Dear Customers: Despite rapidly rising materials cost, we've held the line on price for seven years. Sadly, we're now compelled to increase the price both here and on eBay. The good news is that so little is required to shine a pipe that it remains extremely economical.
Halcyon II™ is a new version of the pipe wax we first introduced at the 2006 Chicago Pipe Show. It is one of the best waxes we have ever found for pipe polishing and preservation. It is a blend of food grade "microcrystalline" waxes, and gives a rich, long lasting shine on briar, vulcanite, silver, meerschaum and other materials without the need for a buffer. It resists heat, fingerprints, moisture and stem oxidation. It will not remove stain, nor harm the underlying finish.
Our original product was "Renaissance Wax" from England. Its formula was developed by technicians at the British Museum, and won enthusiastic acceptance in the areas of antique furniture restoration and art conservation. Renaissance has been tested for 30 years in leading museums around the world, and found to be superior in many ways to carnauba wax, and safer for the material on which it is applied. Moreover, it turned out to have a wide range of other uses in the home, studio and workshop. We tested Renaissance, and found it excellent for use on pipes. It was very well received by our customers. But after studying its formula, we found we could improve it in two significant ways for use by pipe smokers and collectors: first, we managed to find a blend of waxes that has a melting point that is 30 degrees higher than carnauba--nearly 200 degrees. This helps the wax to survive the heat of pipe smoking. Moreover, this blend is harder and more durable than any other microcrystalline wax on the market. Next, we found a carrier for the waxes that is quite expensive, but very highly refined, and less flammable than the one in Renaissance. Best of all, has virtually no odor--less than .02% aromatic hydrocarbons. Because these base materials are available from domestic suppliers, we can now blend and process our wax in-house. Halcyon II has shown itself to be notably superior in performance to Halcyon, while just as economical. It too can be used on woodwork, musical instruments, drill bits and fine machinery and many other materials.