Axe Wax - blade rust protection wax

I first became aware of Axe Wax as they were a sponsor for The Full Blast Podcast .... before I realised you can fast forward through the first 15mins of sponsor mentions.

It's a fact that steel rusts and that means any tool made from it will eventually start to rust if it's not given some form of protection.  You can obviously oil the surface but there are some applications were a wax offers a more durable finish.  This is especially true on knife and axe blades, where you don't really want oil transferring to the surface of whatever you are cutting.

Axe Wax is a blend of natural, and food safe, waxes and oils that is designed to offer some protection to metal surfaces.  I've been trying it out on various axe heads and high carbon knife blades and have been really impressed with the finish.  It does harden off to a relatively dry finish but its not overly shiny.  I'm sure if you buffed it heavily and applied multiple coats then you could get a shine if that's what you wanted to achieve.

The manufacturer says that it can also be applied to wooden handles and leather.  I'm absolutely sure that it can but that's not something I would choice to do with it.  Here are my thoughts and why I wouldn't do that - but you might disagree with them.

For Wood - I like to be able to "feed" wooden handles with an oil.  This replaces water with oil as the handle dries out overtime.  Waxing wood is a surface treatment that seals the surface of the wood making it more difficult to oil at a later date.  I might think about applying Axe Wax just to the grip area of a wooden handle if I was finding it slipped a lot, but only on a small area.  (wax does aid grip - think about surfers applying wax to the tops of their boards.). But this is my personal preference and feel free to apply Axe Wax to wood if thats the finish you like.

For Leather - again its personal preference but I don't like a hard shine on my leather goods.  Axe Wax does harden, which is more likely to give a shine on leather.  I prefer oiling leather and then applying a softer wax which protects the surface without developing a strong shine.  

Ingredients - here's were it gets a little tricky as quiet rightly Axe Wax are protective of the recipe of waxes and oils they use.  They don't list all the ingredients they use but all are natural and food safe.  That means there are also no known allergens within the recipe.  It does not contain any solvents or petroleum products.

From having made my own waxes for my leather work I can tell you that it does contain Beeswax, a carrier oil (likely to be nut based) and a citrus essential oil (it does smell great!)  Given it does harden off at room temperature it will also contain a harder wax which I guess would be Carnauba Wax.

It's really easy to apply - just rub on a small amount to the metal surface in a warm room.  Leave it to harden a little and then just wipe off any excess.

Having spoken to two knife maker friends that have been using it for a long period of time they were both happy with its durability.

Supplied in a 60ml screw top can.  A little goes a long way so although it might feel expensive it will last you a long time.

Not suitable for Vegans.

Food Safe nut oils are heated to a high temperature which removes the potential for them causing an allergic reaction.  However probably best to avoid if you have a strong nut allergy.