If you’re starting out with archery, you’re probably coming across all kinds of interesting facts and suggestions for things that you can do to maintain your bow and keep it working smoothly.
It can also be kind of tricky to know what’s a legit tip and what’s flat out crazy.
Can you use candle wax on a bowstring? Using candle wax on a bowstring is generally a bad idea. This is especially true for modern strings on compound bows, as paraffin wax can degrade the synthetic fibers.
Despite this, some people do it anyway. Here’s an explanation of why you should avoid this and what to do instead.
Why Paraffin Wax is Ineffective for Bowstrings
The most common wax that candles are made from is paraffin wax. It’s a petroleum product. Essentially, it’s made from the sludge at the bottom of crude oil barrels.
It’s also commonly what other things like crayons are made out of.
The basic reason that this wax is useless for bowstrings is that it doesn’t really accomplish anything that bowstring wax is supposed to do.
Here’s what a bowstring wax SHOULD do:
- Lubricate the strands of the string to prevent friction from the strands rubbing against each other. This friction wears the strands down over time.
- Protect the string from moisture. When there’s moisture inside your string, it will affect the string’s performance and degrade over time.
- Protect the string from dust and dirt. These will quickly wear out a string, and the regular cleaning and waxing of a string will prevent contaminants from entering the string itself.
- Prevent the string from fraying. Wax will help the fibers to stick to the string and prevent further fraying as the string wears over time.
Paraffin wax doesn’t really do any of these things.
Since it has a high melting temperature, it doesn’t really penetrate into the string. And because it’s dry, hard, and comparatively brittle, it can often do more harm than good.
Why Paraffin Wax Can Damage Bowstrings
One of the main reasons to not use paraffin wax (candle wax) on strings is that they can sometimes degrade, or break down, the synthetic fibers.
Petroleum can break down many different kinds of synthetic materials, so it’s good to not let the two come into regular contact.
Most good quality synthetic strings come pre-waxed from the factory, so often this original wax will offer some protection against chemicals like petroleum. This is why some people don’t see any noticeable damage from using candle wax on their bowstrings.
Really, though, they’re not doing anything to help the bowstrings, and paraffin wax can potentially cause your string to break down. It’s just generally a bad idea.
Can Beeswax Be Used on Bowstrings?
Beeswax is a different story. Actually, beeswax was a common thing to use, historically speaking.
Beeswax can be reasonably effective for maintaining traditional bowstrings made from natural materials. They will help a little with things like cleaning and moisture protection.
However, beeswax is not a good choice for modern compound bows or other strings made of synthetic materials. Also, natural strings are REALLY uncommon.
The benefit (if any) of beeswax on synthetic strings will be barely noticeable.
There are lots of people that don’t even bother to wax their strings. Some people swear they don’t need to, but everything needs maintenance. Using a proper wax will help your strings to last longer.
The other concern with beeswax is that it’s often not pure. It’s actually not that common to find pure beeswax candles, since they’re considerably more expensive. Most “beeswax” candles are actually a blend of beeswax, paraffin, and/or soybean wax.
No matter what, a proper string wax will always outperform miscellaneous waxes, because they’re designed specifically for strings.
How to Properly Maintain Bowstrings
The main thing to bowstring maintenance is to just get a proper wax. It’s extremely cheap.
It will also pay for itself without question when you factor in the extra life you’ll get out of your strings. Literally every string manufacturer will say to use bowstring wax to get the most life out of your strings.
Personally, I use Bohning’s Tex-Tite (Amazon) because it’s cheap, available, and works perfectly fine. Some people prefer other brands, but your average archer will never notice the difference.
In terms of how to maintain your strings, remember that there are two main things that you need to do:
- Clean the strings
- Protect the strings
To clean the strings, just use a thread. Sewing thread, serving string, even dental floss will work.
Wrap it around the string and slide it across. This will gently scrape away dirt and old wax.
Apply the wax directly on to the string, and rub it in with your fingers. The heat from your fingers will melt the wax and help it penetrate right into the strings.
Don’t apply wax to the servings, they’ve already got all the protection they need. If you do wax the servings, your cams will become a dirt magnet.
You might hear of some people using a blow dryer to help the wax to soak into the string. I wouldn’t recommend it. Friction from your fingers work perfectly fine, and it’s better to keep your strings away from any heat sources that could actually damage them.
The general rule of thumb is to reapply new wax every 200 shots or so. If you do this, you’ll get better life and performance out of your strings.