Removing tar from door catch of stove.

[adam2]

Not mine.
Neighbour has purchased a secondhand wood stove. In good general condition apart from a build up of some hard material, possibly tar, on the inside of the door catch. This prevents proper operation.

How best to remove this ? WD 40 ? or is some specialist material made for this purpose. A fleabay search only finds materials to clean the glass of a stove.

[PS_RalphW]

Vinegar or lemon juice would probably work better. It is tar that builds up on the glass too. If it has a lot of tar the burner is either a poor design or has been operated inefficiently.

[kenneal - lagger]

I've only just seen this.

Try using a wet cloth or wad of newspaper to pick up some wood ash and rub it over the catch. That method certainly works really well for getting tar off stove windows. If it is an awkward shape to rub you could try taking it off the stove and soaking it in a solution of wood ash for a while and then brushing with a stiff brush.