Cleaning Dripped Wax

[qos]

In the course of cleaning up my temple room I've rediscovered a three-dragon-headed, rather gothic looking, candle holder which has a deeply carved surface.

It also has red wax hardened in the deep grooves and scallops.

Any tips on the best way to remove the wax without harming the surface of the candle holder? I'm pretty sure I can use a small, pointed instrument to get up a lot of it, but not sure what to do beyond that.

Comments

[wyldlingspirit.livejournal.com]

I swear by Goo Gone for wax removal. You can buy it almost anywhere. Saturate the waxy area with it and let it set until soft, then ply your small pointy thing. Anything remaining can easily be removed with a coarse cloth and a dab more Goo Gone. Rinse well.

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

might work. Goo Gone is fabulous scary stuff. I'd test it on a small less-visible spot of the candle holder though, just in case it also takes off the finish. :S

[wyldlingspirit.livejournal.com]

I've never had any problems with it, and I've used it to get gunk of all sorts from carpet, candle holders, furniture, cloth, and my hair. The only thing I haven't used it on is silk, and that's because I never Work directly on silk to begin with. I've used it to get up gum, candy, paint of the artistic sort, candle wax, crayon off the walls, etc. To my mind, the stuff needs to come in bigger bottles.

Of course, to be safe, you should always test on a tiny patch of whatever first. I've just used the stuff for yonks and I'm confident of it.

[watcher457.livejournal.com]

Freezing it is what I've heard most often, but it's not always the easiest way to do it. I'm curious if the Goo Gone would work...

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

freezing works well when wax is fabric you can't wash on a hot cycle or on a smooth surface. I don't know if it would work as well for things stuck in grooves and such. :)

[oakmouse]

If it's something that can survive getting wet, put it in a pan of hot water --- not boiling hot but bathtub hot --- and let it stand for half an hour or so. Then use the small rounded end of a bent paperclip, or the blunt end of a cuticle stick, to scrape out the softened wax without scratching.

[gailmom.livejournal.com]

I second this...unless the thing can handle boiling, in which case boil away and make it easy on yourself. :)

If it cannot survive getting wet, I put it in the sun and let that warm the wax, then use a q tip cut in half (tada; narrow "pointy" end and fluffy end, they work well together) to scrape things out. I don't know if your sun would work as well for that as ours does though. :P

[starfrosting.livejournal.com]

hot water's probably the best way to do it, let it soften and then scrape away.