Best way to remove wax ??

[Herb G]

Hey guys, what's the best way to remove wax from a piece of wood?
I have some Osage Orange that has been dipped in some kind of clear wax.
It might be paraffin because it doesn't look like Anchor Seal.

I don't want to sand it off because I don't want to change the size of the wood, or clog up an expensive sander belt.
I don't own a wood scraper, but I think I might have a tool that will work.
It is made for scraping glue off floors. It uses a 3" long razor blade in it.

I also have a heat gun, but I think that will just allow the wax to penetrate
further into the grain of the wood.

So, what's the best way to remove this wax without damaging the wood itself?

[gMike]

I've only done this once and it was a pain in the butt.  I scraped the piece as best as I could and then went after it with mineral spirits and a nylon bristle brush.  I still ended up sanding it to get the last of the wax off.

[Admiral]

I've only done this once and it was a pain in the butt.  I scraped the piece as best as I could and then went after it with mineral spirits and a nylon bristle brush.  I still ended up sanding it to get the last of the wax off.

+1. Card scraper followed by MS, which is the solvent of choice for wax.

[Steve N]

If the wax is still soft, place some ice cubes in a plastic bag, and lay it on top of the wax. The harder the wax is, the easier it will be to remove.

Use a card scraper to scrape the wax off of the surface. Apply the ice again if it begins to soften. Cold, brittle wax is much quicker to release from the surface.

To remove the wax in rough areas, or depressions, it will need to be melted.
Preheat an iron on a low setting with no steam.
Cover the area with a brown paper bag, and set the iron on top for 10 seconds.
Remove the iron. You should see where the wax has transferred to the paper.
Repeat with a clean section of paper bag until the wax is completely removed or no longer transfers to the bag.
If there is wax deeper in the grooves of the wood, repeat the iron steps with a soft cloth.
For the remaining wax, melt it with a hair dryer.
Blot with a clean, soft cloth to soak up the melted wax. Repeat until all of the wax is removed.

Fluids to clean up could be Alcohol, MS, Acetone, Vinegar 1 part to 3 parts water. Apply with a soft cloth moistened with the fluid.

[MichaelMouse]

Fluids to clean up could be Alcohol, MS, Acetone, Vinegar 1 part to 3 parts water. Apply with a soft cloth moistened with the fluid.

Decreasing the viscosity with warming, and blotting the result is a good method for unfinished wood. 

With solvents, however, like dissolves like.  Non-polar MS or naphtha is far superior to semi-polar acetone (safer, too) or alcohol.  Not sure what acetic acid diluted to 1% or so will do.  The solvents decrease the viscosity, just as the warming does.