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I just picked up a stash of maple and some of it is covered in a clear wax. A lady posted it “free”- her brother milked it off his property but has since passed away. Some 8/4, some 4/4 and some are half round slabs.
How do I remove the wax?
I am going to use a beautiful half round to make a couple shelves for her in honor of her brother and to thank her for her generosity.
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What kind of wax?
I'd scrape off as much as you can with a scraper card or drywall knife. Then plane it.
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It looks like plain paraffin. Unfortunately it is on the round side of the half round pieces.
I will scrape it off and try mineral spirits, DNA and lacquer thinner???
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I wonder if he used end sealer for logs. Its used to prevent splitting.....
Ed
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That’s what I was thinking. I hope I can get it off so I can put a good finish on.
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Baileys sells it, maybe you can find some info there....a msds sheet might help if you know wth its made from.
Ed
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What do you mean "half round slabs"? Just the slab wood from the sawmill? Still have bark or was it debarked first? Is it on the outside or all surfaces?
My concern with trying to dissolve it is that you may pull some into the wood. I thought about suggesting a heat gun to melt it off, but would have that same concern.
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The Half round land are the first and last cuts from the log. No bark. The flat surface has been planed, but needs to be sanded.
The wax is on all surfaces.
I messaged Anchorseal last night. Reading about Anchorseal 2 it sounds like it might be what he used.
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Kind of odd to use Anchorseal or any other wax on the whole piece. Just scrape it off. I would be reluctant to send it through a planer, because the wax will stick to your blades and it'll be a pain to get it all off the cutters. Another concern I would have is if it's on the whole board, then what's the moisture content? I may not have been able to completely dry. I've seen wood turning blanks completely waxed, but it's simple just to remove that at the lathe. And much simpler to remove any wax sticking to your turning tool.
Still Learning,
Allan Hill
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Watching this to see how it works out.
Years ago, a friend gave me a bookmatched pair of spalted maple cookies which were covered in wax.
I’d like to strip them and put them to use.
Gary
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