Questions about lube/wax.

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Troubleshooter
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Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 1:20 pm

Questions about lube/wax.

Post by Troubleshooter »

It should be only a case for beginners, but I think a lot of people will do this wrong...

About 7 or 8 years ago, the salesman learned me (when buying a crossbow) to lube the rails with rail-lube (oily lube) every time before using it and to wax the string frequently. No wax or lube on the serving.

But when reading on the forum, I see totally other things....

Don't use rail-lube.
Do only use wax on the string, when getting dry.
When the rail gets dirty, just use a rag with silicone spray or WD 40.
This information is from 2015 - (excalibur forum), but I guess there are no new insights / guidelines by now?

My biggest doubt is about waxing the serving. Some manifactures say don't do this (gets in the triggerhouse). Others say yes, it wil lubricate your rail when you put wax on the serving. But looking at my wax (Bohning Tex-Tite bowstring wax), it is far(!) from smooth, but a bit rough and sticky.

Who can put all things (lube, wax / string, rail, serving) together in a right way of using it?
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Boo
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Re: Questions about lube/wax.

Post by Boo »

Testing shows that serving life is doubled when the serving is waxed. If you pay attention and don’t leave excess on the serving, it cannot fall into the trigger unit. The thought that it will soften serving material is a wives tale. Serving is made primarily of polyethylene and most 100% polyethylene which is impervious to wax, organic oils, inorganic oils and even most highly aggressive solvents. Have you ever seen now acid and, gasoline and acetone are stored?
When I make a string, the serving is treated with pure 100% silicone oil. I then rub in serving wax with my thumb. My advice is to rub in serving wax with your thumb only and leave it overnight to soak in. After sitting overnight, wipe off the excess with your fingers and that’s it.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
Troubleshooter
Posts: 110
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 1:20 pm

Re: Questions about lube/wax.

Post by Troubleshooter »

Boo wrote:
Sat Oct 09, 2021 2:30 pm
Testing shows that serving life is doubled when the serving is waxed. If you pay attention and don’t leave excess on the serving, it cannot fall into the trigger unit. The thought that it will soften serving material is a wives tale. Serving is made primarily of polyethylene and most 100% polyethylene which is impervious to wax, organic oils, inorganic oils and even most highly aggressive solvents. Have you ever seen now acid and, gasoline and acetone are stored?
When I make a string, the serving is treated with pure 100% silicone oil. I then rub in serving wax with my thumb. My advice is to rub in serving wax with your thumb only and leave it overnight to soak in. After sitting overnight, wipe off the excess with your fingers and that’s it.
Thank you very much. I know if someone can tell something about strings - you are the man.

I was a bit confused, because I also found these kind of texts on the forum:

Re: Rail Lube
Post by Lake shooter » Wed Jan 07, 2015 10:42 pm

I bought a couple of 380 Flemish Twist strings from Danny Miller not too long ago and asked him this exact question. He said to put NOTHING on the center serving or the rail! That's good enough for me, and makes horse sense. Anything that could possibly attract and hold dust and grit can't be good for the life of the center serving, string, rail or trigger assembly.
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Boo
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Re: Questions about lube/wax.

Post by Boo »

Rail lube yes, don’t do it. The reason for Danny not wanting serving lube is because guys put on too much and the excess can end up in the trigger unit. There should be enough on the serving to make it appear wet or damp, no more.
Some people just like stepping on rakes
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