a considerably prolonged lifetime of strings?

Bertram

[Lane Pryce]

Never heard of it. Lp

[Bertram Henze]

Update: I ordered it and yesterday it arrived. The bottle looks strangely oldfashioned, like something found in a dusty drawer in grandpa's garage. I knew some people are into antique looks for instruments - but for plastic bottles?

I hadn't time yet to apply it, and I think it will take a while to observe what it does. Probably I'll try it on my old pac-rim 2point mandolin first. I'll come again to warn you.

Bertram

[250sc]

What are the ingredients?

[wayfaringstranger]

I'm a big fan of Dr. Ducks; I've been using it on all of my instruments for years (except for one mando that's varnished; it might be fine but I've never tried). Works great for me, and better than some of the other stuff I've tried.

I don't know what's in it, but they advertise what's *not* in it, which is as important: no wax, no abrasives, no silicone.

At least based on my experience, abrasives will scratch up your instrument, and silicone makes refinishing very, very hard to do (and it builds up over time in any cracks you might have on the surface).

[Mando Medic]

There are as many products on the market as there are opinions about those products for cleaning instruments. I have used DR. Duck's wax but don't anymore. My feeling is if the finish is good, it usually doesn't need wax, just a good cleaning and buffing. If the finish is really dirty, I use Martin guitar polish and have for years. If it's filthy, I'll use Naptha first, then Maguires #9 to rub out the finish and then polish out with Martins. If I need to wax, I usually use Gerlitz Ax Wax. Kenc

[Philip Halcomb]

I personally like Stew-Mac's Preservation Polish. It's a no-silicone cleaning solution. It costs like $14 and a bottle is likely to last you 5 years or more, of course I'd probably replace it after 3-4 years anyhow. But it works great you wipe it on and wipe it off and it leaves little to no residue behind. The main problem I've found with guitar polishes in general is the residue it leaves behind. The neck starts feeling sticky etc. So if it needs only a slight cleaning a soft cloth and a few drops of water should do it. If you need a hardcore cleaning try the product I mentioned above it's very mild with respects to guitar polishes. Good luck.

[Repent34]

I just started using the Dunlop System 65 that I purchased for my accoustic guitar. Seems to work ok there so should be fine for a mando as well. The fretboard cleaner doesn't mention being used on ebony, just rosewood. Don't see a problem there either but I also have some "Guitar Honey" that does mention being good for all dark woods.

Anybody use these products?

Don't mean to hijack the thread but I am curious though.

R

[Ted Eschliman]

The Dunlop 65 works well, and my repair staff at my stores use this in their shops. I think it works especially well on darker finishes.

That said, I'm a firm believer in "Less is More," and have shifted to using polish only in "basket case" instances, when things get really grubby, and that doesn't happen very often. I prefer a regimen of wiping the instrument off with a high quality cloth, Microfibre or Silkweave, after each practice or playing session. The instrument doesn't go back into the case until it's wiped clean of fingerprints and arm smudges. With this routine, polish has very rarely been necessary.

The trick is a really good cloth, though. One that pulls the grime and gook out, without scratching the finish over a long period of time.

[Mando Medic]

I've been using the guitar honey for about 12 years. When I clean the fingerboard or any unsealed natural wood on an instrument, I always clean and treat the instrument with this product. I use it on violin, mandolin, guitar, banjo, upright bass and dulcimer fingerboards. It cleans and conditions the wood and has a very good drier so it doesn't puddle or pool. No repair job is complete in my shop without it. Kenc

[Repent34]

I've been using the guitar honey for about 12 years. When I clean the fingerboard or any unsealed natural wood on an instrument, I always clean and treat the instrument with this product. I use it on violin, mandolin, guitar, banjo, upright bass and dulcimer fingerboards. It cleans and conditions the wood and has a very good drier so it doesn't puddle or pool. No repair job is complete in my shop without it. Kenc

thanks medic, 12 years is a good enough track record.

R

[Bertram Henze]

Up to now, Dr. Duck's seems to do well - it cleans the strings to the extent that something black is left on the cloth, but I'll have to watch over a longer time if my two-month string life I had with Ballistol can be reached with this stuff. One great advantage it has over Ballistol is the pleasant smell - reminds me of sun oil back in the fifties.

I don't know what the ingredients are, but on the bottle it says it's "based on petroleum", so I will be careful to keep it off glue.

As for polishing - it has very much improved the looks of my old, dusty two-point, but I hardly ever need it on my OM, where a dry cloth after playing and before putting it to sleep in it's case does the job.

Bertram