Best way to remove old furniture wax?

naptha

-- Junior -Quality is never an accident-it is the reward for the effort involved.

If you are going to re-wax it, wax removes wax. Just keep applying fresh wax until the solvents clear out the old gunky stuff.

Oh, wait, you said you were going to paint it.

Otherwise mineral spirits work. More aggressive solvents would work but watch out for the ventilation.

Sanding could be a mess as the wax and gunk will just clog the paper. A card scraper can remove the bulk of material though.

Also, consider putting down a coat of shellac after you are done stripping it. I believe most paints will also bond with shellac. Worth a test on some scrap first. The shellac will seal in any left-over wax you may have missed.

-- Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things.

I’m with shopguryl: I’d think denatured alcohol would be a better solvent for wax than mineral spirits.

-- Dan Lyke, Petaluma California, http://www.flutterby.net/User:DanLyke