Getting rid of wax on sealed ends

[GouletPens]

I'm hoping some of you who also turn bowls can help me out here...I want to use the natural end of this AMAZING amboyna burl I have, but it's sealed in wax. What's the best was to remove this wax on the natural edge so I can seal it with the same finish I'm using on the rest of the piece?

 

[dgscott]

I'm no expert, but whenever I need to remove wax from small areas, I wipe it with Carbona before working it. Just don't light a cigarette.
Doug

 

[jleiwig]

According to Wolftat you can boil it in your wife's favorite stock pot and it comes off perfectly.

 

[dow]

If his wife is like mine, then he told you that from his new home on the porch. :biggrin:

 

[cnirenberg]

According to Wolftat you can boil it in your wife's favorite stock pot and it comes off perfectly.

Now that is funny.

 

[GouletPens]

According to Wolftat you can boil it in your wife's favorite stock pot and it comes off perfectly.

Haha...yeah i remember reading that thread. But this is a REALLY special and REEEEEALLY expensive hunk of burl I'm working with here, so i want to make sure I'm not going to split or crack the wood while trying to get the wax off. Would boiling it negatively affect the wood? What steps need to be taken after boiling to protect the wood and get it dry again?

 

[HSTurning]

I am not sure but I think boiling it would be the easiest way.
Wax melts at a pretty low temp and will float to the top of the water.
Water should not penetrat the wood deep enought to matter.
The only concern I would have is boiling to long and heating the wood for to long and the causing a crack.

Never done any wax removal so I am just guessing here.

 

[dow]

I wouldn't think that boiling would be necessary. How big is it? If it's not too big, you might put it in a double boiler (pot inside a pot) that way, the water in the larger pot heats the water in the smaller pot, which insulates whatever's in the smaller pot from being burned from being too close to the burner on the stove. If you bring the water in the inner pot to a simmer, i'd think that the wax would liquefy and float to the surface. Then you could skim it off.

Just an idea, and worth what you're paying for it :biggrin:.

 

[Texatdurango]

I'm hoping some of you who also turn bowls can help me out here...I want to use the natural end of this AMAZING amboyna burl I have, but it's sealed in wax. What's the best was to remove this wax on the natural edge so I can seal it with the same finish I'm using on the rest of the piece?

I used to use a solvent called 3M Adhesive and Wax Remover. Since it's just the edge you are concerned with, why not just go ahead and turn the bowl and deal with JUST the natural edge rather than risk damage to the entire burl?

Once turned you could deal with whatever wax remains on the edge using the slovent with a cloth, swabs, etc.

 

[KenV]

The bad news is that burls are all end grain behavior - and if the waxes were hot, can penetrate quite a ways.

Lots of endgrain imports I have are sealed with petroleum based waxes -- scrape off excess, and turn away the grain to the near final shape. I have has success in pulling petroleum waxes out of wood grain with a lot temperature iron and papertowling (melt and adsorb as much as possible, and then to use solvents to remove as much as possible. Turn to final shape and repeat as necessary. Your sanding will tell you if there is much of the waxes remaining.

I have best luck with using clear shellac to form a barrier if it appears some of the waxes remain in the endgrain.

Scraping serves the same function as the stock pot and is easier to clean (let alone the costs of relationship building - dinner - candy - flowers etc)

 

[wolftat]

I have recently boiled several brown mallee burl caps and blanks and it did not harm the wood in any way. I let them dry for a week to make sure that there wouldn't be a problem and everything was fine. The pots cleaned up good as they were...LOL and I am not in any trouble for doing it, I'm in more trouble for my attitude about doing it she said and her mother has been here several times recently...payback is a bi**h and so is her mother.

 

[NewLondon88]

I just boiled up a bunch.. came out nice. I'm letting them sit right now so
they dry out. So far, so good.

 

[Blind_Squirrel]

Actually, boiling is used as a method to keep bowls from cracking.

http://www.woodturningvideosplus.com/boiling-green-wood.html

 

[jfoh]

Boil them, the wax comes right off. Oily woods will loose a lot of the natural oils in the wood. Let them dry for a few days or pop them in the oven at 175 for a few hours and then let them rest for a few days to become stable.