Removing grease from a carving?

[myxpykalix]

Here's a tip....don't go crazy with the grease when you are lubricating your machine. I put too much on and while it was carving a boxlid a glob of grease fell on it so i have a grease stain after rubbing it with a rag to get as much up as i can.
Any tips on how to get rid of a grease stain on walnut?

[rb99]

I would try 99% Isopropyl Alcohol first...
This is rubbing alcohol but 99% instead of the 70% of regular rubbing alcohol. You can get it in small bottles at Walmart.

RIB

[butch]

Jack
99% Isopropyl Alcohol is Gasline Antifreeze. Go to your closest C-Store or auto parts and pick up your favorite brand of Gasline Antifreeze. It is pure Isopropyl. If you go to a drug store you can buy it, but it costs lots more and is the same thing.
One bottle lasts me about a year. By the way, as soon as you open the bottle it is no longer 99%, as it starts to absorb water as soon as it is exposed. But still works.
Butch

[rb99]

Gasline Antifreeze can be different chemicals, where the isopropyl is 99% isopropyl...

The bottles I am talking about are 450ml and are about $2 per bottle.

It is good to know of another source. Thanks.

RIB

[navigator7]

I know brake cleaner removes grease really good.
I don't think it hurts un-carved wood but what it does to a freshly finished work of art is anybody's guess.

[khaos]

A good can of brake cleaner. It should be denatured alcohol. Or Starting fluid. WEAR GOGGLES WEAR GOGGLES that should do it for you. The evap rate will not cause an issue for you. If in doubt spray the entire carving post cut to insure an even stain paint. Did I mention WEAR GOGGLES!

[butch]

Nope
Gasline antifreeze is either methynol or Iso. No fancy chemicals. Iso is for injectors and methynol for carb...meth deteriates rubber. I use to buy gallons of 99% for cleaning contacts and such while under power, as too much water shorts. We paid $15 to $22 per gallon. After blowing up a couple of calculators (when they were $200 each) we found that after opening the jug it would start to accumulate water (thus the gasline antifreeze works) Started buying 'heat' and we would use up the small bottles before they absorbed too much water. Plus a lot easier to carry around.
But anyway, got into the gas business and learned what that fancy bottle of gasline antifreeze really was, and why it worked for cleaning mech/elect equipment for so many years. Pure ISO or Methynol.(99%) Nothing else. If in doubt look at the ingrediants and if they have some 'super product' in the bottle it will be listed - else it is nothing but alcohol.
Anyway...now I use it for removing finger prints, and oil spots (and once in awhile I put it in my gas tank) when denatured seem to smear it. ISO does seem to remove it.
Thought it would help.

[coach]

how about denatured alcohol? (walmart or the big box stores.)
Contact cleaner and laquer thinner remove lots of stuff. I clean globs of grease off my bot with contact cleaner. laquer thinner may attack the paint.

[Mayo]

Hey Jack here's a few ideas.
If you will be staining the walnut, the grease stain may or may not be visible after staining with stain.

You could try sanding it out if you won't loose detail from sanding.

You could try Acetone with Q-tips.

You could just spread the same grease over the entire box lid to make it all stained the same, then wipe off excess grease and then use your solvent of choice to clean it up before final stain or clearcoat.

[myxpykalix]

When i read Richard B's response above i guess i skipped over the part that said not to use regular rubbing alcohol and used that. It took the grease off but left a white discoloration on the walnut where it was rubbed. It is very slight but still there. I haven't done anything with it as it was the subject of another thread where the carving was bowed and i was trying to figure out how to fix that. On top of all that we got 31+ inches of snow and I haven't even been able to get the shop door open for about a week so here I sit (maybe till sping!!)