Best way to get the wax covering off of sealed wood

[daron jacobs]

Hi guys ! I have a bunch of turning squares that I bought years ago that are covered in wax. Spalted maple and white and black ebony are the varieties. What is the best/easiest way to get it off ? I probably want to use it for points and butt sleeves. Thanks, Daron Jacobs

 

[Kim Bye]

I just use a metal scraper.

 

[daron jacobs]

Thanks, sounds simple enough

 

[BarenbruggeCues]

Make sure after you get the wax scrapped and knock the corners off it sits around for at least a few years or longer before attempting to put it into a cue.

 

[muskyed]

One way to tell if small pieces of wood like that are still drying is to weigh them on something like a small electronic scale similar to what reloaders use or drug dealers if you know any. Small, waxed pieces will still dry somewhat even with wax on them, just not as fast as without. I weigh rough turned wood of my wood turnings with a electronic kitchen scale to track their drying progress, but that is not accurate enough for small pieces.
Just to more clarify, for small pieces such as this, you would need a scale that reads in grains. If you have had your small pieces, such as pen blanks in size, and they have been heavily waxed, they can still hold some moisture after a couple years. Not much though and should dry quickly after wax is removed. If you are in a hurry, you could put them in a microwave for a short series of cycles, or I guess in a oven for a short bit. Weigh them before and after

 

[KUKABUKA]

One way to tell if small pieces of wood like that are still drying is to weigh them on something like a small electronic scale similar to what reloaders use or drug dealers if you know any. Small, waxed pieces will still dry somewhat even with wax on them, just not as fast as without. I weigh rough turned wood of my wood turnings with a electronic kitchen scale to track their drying progress, but that is not accurate enough for small pieces.

Fyi there are a lot of great reasons to own a small scale.

Personally I use one for brewing coffee and all of my baking.

 

[CLAUD]

I let mine sit waxed and stickered for a few years. Then I scrape most of the wax off with a putty knife and run it through my jointer or planer. Then I start weighing it on a kitchen / postage scale, every month or two until it stabilizes. All my wood is in a climate controlled shop with air conditioning, heat, and a dehumidifier. Most of my wood is 1 1/2 or 2", 12"- 36" long, with a few exceptions.

 

[tg_vegas]

For me, if the finished product is long (like a shaft, or forearm), I turn it to a very rough round which knocks off most of the wax, and then hang them for as long as possible. If the product is short (like a JP or something), I don't worry too much about it and turn them down over the course of a few weeks. I don't do pens or anything thin like that.

 

[daron jacobs]

I scraped and weighed them all, I looked it up, I bought them in 2015