I really like how the spectra is turning out so far. So I got some more…
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I knitted this hood for my battle jacket a couple weeks ago. I’m going to need a green/pink swapped fixie whenever you get a chance 
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Agree, a half pink half green spectra fixie would be killer!
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For the good of anyone else who wants to make or modify their own fixies, here’s an finishing wax/paste update.
I found a 0 VOC wax/paste from Real Milk Paint Co. It’s made from just walnut oil and carnauba wax, is completely vegan and edible. Walnut oil is a drying oil, which basically means that it polymerizes and won’t continue to feel oily. The carnauba wax is a harder than beeswax and supposed to be more heatproof. Combined, it’s supposed to have a nice hand feel.
There’s also a version called Chestnut Brown Wax that has an additional pigment to add a warm tone to the wood.
I’ve ordered both and am going to try it this week.
I think this will work better than the beeswax/mineral oil I tried earlier this week. The mineral oil is a non-drying oil, and it leaves a somewhat oily feel, which I’m not a fan of.
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This wax looks interesting. I do a lot of bowl/spoon carving and have been using Mahoney’s Utility Finish (which is walnut oil) then use wax, but this looks to be both in one.
I’ll be interested on how this works for you. I might just have to try it out.
Good luck.
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I never ended up settling on using any finish because they all have their prblems with yoyos. Raw is king for a heavily handled object that occasionslly takes impact. If end up trying anything again, it will be paint.
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I agree with Glen. I think raw is best for yo-yos. That being said, if you want to experiment with a hardening oil I’d strongly suggest Odies oil.
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You might want to reach out to Jon Gates if you don’t already know what finish he does. It’s really nice (and I normally prefer unfinished wood for yoyos).
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@Glenacius_K @vegabomb , I figure there’s a decent chance I’ll end up at that conclusion too, but I like whatever Colin used on some of his TMBR stuff enough that it’s put me in experimentation mode.
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I’ll do that. Good idea. I don’t have one of his yo-yos yet, so what do you like about his finish?
It’s nice and smooth and matte and not sticky at all. I have a few finished (natural and otherwise) yoyos and none of them feel that great, but the SE 10 I got from Gates is pretty much my number one played fixed axle. It’s obviously more than just the finish that makes his stuff good, but it’s the only finish I’ve tried that I actually prefer to unfinished wood.
I also really like the response on it. Not sure what he does, but I’ve never had to cut a string out of it because of knots. It’s a little slippier than a TMBR, but once the string is broken in, it works really well and if you need more grip, a little lip balm works enough.
Speaking of all that, someone “unscrewed” my Wildwood fixie at the local yoyo group. What would you recommend to re-glue it?
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Sorry to hear about that! I use epoxy, and that’s what I’d use to reattach it. I think yours was made with JB Weld ClearWeld Pro, but now I use T-88 epoxy. The JB Weld is cheaper though and should still be good though.
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A few more attempts as colored epoxy resin. This is what happens with the botched yo-yos - they become “research” participants. (Also, sad day when I botched that wenge yoyo 
)
We’ll see how these clean up after sanding.
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Clearly I need a syringe applicator rather than cut up tongue depressors for applying the epoxy 
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Two part expoxy will totally solidify in the syringe. Best to find some disposables. Been there, done that. 
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What about UV resin Epoxy?
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And the Isle of Misfit Toys, aka the shelf of finish and resin experiments.
I’m pretty optimistic about the wood wax finish from Real Milk Paint Co. It takes about a week before I’ll be able to handle them, about 2-3 weeks for a full cure.
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Will any of these be available? That blue and yellow and the one next to it are calling my name.
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Everything on that shelf is not quite good enough to sell, which is why I’m testing finishes on them. The blue SpectraPly has a crack and the bocote next to it has too much pulse vibe. The purpleheart is sort of a b grade, but I want to keep that one 
.
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