Just to get the ball rolling, give it a good washing with dishsoap and water and dry it. Lacquer thinner and acetone will both work but they are very strong solvents and will probably remove more than you want, also the are very strong smelling and hard on your brain. They, especially acetone, with evaporate very fast. Intead you can use xylene, or VM&P Naptha on a rag or 0000 steel wool will break down and remove the wax. It evaporates much faster than mineral spirits (paint thinner)which will also work. The Naptha (which is basically white gas, a.k.a., camp stove fuel, will leave a cloudy residue that wipes right off with a cotton rag (old t-shirt) That may actually be helpful in that you'll know what you've wiped down. I would guess that floor stripper designed for vinyl composite and acrylic floor finishes would also be fine, too.
I use these for dewaxing finished wood furnishings and cabinetry and they are all $8- 15/gal. Good luck.
I am not an expert and have not prepped for Awlgrip, so you might wait for similar or contradictory response. Good luck
