removing wax from deck boards?

[AlienZen]

We have a deck in serious need of resealing. At a party this past weekend, someone knocked over a citronella candle, spilling about a quart of molten wax onto what is, for the most part, exposed wood. Nobody mentioned it, so I didn't discover it till yesterday. It has had a few days to soak in very nicely.

Does anybody know if a way to pull wax out of wood? I'm thinking I may need to replace a few boards here, but would hope there is a trick someone can share. And yes, I'll beat you all to the obvious wisecrack, I definately don't nead to reseal ~that~ section of the deck anymore.......

TIA, Mike

[Patch]

It may take several tries.

[peter]

If I were doing this, I would melt the wax with a heatgun or hairdryer and wipe it up. Then--while keeping it warm enough to keep it liquid but cool enough not to ignite anything, I would clean it with something like mineral spirits.

After that, depending on what it looked like, I would sand it and retreat it with something that would blend in.

If this or something similar does not work, I would try turning the board over rather than replacing it.

Good luck,

Peter

[AlienZen]

There have been a couple of good suggestions so far, but I think I might want to clarify something. There is no residual mound of wax on the surface. There is nothing to wipe up or off. This was hot liquid wax that has soaked into the board. At the moment, the board looks like it is wet or oily, where the wax has permiated the wood. Please, keep the suggestions coming..

Thanks, Mike

[Ann G]

You mean pull a rather large stain out of wood don't you. Probably not. I've learned recently of a group called rec.woodworking that may have useful information.

[Phisherman]

Gently scrap off whatever you can using an old credit card; you could use a putty knife if you are careful not to damage the wood. Place a paper towel over the spill and iron the top. Replace with a fresh paper towel to get more wax. Use mineral spirits to pick up the remaining wax.

[Ann G]

I hope AlienZen reports back if this is tried. I want to know if your idea works. Especialy considering the chemicals that have penetrated the wood.

[Joe Bobst]

Take advantage of the ability of chlorinated solvents to dissolve hydrocarbons like wax. Typical solvents are methylene chloride (a component of many paint removers), chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene, to mention a few. These are industrial solvents and may be a bit hard to find. Look for common names like Triclene for trichloroethylene. Some dry cleaning solvents fit this category. As always use good safety techniques, read the labels, adequate ventilation, etc. HTH

Joe

[D]

replying to AlienZen, D wrote: Try mineral spirit. We just had the same situation and could not get it off. Read mineral spirits works and it definitely did.   

[D]

replying to AlienZen, D wrote: Try mineral spirit. We just had the same situation and could not get it off. Read mineral spirits works and it definitely did.