Question on a 1940's GE fridge build

[woodmann]

Yesterday I dismantled an early 1940's (so I am told) GE fridge.  Apparently cardboard was originally designed to be insulation, not for making boxes.  Who knew?  Anyway, I'm down to the bare metal, so to speak , and there is something that looks like beeswax that was used to seal the inside seams of the outer shell of the fridge.  There was also a 3 inch wide piece of cloth that is impregnated with this stuff that sealed between the inner box and outer shell of the fridge.  I tore off a strip and rolled it and lit it.  It burns like a candle, melts and runs like wax and rehardens when away from heat.  It is tacky to the touch.

Anyone know if it is beeswax?  If not, am I going to die heating and scraping it out?

 

[madman mike]

It's jot beeswax, but it much like candle wax if it isnt. Scrape off as much as you can when it's cold, it won't burn off when taking a torch to it on the metal, it just thins out and spreads, I tried. I scraped it, heated it and removed the reside while it was warm with a soapy scrub pad. Sounds like my GE fridge. Got your pm. I would do a few things different if I was building the same fridge again.