Tool Talk - all about my favorite wax pen

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Today in controversial tool takes - I love the Max Wax Pen, and I am not sorry about it!
Best is always a subjective term to describe jewelry tools. One person’s best tool can be a crap tool for another jeweler. If I leave you with no other information here, let it be that the “right tool” is the tool that’s right for you. Look, treat yourself to the $200 electric wax pen that plugs into the wall and comes with a rheostat to control the temperature if you like, but I absolutely adore this one. And for so many reasons! the ease of use, the portability, the lightweight feel, the fine and flexible control over the temperature, and the fact that I don’t have to worry about whether or not I left my wax pen on at night!
Now, you might be asking yourself, But Sharon, don’t you run a sustainable jewelry company? How do you justify something that eats so many batteries? The answer, dear listeners, is rechargeable batteries. Earlier this year, I bought myself a set of rechargeables, and those, combined with this wax pen make for an inexpensive start to your wax carving and sculpting.
This is a super polarizing topic for wax carvers and jewelers, with many of us falling firmly into one camp or another. Leave your opinions, comments, and questions in the comments below!
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I love creating resources to help folks understand more about jewelry - I don't make money off of ads and I am committed to keeping this information free and accessible. If you find value in these videos and would like to support the creation of more videos, make a contribution.
Venmo @sharonzjewelry
Credit Card/Apple Pay www.sharonz-co...
PayPal - paypal.me/SharonZJewelry
Read more over on the blog! www.sharonz-co...
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Опубликовано:

12 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 32

@hannahl5952 3 года назад

This was really helpful! Thank you for sharing this tool.

@SharonZJewelry 3 года назад

Glad you found it helpful! It's a great little tool and good for home use too!

@lou196t 3 года назад

I’m new at this and I bought this wax pen because of the cost and love it. It works well. Great tip on the rechargeable batteries because it really does eat up the battery juice. Thanks for this video.💙

@SharonZJewelry 3 года назад

So glad this was helpful for you! I love my rechargeable batteries and it helps cut down on eWaste and also saves you money - win-win!

@elisazulueta9535 11 месяцев назад

Thank you so much, I had been using it for awhile now. I have speedy wax and it works well for me❤

@Bluebell_Crafts Год назад

Thanks for the introduction to this tool. I saw it in Amazon but no idea what electricity type it use. I like English amazon but most are 110V and I live in 220V area. You also let me know this is just what I need to get some color on the candles that I am making. Thanks again.

@SharonZJewelry Год назад

Yay! Glad I could help. And if you have access to rechargeable batteries, I highly recommend them - better for your wallet and for the planet. These pens can eat up batteries.

@Bluebell_Crafts Год назад

@@SharonZJewelry sure will, can’t wait for it to arrive and start using.

@lschmidt5083 3 года назад

Hello :) i was wondering if the smoke of the wax is toxic?

@SharonZJewelry 3 года назад

Great question! I think that the MSDS (material safety data sheet - basically the sheet that tells you the safety precautions) mentions that you should avoid the fumes, but does not consider them toxic. I usually wear an N95, or use it near an open window, or wear my respirator - because I was recording, the mask and respirator would have made it hard to be heard on film, but typically I wear protection or use some kind of ventilation in my studio when working on small amounts of melting wax. This is a little above and beyond what is recommended, but I like to keep my lungs protected. The safety sheet can be found here if you'd like more reading -www.riogrande.com/article?name=700864-SDS

@oponn_ Год назад

Hi, really appreciate this video. I was wondering if you are aware of a version of this pen with the instant heat that plugs into a wall? Since you mentioned the battery usage being a drawback, I wonder if its possible to skip the rechargeable battery step as well. Thanks!

@SharonZJewelry Год назад

Thank you for your comment! There are wax pens that plug into the wall, like Dura Bull or BesQual. They are fine and I have used them (I reference that kind at about :46 in the video), but I prefer the control on the battery operated kind. It's a personal preference and ergonomic preference. The plug-in kind are also a little less portable and much more expensive (the plug-in kind can start at $175 and have a small rheostat), so I like the combo of this battery operated wax pen with rechargeable batteries to keep costs low and to get that instant heat. But I know many jewelers who swear by the Dura Bull brand of wax pen and it has more variable heat and it stays on constantly. If you have access to someone else's plug-in wax pen, it might be worth checking out both to see which one works best for you.

