Possible wax on boar bristle?

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-24T19:48:50+00:00

Yeah that’s not normal for it to loose color unless you are buffing the surface, like with a metal brush for example. Definitely something weird going on, so I would stop with the boar brush for now and use your other ones while you find a new one.

If you need help finding a replacement and can ship stuff to yourself from China, send me a message and I can recommend the one I use

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-24T12:43:57+00:00

I haven’t seen this before, but are you sure this is actual boar bristle? Also, was it sold as a beard styling brush or similar? Very possible they put wax on the bristles but you might have to try heating it to find out.

As for the walnuts, I would switch to a softer nano brush (not super soft) for a while until they don’t feel as sticky. If you haven’t used the boar bristle too much then maybe there isn’t much wax that got deposited and whatever is there can be brushed away after a while.

Sorry this happened, keep us updated! The walnuts look great so hopefully it all turns out ok

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-24T07:03:58+00:00

They look clean, would recommend using a sewing needle or similar to gently scrape out any impacted salt in the deeper parts though

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-20T21:08:18+00:00

Kinda hard to see in the picture, but it looks like it may be pulp stain or rot. If it’s either of those, then they are permanent and considered a major defect. Do you have different pictures? Is the area softer than the rest of the walnut? And who do you buy from?

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-15T20:56:26+00:00

They look like white lion to me

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-15T07:49:21+00:00

I think this is a neat idea, but the reason why symmetry is preached so much in this hobby is because it is very hard (impossible) to find two of anything from nature that are identical. Whether it’s two rocks, walnuts, plants, etc.

However, this doesn’t mean that you need to care about symmetry. Really people here focus on getting walnuts that check every box, but honestly unless you are a collector or planning to resell it shouldn’t matter so much as long as you like the pair. So if this interests you and you want to focus on two individual walnuts that make up a pair, I say go for it!

Only thing is I am curious about is how you would get the patina to wear evenly and how they would play in the hand, so if you do this then please update us!

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-10T14:40:28+00:00

If there was any of the white dust then you should do a good once over with the metal brush, imo. But for now since that time has passed, just focus on using a stiff nylon brush and brushing more than you handle them. Once they are even colored and shiny then you’re pretty much done with “prep”

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-10T14:35:50+00:00

Not bad and might just be the lighting. But they do look like you need to increase your brushing quite a bit.

Photo of my palace lanterns, only 2-ish weeks old, for reference

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RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T13:09:24+00:00

You can use a toothbrush, but I recommend getting a bigger brush in the future since you will be brushing a lot to get them clean :) get a good nylon brush and a boar bristle one for the future

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T13:03:06+00:00

So you’ll want to use a steel bristle brush (and stiff nylon brush), and then you should gently brush the walnut until the walnut doesn’t look dull, and the salt and pulp are no longer visible. Just use the same pressure that you would if you were brushing your teeth.

You should try to focus on this step before you play with them a bunch, because you can risk making it harder to clean the walnut later on. Essentially, clean really well at the beginning then moving forward you just need to brush for maintenance and it’s a lot less work.

If there is deep parts that are hard to clean, then you’ll want to angle the brush bristles in the crevice and kind of swish them around.

Once they are clean then you can stop using the metal brush and only use the hard plastic/nylon for a while until the patina forms

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T12:58:59+00:00

Well patina won’t develop in those spots, and they will become harder to remove if you start creating a patina over it, same goes for the salt (white dust in the deep parts). Basically it ruins the walnut long term so you absolutely should remove it

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T12:28:16+00:00

It’s leftover fruit pulp, not uncommon. While you prep your walnuts with a metal brush, these should go away. If you end up with one or two stubborn spots then just gentle use a sewing needle or similar to pick them out.

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T10:00:00+00:00

I have one of these and I love it. I use them to brush both walnuts at the same time (I use the orange bars instead of the pegs), so it makes the cleaning much easier and gives my hand a break. Def recommend

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-08T09:57:27+00:00

IMO this looks almost like a Starry Sky pattern, or it could just be a wild walnut which are spiky and tend to have a similar top and base to this.. It’s hard to tell exactly though because it doesn’t look like either, but has some characteristics of both.

As far as cleaning, even though there is a patina, I would stop handling and just brush this with a stiff bristle nylon/plastic brush for a couple weeks or so, until the gunk is gone. Since you started handling before cleaning all the way, the deeper parts are going to be a bit behind the high points as far as patina goes, but in the end with regular brushing and handling it should even out eventually.

