I have had this idea for quite some time but today I was finally bored enough to try it.
I bought some Collinite #885 because it is the same formula as the 476, but in a different (smaller diameter tin). Although you get more wax in the 885 tin than you do the tin of 476, the smaller diameter tin makes it harder for me to get my 4” PC pad in when I apply it. My idea was to remove the contents of a deodorant stick, clean the container, melt the 885, and pour it in. This would give me a quick and easy way to apply the 885 to any size PC pad. My thinking was since 885/476 is a hard wax, similar to a deodorant stick, that it should work about the same.
I stopped by a dollar store and bought a measuring cup and some cheap stick deodorant. I screwed out the deodorant and threw it away. I removed the plastic piece the deodorant sits in and then cleaned it all out with paint prep and then Windex. I then put the plastic piece back in and screwed it all the way down.
I scooped what I thought would be about the right amount of 885 into the measuring cup and popped it into the microwave. After about 5 minutes I didn’t see much progress so I went to plan B. I started a pot of boiling water and put the measuring cup in the water and waited for the wax to melt. Since the deodorant stick was 2.25 ounces I wanted about that amount in the cup. As it melted I needed to add a little more to get it up to just below the 2.5 ounce mark. Any extra I figured I could just pour back into the tin of 885.
It didn’t take too long for the wax to melt and the amount I had melted filled the case almost right to the top. One of my first concerns would be that it would leak out of the cheap plastic case, but that was not a problem. I then put it into the refrigerator to cool for a while. My other concern was if this would actually work like a stick of deodorant and screw out of the container correctly.
After letting it cool while we went out to dinner I took it out of the refrigerator and it works like a champ. Not only does it screw in and out just fine, but the small plastic case will easily slip into a pocket while detailing. I did have to kind of smooth out the top because it sank just a tad as it cooled, but I really just did that so it would look better in the picture. Now if we get another nice day before too long I’ll throw a coat of 885 on one of our daily drivers using my new Collinite Speed Stick Wax.
I do suspect that the plastic deodorant case might not be quite air tight so I’ll store it in a Zip-Lock bag to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Caution: If you do this while your family is home you’ll get a lot of comments like,
“what the heck are you doing”, “what is that smell”, and “are you trying to blow up the house?”
I was inspired, in part, by Chris Pace (
eShine) who started the
wax melting movement back with this thread almost two years ago:
http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-p...-carnauba.html
For those of you concerned with “blowing yourself up” by melting wax, here is another thread by
eShine on that subject:
http://autopia.org/forum/detailing-p...ow-you-up.html
This idea is probably going to make some entrepreneur about a gazillion dollars, but remember you read about it here first!
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