How do I clean grease from wood

[Odizzle]

My CNC dripped grease onto some ash and the brushes sealed my fate by rubbing it into the wood. I was wondering if anyone knows of a good way to clean it prior to getting stained? I don't want to accidentally use something that just makes it worse.

[Geof]

You don't clean grease from wood, not completely anyway; it soaks into the fibres just like a stain does and some of it is there to stay. You can try washing with naphtha; sponge it on liberally on the stain, wipe off with a paper towel and repeat. This will remove some but you will always have some stain remaining.

Perhaps rub grease all over the piece so it is stained evenly, wipe off with naphtha and then do the final staining and finishing?

[Odizzle]

OK, Thanks Geof, I guess I was hoping there would be some magical technique I'd never heard of. If it becomes an issue more wood will have to be ordered. Not a bad idea in greasing the entire piece, but it's around 13+ feet long for a local bar. So it would be cheaper by far to just order more.

[ger21]

I'd try using a scraper to get it off. If you wipe it with naptha first, it'll make it worse.

Depending on the type of stain, it may not be a problem.

[Dorsal]

Get some K2R Spot remover and spray the affected area after wiping off what you can. Let it dry completely and brush it off, then spray it again. It may take a few applications, but in the model airplane world, we have used K2R to remove Castor Oil from Balsa. It will get the wood clean enough that cyanoacrylate glues will adhere perfectly, but I've never tried to stain a piece of wood after using it.