A better wax job

by Dave Rohn
(Canton, GA)

Three problems often show up for me.
1) The adhesive which holds the foil to the glass has a tendency to ooze out during soldering.
2) The chemicals in the patina sometimes leave traces (an iridescence) on the glass near the solder bead.
3) The wax is simply tough to remove around the base of the solder bead (at the glass).

So during the final waxing, I use a liberal amount of wax and SAWDUST.

While applying the wax, throw on a handful of sawdust and rub that around with the wet wax. This gets the traces of chemicals off of the glass. As its drying, take a sharpened dowel (use a pencil sharpener) and trace along the joint between the solder & glass. This loosens the adhesive which has oozed out and the wax keeps it from re-sticking. When the wax is thoroughly dry wipe the majority off with a soft rag. Again, throw a handful of sawdust on the piece and use it to scour out the remnants of wax stuck down near the base of the solder. I do not like using a toothbrush because the nylon bristles can scratch but the sawdust will not.

So that is it. A trick I've learned and wanted to share.