Thread: How to Remove Parrafin Wax from Wood Scale Blanks?

It just occurs to me that I am giving my burl blanks to my friend to stabilize this afternoon, but they are covered in wax. Tips on how you guys remove it? Google says acetone doesn't work. Thanks in advance. Aaron

Ive scraped off as much as i can then sand on a belt sander till gone. But i had enough wood to not be worried about how much I lost. It wasn't much.

Thanks, Jerry-I just wore out/loaded up my last 2x42" hogging belt doing essentially that. A rag and stiff-bristled brush with mineral spirits took care of the rest quite easily.

I use a card scrape to remove as much as possible and then wipe down with mineral spirits. If necessary I then sand with one of those green scotch brite pads.

Be warned that mineral spirits can dissolve the natural pigmentation in some species. I know it will turn bloodwood, bowdart, and purple heart brown. So test a small area of wood first.

When I have a well that’s giving up a lot of paraffin. I install a line heTer and inject chemicals. Won’t cost you more than 150 k to get rid of it !

Wait, what? Forgive my ignorance, TC, but paraffin comes straight out of the ground?

I’ll fill you in on a fact everything comes from the ground the materials are sometimes mixed by us but unless you shop on Venus it came from the dirt you stand on! But yes parafin is a byproduct of the process that forms hydrocarbons. Some oil has a lot of parafin and we treat it to keep the equipment flowing. When the trucks come to get it they take the parafin the same as the oil only if it is above 15% do they reduce the scale. Hey candles burn don’t they?