Help with removing wax

[Ed Winslow]

I searched for an old thread about how to clean wax out of my Muffin pan....Anyway it has been in the lye bath for 5 days now and its all still stuck on the pan... Any suggestions of how to get it out ?

[Roger Barfield]

Melt it off?

[Scott Sanders]

I just goggled "how to remove wax" and got a lot of suggestions...although most were for fabric.  Try this one....  http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-remove-candle-wax  One of the suggestions was to melt it off or freeze it off.  Also might try a vinegar/water solution for whatever remains.  Let us know how it works out.

Scott

[Cheryl Watson]

Putting on the grill, upside down on aluminum foil sounds like a good way to heat it up and liquify it to remove as much as possible.

Just found something during a google search that then suggests using vinegar/water solution to remove the remnants off of furniture... so I'd sure try the vinegar on the CI also.

I also will keep looking for something else to suggest.
(freezing it would require scraping).

EDIT:... Jeez Scott, we're at it again... Googling and answering identical!! ;D ;D ;D

[Tom Neitzel]

I know what I would do.  Heat it and get as much to melt/run off as possible, then a trip through the self-cleaning oven.

[Scott Sanders]

That's a good idea too Tom....The self cleaning oven turns everything to white ash or just burns it up.  Yep....Cheryl, we're on the same wave lengths again... ;D ;D

Scott

[Cheryl Watson]

But ouch... I can't imagine the smell of that burning up wax filling up the house on a self clean cycle!! :o :o :o

[Ed Winslow]

Thanks for all the words of wisdom... Think I will try the self clean cycle this weekend !

[Steve Butler]

Tom is on the money, I bought 2 10" camp ovens from Agri Supply to loan to groups that always ask to borrow mine. Last year someone lost two of my Lodge 12s. So now I only loan the cheap ones, if they don''t come back, no great loss. They were coated with wax and after scrubbing, it was still thick. I set the oven on 500 and left it for about an hour. Be sure to put foil in the bottom. I then seasoned them and it cleaned up well. Did get some complaints from my better half on the smell.

[Pete Rector]

The thing I would worry about with the self cleaning oven is fire.  I have read about people putting cast iron in the oven with a lot of grease build up on them and sometimes they catch fire.  The bad part is you can't get to them until the oven is done with the cleaning cycle.  

If it were me I would heat it and try wiping as much off as possible.  Seems to me that electro might finish it up.

[Claudia Killebrew]

Can you try boiling water? Put it in something big enough to hold it, boil it, let it cool so the wax congeals on the top. You might end up with some rust, but electro or vinegar would take care of that.

[Tom Neitzel]

The thing I would worry about with the self cleaning oven is fire.  I have read about people putting cast iron in the oven with a lot of grease build up on them and sometimes they catch fire.  The bad part is you can't get to them until the oven is done with the cleaning cycle.  

If it were me I would heat it and try wiping as much off as possible.  Seems to me that electro might finish it up.

Pete, that's why I would start with heating it in the oven and melting/wiping as much of the wax off as possible before going through the cleaning cycle.  There should not be enough left to be of any concern.

I honestly doubt that the electro process would work very well since wax is an insulator, unless you were running it near boiling.

With heavy grease buildup on an old pan, I will pop it into the lye bath for a short while to get the easy stuff off (the stuff that will burn), then hit the cleaning cycle.  After cleaning, I will then follow with a short electro cycle if needed.

Tom

[Phillip Heranuz]

Perhaps this is bad advice as I haven't yet had the need to try this, but has anyone considered Goo Gone?

It takes wax off of lots of things. How it would work with cast iron I'm not sure. But I think it warrants a closer look. I went to their website and it specifically says that it removes wax.

Here's the link: http://www.googone.com/GooGone-Solutions

[Jerry Cermack]

A lot of waxes can be dissolved with plain old Mineral Spirits and would be worth a try using #00 coarse steel wool with it too.  It will melt floor wax on hardwood floors and it might melt whatever is on your pan.

You might also try a hair dryer, and if it gets hot enough to melt the wax, soak it up with paper towels.

[Bob Henrick]

I have a charcoal burning ceramic grill (somewhat like a Big Green Egg) and when I do steaks, I do them just a few inches above the coals. I fire up the coals or inside cooking chamber temperature to about 700 degrees. This is at least as hot as a self cleaning oven and the advantage is that the wax would burn or vaporize. The added advantage is that any odors produced would be outside. I bet you know someone who has a grill of this type.

[Ed Winslow]

It took a bit but it came out just fine !

[Cheryl Watson]

It took a bit but it came out just fine !

So Ed,
What did you finally end up doing to get that wax removed??
Cause it sure does look good! ;)

[Ed Winslow]

Thanks Cheryl, I just left it in the lye for 3 weeks taking out a few times to scrape off the loose stuff...Then a day in the electro...Im going to put on ebay in the next few days !!