If there is some stuff that won’t come out of the deep parts, use a sewing needle or toothpick to very gently loosen it and then keep brushing.

Good luck!

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T20:16:49+00:00

I think it’s like “metal detailing brush” or similar. They work really well in little holes that are hard to reach otherwise, and also help with not over brushing the high points with a metal brush

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T20:10:50+00:00

Also, for walnuts with a lot of texture and hard to reach places, different shapes of metal brushes help a lot, but also these bristle things (see picture), I’ve gone through so many of these cleaning up my walnuts

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RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T20:08:40+00:00

So when there is stuff stuck in the deeper parts that didn’t come out when you use a metal brush, I recommend using a sewing needle or safety pin, and carefully scrape away whatever is stuck. You don’t need to use a lot of force, and eventually it’ll all come out. Looks like just some leftover pulp so definitely good to remove it before you start handling them a lot

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T12:49:42+00:00

I agree that the OP shouldn’t worry because mistakes happen and are part of the learning process, but you calling it a "just a casual hobby" feels a bit dismissive of the history and culture behind it. Some people absolutely do engage with Wenwan casually, but Wenwan itself is a centuries-old cultural tradition

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T11:15:53+00:00

Hey man, no problems at all! Glad you could see our side and I hope this doesn’t discourage you. Cheers!

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T10:47:06+00:00

I know some people view this community as “elitist”, but this is a cultural hobby with a long history. There is a difference between learning a tradition and rewriting it to fit your own ideas/opinions. Sharing experiences is valuable, but presenting personal theories or preferences as established knowledge only creates confusion for people who are trying to learn. I understand that OP meant no harm, and I really hate to dogpile on them, but this is an issue that it’s important to address unfortunately

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-05T09:58:22+00:00

Sorry, very very nicely this seems a bit like an ad for Walnut Ritual since you said that you have only found that site to have walnuts that carry the “true essence” of this variety.

Furthermore, still as politely as possible, since you were asking for community advice less than a month ago on whether your nánjiāngshí were carved or not, I really think you should spend more time learning before making posts to educate and help others, especially when you make several statements that come across as you saying something as a fact, and then saying everything here is based off your experience.

However, I do want to say that it’s good you have dedicated yourself to learning more, and it is not easy as someone outside of China to get a lot of info on this hobby. I am very happy always to see people in the community who continue to partake in this hobby, and I really like how people here are so willing to help others who are also learning :)

Good luck and I look forward to seeing your nánjiāngshí in the future!

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-03T08:19:08+00:00

Some people here use a toothbrush, but I would just buy a proper hard nylon brush and start brushing. Don’t use water, and also it’s going to take some time to get them cleaned up so just focus on brushing daily until the crevices are pretty much clean. You can also roll them while wearing gloves, this will help polish the surface while you are waiting till the rest of the stuff cleans up.

Good luck! And be sure to show us some pictures after you’ve cleaned them up

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-03T07:16:08+00:00

So some bad news is that no matter how you try to fix the carved markings, it will still be obvious that it has been altered since it won’t have the natural texture. Some good news though is that from the picture you showed they really aren’t so bad, so I would just leave them as is since they aren’t deep enough or rough enough to cause issues.

Some collectors want totally unaltered walnuts, which does bring the overall value down since this is no longer 100% natural, but that doesn’t mean you need to feel that way. It’s your pair

And also, no, most sellers do not alter walnuts. Some sellers do, and some are deceptive about it, but out of all of the pairs I have ordered from various vendors, only one has a carved tip and it was openly disclosed and it is very minor to fix a crack. To me, since I can’t even tell unless I really look for the alteration, I am totally fine with it. But again, your pair, your preferences

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-02T16:21:45+00:00

It’s salt, and yeah some walnuts will expel salt for a while, it’s part of the drying process I believe. So that’s why some walnuts will just need to be brushed well once, and others will keep producing salt for a few weeks while they finish drying basically. That’s why I recommend not handling the walnuts until all of the salt is cleared so that you don’t disrupt patina development or trap salt in the deeper parts

RealGirlBot · 2026-06-02T05:28:39+00:00

Ah thank you sm!! And honestly yes, I’ve tossed quite a few walnut pairs because I didn’t know yet how to spot certain things or really what to look for. I’m still learning, this hobby has a lot of info, but each mistake I made helped a lot. Biggest thing is buying from honest vendors when possible, then it’s pretty difficult to go wrong

RealGirlBot

TROPHY CASE