A ? for those who have surfboards.

How do you take the wax off an old surfboard? I just purchased an old board for $10 and would like to paint it and make a cool sign for my patio. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

There are a couple of ways to go:

1. Leave the board in the bright sun, check the texture of the wax after about 10 minutes, then you can take a wax comb (sold at surf shops) or simply take an old/unusable credit card and slowly scrape off the wax.

2. If it's not hot enough outside, then you can use a hairdryer on the hot setting and work one end of the board to the other and, again, use either a wax comb or credit card to scrape all the excess wax.

3. You can buy some of the wax removal systems available at different surf shops, which usually consists of their "own brand" of wax neutralizer and a wax comb, but this sometimes gets too messy and/or too expensive.

Whichever way you go, be sure to put disposable drop cloths down under your board since the wax, when softened or liquified, can really leave a stain on your concrete floors if doing it in your garage or driveway. It's also a much less of a cleanup if you get the wax to a soft-state rather than a liquified state (believe me!). Also, you can go over it with orange cleaner available at any grocery or hardware store to get the very last bit of wax, since you said you were going to paint it. This is normally not needed when you are going to re-wax the board. And most of all...take your time.

Bong, Lucky, any other ideas to add?

Hope this helps.

Surfin'CaddyDaddy

Everything SCD said is perfect.
I used to pour boiling water over the surface to take off all the little tid bits.
Take a turkey roasting pan and set the board upright inside the pan facing the sun, in these hot days the wax should run into the pan all by itself then just throw it away, no muss no fuss
I don't even like to surf what am I thinking.
))good luck((____

I left the board out in the sun today and the wax melted off like butter!!!!! I scraped it off and then used 409 degreaser to get the spots off. Now I gotsta go find some paint.

Pee works.

Paint thinner will take it right off. SCD has some great ideas too.

Thanks Spike, what am I invisible?
Come back hear so I can slap you.

....he just won't leave me alone.

Spike,

Personally, I glad Baxdog is beating off, er... up on someone else besides me now!

Spike, its that cute little goatee of yours...

or maybe the pointy sideburns...

Sounds like Polly wants more than a cracker.