I’m doing work on a 100-year old house that has a beautifully carved/chiseled limestone (?) fireplace. At one point, however, someone left candles burning on the mantle and hearth, and there are puddles of wax all over. I’ve tried muriatic acid, but this only seemed to accentuate where the wax has pooled. Any tricks or suggestions? Someone had mentioned to me burning it off with a propane torch.
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acid is not a good thing for limestone. I hiope you have thoroughly rinsed immediately, or the damage is still going on.
Use ice or dry ice to chill th ewax and make it brittle then scrape it carefully.
Then TEST a small spot with acetone and Q-tips to see it it lifts the residual stain.
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Here is the easy and sure three step method for removing wax:
Wax is dissolved by Xylene (Xylol), also sold as 'goof off.' Now, the challenge is removing the smelly Xylene.
Xylene is dissolved by alcohol. I recommend grain alcohol, though rubbing alcohol also works.
The alcohol is followed by a good soap and water scrub.
With any of these, soaking a rag, and using it to blot up the wax is the preferred method.
Any scraping ought to be done with tools of wood, aluminum, or brass, to reduce damage to the stone.
I had some wax leave a solid round mark on a soapstone heater. Over time, the warm (pretty warm, not too hot to touch) evaporated the wax. So, the torch idea might just work. Maybe a cooking torch so you don't get a bunch of black soot mixed in.
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If heat works, then a hair drier or a heat gun on low would be safer than a torch. If there is any moisture in the stone, a torch could be disasterous, making flakes explode off it
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OK, don't want a splosh-in. Heat gun sounds very good to me, hair dryer-not worth the effort. I did nothing and the wax rings disappeared in a month or so of firings. This "mantle" does not get hot, more like very warm. The "heat'' coming up from the bottom and radiating out probably did much to drive off the wax. I would be concerned chemicals that dissolve would drive the stain deeper. Maybe a poultice type application.
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Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Have heard of using a hot iron on cotton cloth to melt and absorb the wax.
Heat with a poultice, nicely done.
You know, you conservatives have some good ideas.
thanks.A great place for Information, Comraderie, and a sucker punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Thanks Calvin. I have to think a residue would still be left, but maybe not.
For wax or oil, I would advise using similar materials; ie hydrocarbons like toluene, xylene VM&P naphtha or even paint thinner. The first two are much stronger solvents and they evaporate many times faster than paint thinner.
The important thing is first to dissolve the wax with toluene, xylene or thinner and then soak up the wax/solvent solution somehow. Sawdust will soak up the xylene/wax solution very well (also good for removing oil stains from concrete, by the way) as will kitty litter or other dry absorbant materials.
First mechanically remove as much wax as you can. Then wet the remaining wax with solvent, scrub with a brush to dissolve wax, brush absorbent material back and forth over the wet area to absorb wax/solvent solution, sweep up the absorbent material that now contains your wax.
Place the saqwdust into a container and set it outdoors away from sparks or flames until the solvent odor is gone, then discard in the trash.