Does anyone know a way to remove wax instead of buying wax remover?
remove most of it with a wax comb then use paint thiner or acetone to get the rest of.
…Remembering of course that acetone dissolves even hardened poly resin, I wouldn’t reccomend it as a general maintenance procedure. Cleaning around a ding is ok, because you are going to re-coat it. If you do insist on using it to strip wax, get all you can off using other means, and use only a sparing amount on a paper towel or rag to clean off the remaining film.
wells
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Does anyone know a way to remove wax instead of buying wax remover?
Scrap off as much wax as you can with your board in the sun. Use a hard plastic squeegie. The rest of the wax can be taken off with foam dust. Works like a charm. Don’t use razor blades as this will leave marks.
would rubbing alcohol have a bad reaction?
i like the foam dust method…it’s the best, easiest, and safest for your board. just scrape the wax off, put some foam dust in the end of a stocking and tie it off, and rub it over the leftover film of wax…it’ll come right off and it’ll look super clean.
Put it in the sun until almost melting. Get a wide plastic putty knife (4" Home Depot drywall section), and have a trashcan ready. Run the knife lengthwise down the board and dump the load of wax at the end of each pass. Do the same thing crosswise rail to rail. Use a smaller putty knife for areas with denting. When you get most of it off, get some paper towels and paint thinner and get the rest. You’ll probably need to go over it twice. Wash the board down with soap and water afterwards. Don’t do this indoors, and get rid of the thinner-soaked paper towels immediately. I do 5 or 6 boards this way per week in my repair biz.
I’ll second Pete on the wide plastic putty knives - they do a great job and they are cheap, most hardware stores will have them. You can get sets, 1", 2" and 3" or 4" for less than two bucks.
On the other hand, the wax comb is one of the two most miserable tools for wax removal I know of, the other being dead phone cards, though the latter have some utility as quick and dirty squeegees for ding laminating in remote places. Another piece of surf industry-hyped schlock that fails to deliver.
hope that’s of use
doc…
Scrape it off with something plastic, yeah. And then I’ve always had good success & no adverse effects using a rag & carburetor cleaner. Works on poly or epoxy resin, no harm done.
Yep, it all started by looking around the garage at the old spray cans…
I’ve actually used Avon Skin So Soft lotion (you NJ guys will remember this stuff as a reputed anti mosquito and greenhead fly measure), which is oil based, as a wax remover. You spray it on and wipe it in with a paper towel. Let it soak in for a few minutes, then use another paper towel to take the now softened wax off. The only small hitch is taking the residual lotion off the board after the wax is gone. Try it, it works.
Ahh, skin so soft…I used that stuff camping in CR, seemed to work OK, but nothing beats 100% deet. Yeah, soap and water should get rid of that, but would also get rid of the nice soft scent…ssssniiiffff, Mmmmmmmm!
Wanna see something funny? find a nice neutral colored bar of soap and wax a buddy’s board with it.
wells
Foam dust is great. If you can get it, or have some laying around. I use Corm meal. Not corm starch. This is the stuff used to make corn bread. Carb cleaner is worce then acetone on your body. I would stear away from that stuff. The Corn Meal is great, I mean you can eat the stuff so it will not hurt anything. It does take a little bit of work, but it does look good when your done.
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Wanna see something funny? find a nice neutral colored bar of soap and wax a buddy’s board with it.
CLASSIC!
put the corn meal in a sock as well?
Direct sun and missing spatula followed by wife’s missing hair dryer and paper towels.
Love the guys I see driving around Town with a board deck-up in the roof racks. They sure know how to remove wax!
the method i previously suggested is the same as a Pickle…it just doesn’t cost $10.
Hey do any of you spend time at the BEACH!!! ;;-))
Put your board in the sun, AT THE BEACH, let it melt slightly and scape off 99.95% with a plastic squeegee. Take the wax ball you just made and put it in a paper bag you brought with you and put it in the trash.
Then take dry Sand, AT THE BEACH, and rub off the very little bit left. Wax up and SURF!!!
Of course if not at the beach, just putting it in the sun and scraping off 99.95%, then take one or two paper towels for the rest is fine.
Geez, a thread on removing wax… This site has EVERYTHING. Put it in the sun until its soft. Grab a plastic spatula or your laminating squeegie and scrape it off. You can use chunks of cardboard Anything with a rigid edge that won’t scratch the finish. Use your beach towel to get the residue. Buying wax remover? They sell wax remover? What will they think of next? Mike