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PSA: I saw a guy at the Mid-Atlantic Woodworking Expo use a hair dryer to check for wax.

I was at the expo in Baltimore last month watching a demo on French polishing. The guy doing it kept having trouble with his pad sticking. He grabbed a cheap hair dryer, turned it on low, and gently warmed a small area of the piece. The pad stopped sticking immediately because the heat pulled the old wax to the surface. I always thought you needed mineral spirits and a ton of elbow grease to find wax. Now I keep a little dryer in my shop just for that quick check. Anyone else use a heat trick like that?
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3 Comments
nathankim
nathankim6d ago
Seriously? That sounds like a great way to accidentally melt the finish or warp the wood.
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mark_green
Wow, that's so clever... it's like how the best fixes are always the simplest ones people overlook.
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cole_murphy
Right? Classic overthinking.
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