Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Kevin, I have my doubts about this turtle wax stuff myself. I have tried squeezing turtles for years, and not once have I ever gotten any wax out of one.

John did not mention that he thins his turtle-squeezins 50% with one of the strongest solvents in the Solar System, a ubiquitous chemical named Hydrous Oxide, did he? So don't use the squeezins full-strength without first mixing in the solvent that the factory uses: Hydrous Oxide....

My fondness, ahem, for Zymol, Elys, goes back to my days in the last decade building prototype show cars for the likes of Ford and Mazda.

You get a perfectly-painted and -rubbed out car sitting under show-type lighting (a lot of point light sources located above the vehicle) and every little halo in a perfectly-detailed paint job jumps out at you.

I began using a wax called Medallion by Meguiar's, on my deep blue British Luxury Car, because it was then a water-based liquid wax that went on like a dream and buffed to a fare-thee-well, leaving the deep blue violet paint looking like it had never dried. I mean, WET.

Then one day I popped open a new bottle and it smelled like solvent--they'd changed the formula. I searched a bit and found Klassé, which filled the bill but was hard to find. Finally, I got a sample of Zymol and tried it out on my red Sunbeam. Amazing stuff. The literature said it could be "built up" in several coats, whih is not possible with solvent-thinned liquids, as they strip previous coats when new coats are applied.

Again, my preference, that's all. Others have tried it and think it's a good way to shine up their instruments.

Jim Tatum sent me these photos of his Carl Wilson, done with Scratch-X and Zymol, a couple of days ago, and this is what I call drop-dead beautiful, incomparable gloss:

OMG! That back is just awesome! Where the FG fades into just the maple there on the left it looks 3D! Those CWs sure got the special maple, eh?

That is officially the coolest 360 I've ever seen, and I'm not exaggerating.

Okay, so far I've got on the list:
Zymol
Turtle wax
Scratch-X
Nitrous oxide (ha, just kidding)

I guess that's it for now. Thanks!

Robert, I should point out that, since the Turtle Wax is solvent-based, it should be used as an alternative to Zymol, or vice, versa, not along with Zymol--it will strip prior coats of any wax put down before it, including previous coats of itself.

So, go with the Turtle Wax ($3.00) and save the cost of Zymol ($15.00) or vice-versa.

The effect of the Scratch-X on the varnish is best seen with the Zymol coating it, BTW. The two work as a team.

First time I've seen a guitar with a candy-coated shell.

Amazing.

Your point is excellent, Paul. If you just made a new guitar in a factory, then the low cost would be of greatest interest, and the solvent-base would not be an issue since it is the first time the finish has ever been waxed.

But for continuing use after receipt of the new guitar by the buyer, the solvent-based wax is not the best thing to use because you need a product that will build layers of protection one on top of the other.

Meaning, don't use what they use at the factory, just because that is what they use at the factory, and the reason is that yours is a different application situation than theirs.

I am sold, I will be getting rid of my current product and will go looking for Scratch-X and Zymol this weekend (kinda tough to do right now, am on a plane over the Atlantic! Ain't technology grand? The plane has wireless Bluetooth-capable Internet up here in this cabin and I am using a GSM handheld with Bluetooth to post this message )

Is a place like Walmart the best place to go, or would a national auto parts chain be likely to have both products?

My local Target had both.

Thanks, Jeff! There is a Target near us too

Paul- Gotcha! Thanks!

Well, I got my sweet-smelling blue Zymol and my tube-o-Scratch-X and I'm ready to clean up the ol' basses, especially my poor ol' 77 4001, who apparently hasn't seen a single drop of polish in her thirty years of life. Got it all at Wal-Mart. Imagine it was all so close all this time.

Did anyone read closely the ingredients of ZyMol?!?!

Just the thought of putting banana juice, cocoanut juice, almond powder, Vitamin E and aloe vera gel onto my Rick

Regardless, if Paul (with a straight face) can feed his Rick finishes with all those nuts and fruits in Zymol, then so can I

Sure does smell good, though, wonder if it tastes good too?

Yes, I read the ingredients in the store today. I trust Paul. To me it seems that all those ingredients aren't any less strange than carnauba itself. And I'd rather put that natural stuff on than some crazy chemical that I don't know about. Frankly, it sounds like some of the stuff they put in shampoo and conditioner these days!
I wouldn't eat any, personally, and don't drink the Naptha, either, even if it is Saturday night!

Zymol has an interesting story.

When Ralph Lauren's black Bugatti 57SC Atlantic Coupe made its debut at Pebble Beach (ca. 1990) after a multimillion dollar restoration, packed into its detailing kit were a couple of tins of wax which had been formulated by a Swiss chemist, with no expense spared, to feed, fill and glaze its six-figure paintwork.

This was also Zymol's debut. Reportedly, the first batch of Zymol paste wax cost several hundred dollars per tin, and the brief for its formulation called for all natural ingredients and no petroleum chemicals of any kind. The formula contains Brasilian carnauba, as do most quality waxes, but also oils of various plants and fruits like banana and coconut.

Paint will oxidize, as we've all seen, over time. Even the shiniest paint surface has microscopic pores and scratches, with ridges and valleys to trap dirt and pollutants, and leave the paint open to attack from ultraviolet rays, ozone, and other destructive elements like tobacco smoke, acid rain, and photochemical smog. The oils in Zymol penetrate these microscopic flaws and carry the wax deep into them to "feed" the paint's surface and keep the nasties at bay. I think of it as a lotion to keep a finish soft and supple, which sounds at odds with the hard gloss of fresh paint, but is really one and the same thing.

Don't go on trust (although that is very kind of you to say so...). This is all based upon sound chemistry. Not to mention great ad copy.

Robert - you will not believe how good that ole '77 is going to look when done. You will also not believe how much dirt will come off all surfaces, especially the fingerboard. Remember to keep using fresh, clean diapers as they will get dirty with that one if it never has been cleaned. When you are all finished, admire the gleam, but especially the graining and highlights in the bubinga fretboard.