Wax removal, epoxy board

salt's picture
salt started the topic in Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 9:50am

Anyone got any idea on the best solvent or similar to use to remove wax residue from an epoxy board in prep for repairing a gin gash on the deck?

salt's picture
salt's picture
salt Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 10:07am

Have heard of lighter fluid, but on epoxy?

indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming's picture
indo-dreaming Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 10:21am

Handful of foam dust or flour if you don't have access to foam dust just chuck it on and rub it round will show up and take off every tiny bit of wax, follow up with a light sand.

Better than any liquid/chemical and safer especially if you have exposed EPS blank as lots of chemicals will dissolve/eat into it.

salt's picture
salt's picture
salt Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 10:49am

Cheers indo, it is polystyrene.

zenagain's picture
zenagain's picture
zenagain Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 10:55am

Leave it in the sun and scrape old wax off with a wax comb then fininsh with paper towel. Leaves a thin residue that helps new wax adhere when you want to re-wax it.

Or, same technique and to remove the thin film of wax that's left completely, use that orange oil spray you get in the supermarket- I think it uses a thin mixture of citric acid or something like that. Then fisnish again with a paper towel.

(also, good for removing the old wax residue from a snowboard).

udo's picture
udo's picture
udo Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 10:58am

A final dewax wipe down with metho or vinegar [acetic acid] which shouldn't hurt the polystyrene.

salt's picture
salt's picture
salt Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 7:30pm

Cheers guys, used Indos flour trick and it work a treat. It was pretty depressing to find what was under the wax. Cracks, shatters in a number of places as well as the fin gash and compression dents as well. Considering the board is a week old, four surfs old in fact, and mellow surfs at that, I'm really dissapointed in the large amount of coin I just dished out.

groundswell's picture
groundswell's picture
groundswell Sunday, 19 Oct 2014 at 11:42pm

After a rally bash i had yesterday with a two week old firewire and a decent banksy in the back flying around im surprised they survived with no dings :) Also in the back was one of those mini gas stoves and gas bottles making a bit of noise hehe. Stupidity but no damage :)

ACB__'s picture
ACB__'s picture
ACB__ Monday, 20 Oct 2014 at 9:49am

@Salt what sorta stick is it?

@GS I have a firewire (insert support your local shaper rant) and its durable as! I've givin it a hell of a flogging, kooking my rock entries and surfing stupid ledges, not even the slightest ding! they truly are made to last.

salt's picture
salt's picture
salt Monday, 20 Oct 2014 at 10:37am

ACB its a Hayden Shapes, Hypto. Yes i fell for the hype, the marketing the whole lot. Haven't worked out if I truly dig it yet. The first few surfs have been promising. Paddles like a dream, Catches waves real easy. need to get it out in a bit more sucky stuff. I seem to be screwing my bottom turn on slow waves also bogging the rail heaps, might just me being a kook but in a stiff offshore like we have had down here lately, I felt like I was getting blown off the back of the wave. I reckon I'll get used to it, once its back in the water.

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Monday, 20 Oct 2014 at 12:06pm

Not alone there Salt, I trialled the Shred Sled and found it went well in punchy, suck, powerful waves, but when you had to generate your own speed and on fuller fatter waves, it was no good. Might of need a size up though and a touch more volume.

Had a lot better boards than the Shred Sled etc. New Love Buzz looks nice, trialled a 5'10'' the other week, but had too much rail and volume. Gonna try a more refined version when it's available.

mundies's picture
mundies's picture
mundies Monday, 20 Oct 2014 at 12:28pm

Shred sled I've had for a handful of years has been one of the better boards I've had. Not sold on the hyptos though. Just spent two months surfing through south america on a shred sled king, great one board travel quiver...
Handy wax remover plus is a good bday pressie idea for friends:
http://www.surfstitch.com/product/far-king-bs-pickle-wax-remover-green

The Shaper's picture
The Shaper's picture
The Shaper Wednesday, 29 Oct 2014 at 2:14pm

Salt - if you are trying to de-wax the whole board just clean the wax off with a scraper after 5 minutes in the sun, then damp a rag with mineral turps. Works a treat & gives a nice little sheen. Use it all the time. DON'T GET ANY TURPS IN CONTACT WITH FOAM AT ALL
The epoxy is quite inert but the foam is not. If its just removing the wax around the hole then again 5 minutes in the sun wipe it off with a dry rag then sand the residue off where you need to repair. You can also very carefully use a rag very lightly damped with turps with extreme care not to let any dribble into the foam, just to remove the wax residue as alternative to sanding. You wiil need an epoxy repair kit though not polyester resin.

happy hunting.

Joel Eugene Slater-Burrows's picture
Joel Eugene Slater-Burrows's picture
Joel Eugene Sla... Wednesday, 29 Oct 2014 at 5:58pm
mundies wrote:

Shred sled I've had for a handful of years has been one of the better boards I've had. Not sold on the hyptos though. Just spent two months surfing through south america on a shred sled king, great one board travel quiver...
Handy wax remover plus is a good bday pressie idea for friends:
http://www.surfstitch.com/product/far-king-bs-pickle-wax-remover-green

+1 for the pickle (you have to scrape the majority of the wax off with a wax comb first and then with a little bit of elbow grease the pickle leaves your board spotless), or you can fill a stocking with flour and tie off the end so its about the size of off a potato, does a similar job but doesn't work nearly as effectively, or if you don't mind a mess after removing excess wax with a comb/spatula etc just sprinkle flour on your board and rub off with a towel, repeat until all wax removed (slightly messier and more time consuming method than the previous 2)

simba's picture
simba's picture
simba Thursday, 30 Oct 2014 at 6:40am

WD 40 spray on and leave for a few minutes and wipe off but avoid and dings open to the foam obviously.

salt's picture
salt's picture
salt Thursday, 30 Oct 2014 at 9:56am

Thanks for the info fellas. I got excited and removed the wax off a few other boards that have not been ridden for ages (years in fact), they have a few dings and I thought I might as well touch them all up while I'm at it. It is amazing what you find under a good thick coating of wax!

ACB__'s picture
ACB__'s picture
ACB__ Thursday, 30 Oct 2014 at 12:40pm
salt wrote:

It is amazing what you find under a good thick coating of wax!

I think most are best kept hidden!

Pressure dings shit me :(

zak_weidinger's picture
zak_weidinger's picture
zak_weidinger Tuesday, 4 Sep 2018 at 10:22am

wow! indo_dreaming, this is the best/simplest advice I have ever heard.

Tony Jack Clancy's picture
Tony Jack Clancy's picture
Tony Jack Clancy Tuesday, 23 Jul 2019 at 1:18pm

I guess it's all been solved so just an addition 'just a thought' ...One glass-layer boards could delaminate more readily than older 2-3 layer boards if using the old boiled water and instant scraper method. I still scrape it off carefully with the side of a large brickies trowel (large to make management of it easier and safer for the board) then, carefully finish it off with a small hand-plane blade (say 2" wide and 3-4" long) which fits neatly into one's hand.

Once down to almost nothing I use 'De-solve' it' a citric-cleaner available from Bunnings applied with appropriate rags.