Halcyon?

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:12 am

So far, a few guys at Knox have tried this wax and given it great reviews, but they've polished by hand w/ T-shirts. The site ( www.finepipes.com ) write-up hints that an even better shine can be obtained w a wheel. Have any of you guys tried it?

StephenDownie · Post by **StephenDownie** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 1:36 am

I bought some in Chicago and so far I've found that it does not have the same gleam that Carnuba has. I've applied it and buffed it, but so far I'm not sold. It does look like it lasts longer than Carnuba though. I'm still experimenting with it, I've heard with a lot of coats it does a nice shine, I've only done 3 so far and from what I've seen it has a much more subdued shine..

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:23 am

They way they go on about it in the write-up, this stuff can do everything from polishing a pipe to lubricating the pistons in your automobile engine... I have a tendency to be very dubious about items that can "do it all with one small dab"...

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:57 am

Yeh . . . they hint about using a wheel, but aren't specific about the results. I'd guess, from the "before-and-after" illustrations that this stuff penetrates more than carnauba, but as you say gives more of a matte finish. Personally, I like a glass-like finish. This stuff supposedly lasts longer than carnauba, and I was hoping it'd buff well. Aw, shucks. Suppose it beats nose-wax for the smoker, but again I have to agree, it probably isn't for the pipemaker.

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:56 am

Couldn't you use this plus carnuba as part of a two-step process? Bear with me for a moment..

This Halcyon, from it's description and the sample images seems, as Mahaffy mentioned, to be more penetrating. So what happens if you lay a coat or 3 of this on and THEN carnuba the pipe to add that glass-gloss-sheen?

Would the carnuba application completely wipe out the Halcyon or would the Halcyon's more penetrating finish hold up? If it did, it would be safe to theorize that you'd get a seemingly longer shine from a new pipe finished thusly as the Halcyon would still hang around for a while after the carnuba finish has worn through... any thoughts? Maybe Stephen has tried this or could try this??

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:13 am

Kind of a holy grail, isn't it? Finish, I mean. You always hope you'll lock on to THE perfect material/method. So, Stephen . . . anything to add?

Heinz_D · Post by **Heinz_D** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:31 am

I think Holycon Wax is the same as Renessance Wax, just more expensive...

Look at this description: http://antiquearmoury.co.uk/_wsn/page7.html

Nearly the same words for two different products?

Never the less I bought Holycon a few weeks ago and the shipping prices are fair as well: 2 jars (about 50 ml each?) for 13 US $ and 5 $ shipping to Germany. The time for delivering was just a few days and it arrived with airmail - didn't ever got a package from US in this time and for this shipping price...

But for 10 GBP (20 US $) you can order 200 ml of Renessance Wax...

I tried both: Polishing with a microfibre cloth and also with a wheel on my polishing machine. The results are a little bit different but both methods don't reach the gloss of carnauba. For a half glossy shine it's great - for a glass glossy shine forget it...

But one aspect is the description of the acidid additives in natural waxes as carnauba! Renessance/Holycon is pH neutral but I don't know, if briar wood is as sensitiv against the acid in carnauba as they would myke us to beliefe...

Another aspect is that carnauba and other natural waxes will yellow with time, and perhaps could this matter on unstained finished pipes.

So the idea to use Halycon and than carnauba may be good for stained pipes - I didn't try this way so far.

But polishing stems with Holycon isn't the best way to get shiny stems. It results in a thin film on which you could see any fingerprint or polished with a wheel it seems to disapear completly...

I hope I didn't made too many language mistakes,

greetings from Germany

Heinz_D

hazmat · Post by **hazmat** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:18 pm

Heinz_D wrote: Another aspect is that carnauba and other natural waxes will yellow with time, and perhaps could this matter on unstained finished pipes.

Heinz_D

Well.. just for the sake of overcoming myth in advertising, let's consider that for the most part, people buy pipes to smoke. That being the case, does carnuba really ever get a chance to turn yellow with age?? I know the ones I've purchased in the past certainly didn't!

Thanks for the info, Heinz. Look forward to a report back on combining the two!

Matt

StephenDownie · Post by **StephenDownie** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:27 pm

mahaffy wrote:Kind of a holy grail, isn't it? Finish, I mean. You always hope you'll lock on to THE perfect material/method. So, Stephen . . . anything to add?

I've experimented with a coat of Carnuba on top, and while it does shine up better, it's still not quite as good as straight Carnuba. Let me stress here that I am still experimenting and the results so far have only been tested on one or two test pipes and it's not a large enough test group for conclusive results. I haven't done enough work with it yet to give up all hope, but at the moment it does not seem to be the end all be all, all singing, all dancing wonder wax. I would say that it is a very good product for the non pipe maker who does not have a buffing machine.

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Wed Jun 07, 2006 11:23 pm

Well, you guys know how long carnauba lasts once you start to smoke a pipe . . . and I have to admit I treat my inexpensive pipes like inexpensive pipes --- no coddling; I just smoke 'em --- with the occasional rub on the side of my nose (and my wife's "Ugghhh! How gross!" accompaniment). So I bet this stuff would be worthwhile just to keep beside my chair for those odd moments when I look at my collection and think "Ugghhh! How gross!"

Heinz_D · Post by **Heinz_D** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 4:20 pm

Hello,

I just worked up one of my older Stanwell, shape 179, from the 80th. The finish is made with Holycon...

Not so bad, isn't it?

Greetings,

Heinz

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Thu Jun 08, 2006 5:48 pm

No, not so bad, Heinz. Thanks. You probably wouldn't buy a new pipe with that finish, but you wouldn't be ashamed to smoke it in public. Halcyon falls a bit short for makers, but seems like a pretty good wax for smokers,.

mahaffy · Post by **mahaffy** » Sun Jun 11, 2006 12:56 am

Sorry, message pulled because I hadn't looked at the date of what I was quoting. Outdated info from an outdated old . . . .

obie · Post by **obie** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 9:51 am

Halcyon and Paragon were both developed for people without buffing wheels. If you don't have a wheel, they're great solutions to keep your pipes relatively shiny. If you can buff with carnauba, do it instead. They're not geared toward makers - or even showroom shine freaks.

Incidentally, Paragon is the best solution I've found for blasts and rusticated pipes - I say that not as a maker, but as a reconditioner.

bvartist · Post by **bvartist** » Tue Nov 07, 2006 1:20 am

Hi Wolf,

Welcome to the forums!

I've never used the halcyon wax so my experience isn't first hand. But the people I've talked to that do use it say its good for pipe smokers to keep a decent finish on their pipes, not good for pipe makers to get that showroom finish.

Took a quick look at your site, nice work! :thumb: I look forward to your posts.

David