repotting pickups with pure beeswax?

[Leonardo Silva]

I have learned a bit about re-potting pickups, and I can get some "Virgin wax" that is used to finish wood and "wood maintenance" (?), but I want to know if I can use this wax to re-pot pickups, I read over here that I should use a 20% beeswax and 80%, non beewax...(???), so, what would happen if I try to re-pot with this wax only? is "kinda" cheap (like 4$ 250grms), so probably it isn't pure beewax, still in the description it says its beeswax along some paraffin, it still have that really good honey smell, any suggestion over this topic?


this is the "beewax" I can get here.

[Jason Rodgers]

From my reading, the 80% you speak of is paraffin, which is a petroleum-based product. If the label says some paraffin, then it's not pure beeswax.

[David King]

A while ago there was a little photo series that Clint did about an old pickup that was potted in pure bees wax that had corroded and failed. His theory was that the bees wax was responsible somehow. CHeck the old mimf library. I have some beeswax that looks like that too and I'm guessing that it's at least 50% paraffin.

[Leonardo Silva]

for the price I guess it ain't pure beewax, but the "recommended" for potting is 20% beewax and 80% paraffin I heard, so what would happen if I have a different mixture for potting this pups? should I go for it? what would be the cons of having not enough beewax in the mix or too much xd?

something like that, why would we need the beewax, why we shouldn't pot with just paraffin?, I think too much questions and not enough answers D:, for now I just need to know if the wax for potting pickups is TOO important, this chinese pickups probably were potted poorly and with paraffin only (cheaper I guess), I'll search through the old mimf as well as some internet to get more info.

[Leonardo Silva]

I got my answer quicker than i thought D:

"The reason for the mix I think was to have the beeswax reduce the melting temperature of the parrafin wax and soften it too so it wouldn't crack."

http://www.mimf.com/old-lib/pickup_potting.htm

so far it could work with pure beewax, but I think is too soft, if this "virgin wax" actually has paraffin in it, I guess it can work, I'll try and tell you guys after I do it :p

[David King]

It will work just fine. The 20-80 mix is just ageless web lore that gets passed around like gospel truth. I think it probably started with the Lindy Fralin videos. There are other way to soften paraffin, like adding paraffin oil. I think most of the world's honey and wax is coming from China so the price could be anything as could the mixture.

[Jamie Unden]

A little off-topic, but can you pot pickups using the wax that comes on the Laughing Cow Mini Babybel wrappers?

[Leonardo Silva]

A little off-topic, but can you pot pickups using the wax that comes on the Laughing Cow Mini Babybel wrappers?

that would be a "cheese" way of potting a pup (hey look, I can do puns)

so far of what I have learned, it doesn't even have to be some paraffin resin, you can also use shellac or nitrocellulose, EMG pickups are potted in Epoxy, and others are cast in plastic, so if you can melt that wax, make it penetrate the coil and make it stay there, then it should work, after all potting is just a way for eliminating the vibration of the pup.

[David Schwab]

You don't need bees wax at all. I use straight paraffin.