Question about museum wax

[wormwoodz]

Sorry if this question has been answered somewhere else but I couldn't find it. I am wondering if there are diferent kinds of 'museum wax' with varying consistencies, and what are the diferences between them?

I'm using Quakehold's Crystaline Clear and I am perfectly fine with it so far. However here's the deal, at a miniature show I attended last year I bought some mini stuff that came packaged with freebie museum wax bits to hold them. At the time I thought nothing of it and just stored the packaged wax away since I had my own. Then yesterday while I was decorating I found the package and decided to try it, and to my surprise this wax was super solid to the touch until I heated it with my fingers a bit. It formed a really solid bond when dry that is way stronger than what I'm using at the moment, and now I really wish I had more of this stuff because it would be great to hold heavier stuff in place! I also makes less of a mess than my other wax when removing, when cold it looks almost like hot glue... in fact I almost thought it was hot glue when I touched it but it can't be, right? 

I really would like to get a hold of this stuff but now I can't remember who gave me those samples. I would take pictures but honestly you'd have to touch it to understand the diference :s In any case, if you know a type of wax that fits this description please lemme know. Thanks!

[Elsbeth]

I'm not much help - but I have two brands of wax I use:

Dijon museum wax (quite soft)

and

Mini hold wax (in red tub) - which is perfect for me, cools/dries harder than Dijon wax,  but doesn't sound as hard as the wax you describe.

I also read this:

http://miniatures.about.com/od/gluereviews/f/museumwax.htm

 

Which led me to this:

http://miniaturedesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=35734

Which I am now interested in. Hmmmm. 

[wormwoodz]

4 minutes ago, Elsbeth said:

I'm not much help - but I have two brands of wax I use:

Dijon museum wax (quite soft)

and

Mini hold wax (in red tub) - which is perfect for me, cools/dries harder than Dijon wax,  but doesn't sound as hard as the wax you describe.

I also read this:

http://miniatures.about.com/od/gluereviews/f/museumwax.htm

 

Which led me to this:

http://miniaturedesigns.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=35734

Which I am now interested in. Hmmmm. 

Quakehold's is super soft, maybe the same sort as Dijon, I will check Mini Hold and that miniature glue looks interesting. I wonder if it's strong enough to hold ceiling fixtures and lamps.

I just tried removing a miniature I had used the "mystery wax" on and the whole wax piece came together with the miniature. It was completly solid and left no trace at all on the furniture surface, even the glass miniature it was attached to had no wax on it (which is really awsome because usually I need to clean them completly or they'll look bad). It only went soft when I touched it and I also noticed it becomes less clear when heated. This reminds me of when I release Reutter miniatures from their display, they all come hot glued and this wax looks almost like that when cold, but a million times better because I don't need a hairdryer to remove it xD I really hope I can find this fantastic wax!

[Elsbeth]

I used the mini hold wax to attach a stair case  -  so it works quite well for me - mind you , everything was pre-fitted and it just needed a little hold to get the job done. I didn't want to glue it because I may want to change the paper. I put wax against the wall and on the bottom - then at the top where it meets the floor, and voila - it has held perfectly for 2 years now.

I love mini wax. 

[KathieB]

You don't want to use Mini Hold if a house may be exposed to sunlight/heat. I speak from experience.

[havanaholly]

I have had excellent results using poster putty; I knead very small amounts until it's warm & soft, squeeze it thin and put whatever I want where ever I want with it.  I haven't tried hanging heavy shelf units on walls with it, because I want those where I want them; but the poster putty hasn't cut loose when the dollhouse gets warm.

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, havanaholly said:

I have had excellent results using poster putty; I knead very small amounts until it's warm & soft, squeeze it thin and put whatever I want where ever I want with it.  I haven't tried hanging heavy shelf units on walls with it, because I want those where I want them; but the poster putty hasn't cut loose when the dollhouse gets warm.

One of my stepdaughters used the blue poster putty to hang posters in her room. When she moved out, we found all kinds of stains from the poster putty on the walls. Had to repaint. Maybe in mini amounts it isn't a problem, but personally I wouldn't use the stuff.

[wormwoodz]

12 hours ago, Elsbeth said:

I used the mini hold wax to attach a stair case  -  so it works quite well for me - mind you , everything was pre-fitted and it just needed a little hold to get the job done. I didn't want to glue it because I may want to change the paper. I put wax against the wall and on the bottom - then at the top where it meets the floor, and voila - it has held perfectly for 2 years now.

I love mini wax. 

I think I'll try that one, seams quite popular, hope it's stronger than what I'm using.

4 hours ago, havanaholly said:

I have had excellent results using poster putty; I knead very small amounts until it's warm & soft, squeeze it thin and put whatever I want where ever I want with it.  I haven't tried hanging heavy shelf units on walls with it, because I want those where I want them; but the poster putty hasn't cut loose when the dollhouse gets warm.

I use it as well, it's great to hold heavier pieces in place such as furniture. But I think it doesn't work than well on slippery surfaces like glass or porcelain, for those I always have to use wax. Also it's a shame it's not clear, harder to try to hide it in pictures.

3 hours ago, KathieB said:

One of my stepdaughters used the blue poster putty to hang posters in her room. When she moved out, we found all kinds of stains from the poster putty on the walls. Had to repaint. Maybe in mini amounts it isn't a problem, but personally I wouldn't use the stuff.

I'm also afraid of staining the wallpappers, so I usually use double sided transparent tape for wall hangings. But I had some paintings that were too heavy thou and the tape just couldn't hold them, so I had to use poster putty, was the only thing that worked and kept the resin frames from falling. It is alright, I just have to be very careful removing it if they need repositioning. 

[havanaholly]

9 hours ago, KathieB said:

One of my stepdaughters used the blue poster putty to hang posters in her room. When she moved out, we found all kinds of stains from the poster putty on the walls. Had to repaint. Maybe in mini amounts it isn't a problem, but personally I wouldn't use the stuff.

The poster putty I've been using is white. When I moved items early on I didn't see any staining; after s many years of having it holding things in place I've no idea if there'd be stains.