How to Wax Your Wooden Model Gears for Better Performance

#wax #howto #guide #lubrication
How to Wax Your Wooden Model Gears for Better Performance.
In this tutorial video I explain you the most effective techniques and tricks for achieving the ultimate wax coverage on your wooden model gears and mechanical parts.
Whether you're new to the art of waxing or looking to enhance your skills, this video is packed with essential tips that will take your craftsmanship to the next level and I have also got written instructions down below ⬇️
Step number 1:
We need to make sure the gears and all the moving parts that need to be waxed have been prepared.
We prepare the wooden pieces by making sure we sand off any burrs from the connections where the wooden pieces connect to the laser cut boards. Normally most wooden kits come with a small piece of sandpaper, but if it didn’t, I suggest you use a 180 grit sandpaper and a wood file for in between the gear teeth.
Step number 2:
Now that the wooden pieces and gears have been prepared, we can move on to waxing. Normally wooden kits come with a wax stick or a wax disk. These are great for waxing the edges, the tops and the bottoms of the pieces, but they aren’t so great for using on gears, especially with gears that have their teeth really close together as you are unable to cover them fully with wax.
If the wooden kit didn’t come with wax, you can either use a tea light candle, crayons or beeswax for the edges and flat sides, and a birthday candle for gears as they are longer and thinner size.
And remember to use white candles only as they’re transparent and we don’t want the wooden model to be covered in random colours.
Ultimate coverage steps:
If you want to achieve that perfect ultimate wax coverage on your mechanical pieces, you need to put a little white candle in a small ball type of dish and put it in the microwave and keep checking it after every 10-15 seconds as you don’t want it to boil.
Once the wax has melted, use a small paint brush and dip it in the melted wax and spread it in between the gear teeth and all the necessary mechanical parts. As the wax starts to cool off, you can brush off the excess wax.
And if you find using the brush a little messy, you can also just dip your gears and other pieces straight in the wax and that will cover every inch of the pieces.
Once the wax starts to harden up in the dish, you can pop it back in the microwave for a few seconds until it has all once again melted.
Safety advice:
If you are working with melted wax, do make sure that no kid can come over and spill it or stick their fingers in it as it may be hot.
I hope my tutorial and tips help you achieve the best wax coverage and make sure you leave a like and subscribe to my channel so you don’t miss out on any new videos and good luck waxing ⚙️
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:22 Preparing the wood
00:48 Choosing the wax
01:28 Applying ultimate coverage
02:41 Outro

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

I hope my tips give you the confidence in using any type of wax for you wooden models and happy waxing 🙂

[@Avellimachi]

The Rokr magic cello didn't come with wax so it has been on hold taking up my kitchen table while I find the right wax. This was really helpful!

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

I’m delighted this was helpful and yeah most of these models get sent from China and all countries have their own import policies etc so some kits may not include wax. And best of luck in assembling your Cello 👌

[@quentinbrismontier2342]

Just found an old trebuchet model i made years ago, tried to fire it but the wooden mechanism wouldn't turn and release the arm. Thank you for allowing me to be a menace to my Lego once more !

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Ah that’s brilliant and you’re more than welcome, I hope you got it working again 🤞

[@beatrizflores8090]

Thank you so much for the advice!!!

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

You’re more than welcome 😊 What else I can add is that you can use vaseline on gears especially, and just rub it in with a small brush 😊

[@adamrhubarb3694]

Useful video! My puzzle came without the wax block, would I be able to use Renaissance Micro Crystalline Wax Polish as a substitute?

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Thank you very much Adam 🙂 And I had a read about the Wax Polish you’re asking, and I personally wouldn’t advise you to use it as when you apply it, it’s wet, but it will dry out and harden up, so that’s not gonna be much use for the gears.

[@adamrhubarb3694]

Ahh I see! Well thankyou very much for taking the time to answer my question mate. I’ll go with using a few candles 👍

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

No problem at all, and that’s definitely the safer option and have fun building 😃

[@nauyuidai]

@MartinsDoesWoodenModels nice video Martin, do you think that liquid wax sold in department stores could be used in the same way you use melted wax ?

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Hey, thank you very much for that 😊 To be honest it depends on what sort of wax it is and how long does it take for it to harden up. I’ve never tried already melted was like that from shops so I’m not 100% unfortunately.

[@hwahwa2008]

Waxes that are too soft or liquid are not suitable because the wood will completely absorb the wax, so the wax cannot remain on the surface of the wood to deliver its lubricating function. I tried using almost the entire lip balm and it was almost all absorbed. This board is not very dense and contains many invisible voids. It would be better to use a wax that can solidify at room temperature, or use two different waxes together. What I did was: first use curing wax to seal the gaps on the surface of the board, and then apply soft wax to the surface to lubricate it. (Sorry, English is not my native language and I may make many grammatical and rhetorical mistakes.)

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Hey. Yes you are definitely correct, and that’s the other thing you don’t want, you don’t want this type of wood to absorb moistures it may warp. And you’re perfectly fine, your English is perfect 👌

[@DoomInRoom]

thanks man ill need this for my Thompson submachine gun that ill get in 2 days :)

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Aahh that’s amazing, that should be a lot of fun 😃 And that’s not a problem, happy assembly ⚙️

[@DoomInRoom]

@@MartinsAssemblyHaven yeah, gonna take a lot of time to assemble. Also im getting it as a gift on a new year. Thank you, Happy New Year to you. May you have a good day and celebration tomorrow!

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

Aww that’s amazing, what a great gift 🎁 Thank you very much and you too, have a Happy New Year when it comes to it and enjoy 🥳🍾

[@DoomInRoom]

@@MartinsAssemblyHaven yeah, it costed 25.62$ to buy where i found it. Glad I found it when it had a massive sale and thank you.

[@MartinsAssemblyHaven]

That’s a good price 😃