To wax or not to wax?

[toytruck]

I called Danny Miller today to place an order and asked about the Dalton wax vs Excalibur wax. He doesn't recommend using any wax said you will go through a couple strings, but in the long run your gonna have a slick rail that won't require any wax. His theory is that the wax will draw all kinds of crud into the trigger housing and cause more problems than its worth. I was told by a wise man to listen to what Danny said when I got my Ibex, but wondering what you all think?

[Boo]

I think the most important part of "waxing" the serving is that the string material under it gets lubricated. Think about taking a bunch of straws and hold them on the end. Bend them and the ones on the inner part of the bend want to come shooting out of your hands. On a crossbow that movement is more sever and the pressure is bananas. That is what it is there for in a major way. A minor benefit is serving wear especially between the rail and the string.
If you do not lubricate the string and serving you'll go through more strings. The secret to using "string wax" is to use one that can be absorbed and use as little as possible.
Danny and I get along quite well and we agree 99.9% of the time. But try it yourself both ways, what do you have to loose?

[toytruck]

I have some Excal wax and another factory string on the way. I see both sides of this too. I enjoy talking to Danny, sounds like my kind of people!!

[Big John]

I like this thread. If anyone has the ability to do so, why not have a couple guys volunteer for a trial.
One uses a factory string with no wax at all, the other wax the serving every thirty or forty shots. Then take pics every hundred shots
to show how its going with the string and rail, and serving. Since I just opened up a New Vortex, I'll put my foot in my mouth and be the one who uses no wax period.
Factory Flemish Fast Flight String. I have a couple extra of these Strings so, let me know. I'm sure everyone would like to see the pics up close of what happens to rail and string serving when using each method of shooting. Only harm is Fun!! Or, on another note, if its been done or boring or not gonna happen, I will go do something else, like make more New Arrows for everyone!!

John

[toytruck]

I like the way you think John. The big ?? is how long will it take to "polish" the rail till no wax is needed vs how many strings are consumed. Then again how many bows go back to Excal for cleaning out the wax buildup in the trigger when too much wax is used. Any factory reps on this forum?

[Boo]

I have never found wax in my trigger unit and here's why. I use a wax that gets sucked into the serving, let it soak in over night. If there is any left over on the serving then it tells you that you put on too much. If there is any excess wipe it off before shooting. A soft wax that is not tacky or sticky is preferred. Try Dalton 2000. Lancaster and Cabelas both sell it. If there is any of the Dalton's that ends up on the rail it wipes off with a kleenex. I prefer to wipe off by spraying a bit of silicone on a rag and wiping off whatever is there.

[secret]

I have yet to replace a string yet! but then again i wax my serving and string every time i shoot! your call........ff string 500+ shots

[sumner4991]

I've done the trial . . .posted the results at one time . . .I could probably go back and dig up the data. However, off the top of my head, the string serving lasted best if waxed every 25 shots. If I waxed it more often than that, I'd get no more benefit. However, if I waxed less than that, then I'd see the damage.

Going without wax and the serving would wear out at about 60% of the same serving, string combo that got waxed every 25 shots. If you reserve your strings, then I see no problem with going without wax. I suppose that depends on how much you shoot and the bow you are shooting.

I reserve my own strings and I shoot a lot. I'm shooting the Exomax most of the time and it eats servings much quicker than the Vixen. No way I'm going without wax.

I rarely clean my crossbow. Maybe once every three months. Depending on how much I shoot and the amount of "crud" that gets on it. I've never had an issue with wax build-up anywhere.

Anyway, after all the shooting, I decided to wax every 25 shots to best protect my serving.

[Boo]

I've done the trial . . .posted the results at one time . . .I could probably go back and dig up the data. However, off the top of my head, the string serving lasted best if waxed every 25 shots. If I waxed it more often than that, I'd get no more benefit. However, if I waxed less than that, then I'd see the damage.

Going without wax and the serving would wear out at about 60% of the same serving, string combo that got waxed every 25 shots. If you reserve your strings, then I see no problem with going without wax. I suppose that depends on how much you shoot and the bow you are shooting.

I reserve my own strings and I shoot a lot. I'm shooting the Exomax most of the time and it eats servings much quicker than the Vixen. No way I'm going without wax.

I rarely clean my crossbow. Maybe once every three months. Depending on how much I shoot and the amount of "crud" that gets on it. I've never had an issue with wax build-up anywhere.

Anyway, after all the shooting, I decided to wax every 25 shots to best protect my serving.

You Sir are an arrow junkie!

[Pydpiper]

My string has been on my bow for 2 years (boo string), it has only needed to be adjusted once to keep what I consider to be an ideal brace height. It has been rained on, snowed on, frozen, left cocked for days at a time and still looks like the day I got it, for the most part.
There have been no less than a thousand arrows off the rail, and the string has never seen wax, never.
That is on a #200 bow.

[Deaf jeff]

[quote="toytruck"]I called Danny Miller today to place an order and asked about the Dalton wax vs Excalibur wax. He doesn't recommend using any wax said you will go through a couple strings, but in the long run your gonna have a slick rail that won't require any wax. His theory is that the wax will draw all kinds of crud into the trigger housing and cause more problems than its worth. I was told by a wise man to listen to what Danny said when I got my Ibex, but wondering what you all think?[/qu


i wax the serving and string with dalton's and use jigaloo on the rail.....jeff

[Steve_Guelph]

I used wax on my last crossbow and will continue to wax on the Phoenix. I think the key is to use enough to lubricate with not over doing it. I wax the serving when going to shoot target and rub it in with my fingers till it it appears to penetrate right through. About every 35 - 40 shots for me.

[sumner4991]

My string has been on my bow for 2 years (boo string), it has only needed to be adjusted once to keep what I consider to be an ideal brace height. It has been rained on, snowed on, frozen, left cocked for days at a time and still looks like the day I got it, for the most part.
There have been no less than a thousand arrows off the rail, and the string has never seen wax, never.
That is on a #200 bow.

Do you wax the serving or just replace?

[Pydpiper]

I massage it Scott, I use a chunk of leather and rub it over, no wax. I have not had to replace this serving yet though. I want to, I love to serve, but it has been holding up perfectly so far. I will likely get through the spring turkey hunt, but the serving may not make it to the fall deer.

My string has been on my bow for 2 years (boo string), it has only needed to be adjusted once to keep what I consider to be an ideal brace height. It has been rained on, snowed on, frozen, left cocked for days at a time and still looks like the day I got it, for the most part.
There have been no less than a thousand arrows off the rail, and the string has never seen wax, never.
That is on a #200 bow.

Do you wax the serving or just replace?

[toytruck]

Thanks for all the replys! Being new at this asking ?? is the only way to learn an save money... right now I don't plan on shooting as much as some of you do. Once I get the Ibex dialed in and get comfortable with the ranges I usually wait till just before hunting season to make sure all is still the same. Having said that, this is my method using my muzzleloaders and centerfire rifles. If I enjoy shooting the Ibex as I hope to then I might have to rethink this over. I'm planning on waxing after 25 shots and go from there with the Excal wax.