@debijordan7374 3 года назад

I am going to purchase one asap! Thank you for doing this video. Which size do you recommend? I am probably only going to use it for repairs and broken pieces. I usually carve most of my waxes. What can you tell me about the different sizes besides that one has one battery and one takes two.

@SharonZJewelry 3 года назад

You are so welcome! I haven't noticed much difference between the two sizes. Maybe the one battery version goes through its battery faster? For me, I prefer the way that the two-battery version feels in my hand. My perception is that it balances better and is slightly more ergonomic, but I'll admit that is pretty subjective. I also highly recommend rechargeable batteries if you don't already have them. A little bit of up-front cost, but it saves a lot of money in the long run.

@debijordan7374 3 года назад

Thanks for the helpful and quick reply!

@jeongwonkim203 3 месяца назад

lovely video thanks! when would you want to use the more standard wax heating device where you can change out the tips? Can you use build-up methods with this wax pen as well as the other one?

@SharonZJewelry 3 месяца назад

Yes you can do build up methods! You need the build up wax which sometimes is a stickier wax. I think Kate Wolf wax used to sell a variety of it. As for when to change to the other kind of wax pen, that really depends on you and your work. I personally have tried both pens and just found that I prefer this battery-operated one. I recommend trying both if you are able to see when the other kind makes the most sense. It also depends on whether or not you make wax work that requires a constant heat source. Or if you need a specific tip. It's a highly individual choice.

@jeongwonkim203 3 месяца назад

@@SharonZJewelry Ah that's great thanks for explaining :)

@user-eb4jf9mr5y Год назад

hi! Thanks for this, ordering one now! do you have to clean the wax off the top? If so, how do you recommend cleaning?

@SharonZJewelry Год назад

Great question, and the answer is that I don't always clean it. If I am using it frequently, I might hold the button down on the wax pen and let the wax either burn or drip off of the tip, but otherwise, no actual cleaning. You could use something like Wax Kleen or Goo Gone (basically the same substance) to wipe away a lot of excess wax. FYI that I wrote up why I prefer Goo Gone to Wax Kleen in one of my blog posts about other tools that don't break the bank - www.sharonz-consulting.com/the-jewelry-guide/jewelry-making-tools-that-wont-break-the-bank

@okayokay2010 2 года назад

Thank you

@SharonZJewelry 2 года назад

You're welcome!

@lulufiedler9090 2 года назад

Can you change tips in this pen .. also Is that wax the kerr Perfect purple?

@SharonZJewelry 2 года назад

You can change out the tips, but you can also bend and shape the tip for this wax pen to work how you need it to. You can also still order extra tips for it. I think that all of them are similar, so no knife tips or anything like that. But I like that I can reshape them. And yes that is the Kerr Perfect Purple wax! It is one of my favorites. I like a couple of the Wolf waxes for building up wax on certain designs, but I love the purple for joining two kinds of wax together - almost like a solder but for wax :)

@lulufiedler9090 2 года назад

@@SharonZJewelry thank you for your replay!!! I ask you about the Kerr Perfect Purple wax because I can’t not find it anywhere looks like is discontinued.. by any chance do you have a name of a place where to find it ?? I been looking everywhere without any luck 🥺

@SharonZJewelry 2 года назад

Oh no! I hadn't heard that it was sold out. Kerr still lists it as a product offering on their website, but it doesn't look like they sell it directly. But maybe reach out to Kerr directly? www.kerrdental.com/how-buy I wonder if they are having supply chain issues.

@lulufiedler9090 2 года назад

@@SharonZJewelry Hi ! I call them already and they say that they don’t have it anymore.. and I been looking everywhere with no luck .. thats why I was wondering if you can have any hint where to find it … please let me know if you do or what other wax will have the same character or use .. I am kind of lost 😞 Thanks !!!

@SharonZJewelry 2 года назад

Oh wow I had no idea! I wonder if you could try posting a request to a jewelry forum on FB or maybe the jewelry making thread on Reddit? www.reddit.com/r/jewelrymaking/ I wonder if other designers have found it or are maybe looking to unload old tools and would have some for sale. If I ever come across some I will try to repost it here.

@Nightwatchmen82 9 месяцев назад

No temperature control?

@SharonZJewelry 9 месяцев назад

This battery operated pen does not have a rheostat, so you control the temperature by holding and releasing the power button. It's subtle, but it has worked well for me. That way I don't need my other had to reach over and adjust the rheostat and the temp control I think happens faster. But if you prefer the kind with the rheostat, then you can get the plug into the wall kind of wax pen and that usually comes with temp control.