Tom King Posted February 7, 2018 Report Share Posted February 7, 2018 I've been asked to fix the finish on a dining table with a finish like this on it: https://woodandshop.com/make-a-historic-beeswax-oil-turpentine-furniture-polish-finish/ It's not terribly sticky, but enough to be bothersome. Anyone done a similar fix? Enough of it has dissipated away, that it's covered with tiny, oblong spots that look like they have no finish on them any more. I know that Linseed OIl starts evaporating from when it's first put on, and never stops, but haven't run into this exact issue before. I don't have time to strip, and redo the whole thing, but was hoping for some applied fix. It's a big table-probably 42" x ten feet long. It still looks pretty good, and if it wasn't for the sticky issue, it would be fine. I will be going by there tomorrow, and can take some pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 I would try cleaning with steel wool or an fine abrasive pad with a solvent ( Naptha ? )that might slightly dissolve the surface and redistribute the existing finish. With luck that might take care of the stickiness too. Then it should be ready for that wax/oil/solvent coating. If it isn't a historical job Howard's Restor a Finish comes in clear & colors. It's designed to partially redisolve & redistribute the old finish. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 Not historical, unless 1981 is long enough ago to be considered so. No one will be in the house it's in for a couple of weeks. How long do you think the Naptha smell would linger? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 A few days at the least. Maybe fans in the windows may help. 1981, I would try the Howard's Restor a finish natural in a small area. A hardware store or paint store near you might carry it. Or search online to see who carries it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 I think I already have some. I use it a lot. The other option is to take off a thin layer with a smoothing plane, and put a more modern finish on it. I think I could do that where it is, and not make such a mess to have to clean up in the house. The owner was a purist in her younger days, but not so much any more. I hope I get to take some pictures tomorrow. Being an old, standard finish, I thought maybe there was an old standard fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 I'm old but not that old ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilgaron Posted February 8, 2018 Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 How would the owner feel about it being a shellac finish? That's my save for smaller items when I'm experimenting with oil finish and end up with a sticky mess. It might not hold up as long as a modern finish on a table but if the owner is a former purist they may not mind an occasional touchup with some alcohol, and a dining room table is usually covered when you're using it so it may do pretty well versus a kitchen table. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 8, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2018 I stopped by there today. I hadn't seen it since she asked me about it. It's not That bad. I'm wondering if maybe more wax would take care of it. I took some pictures, but have to find the charger for that camera battery before I can download them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Basher Posted February 9, 2018 Report Share Posted February 9, 2018 I am facing a similar issue re-using the wood from a reclaimed oak kitchen counter top. This has been over-oiled and is annoyingly sticky. I used some of the wood already and for that project I decided the easiest way was just to scrape the surface back to dry wood and re-finish. I will shortly be using some more of the wood in a new project, so if you find a better solution please post it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 I found the battery charger. A lot of stuff is buried in the back seat of my truck. The dull spots, that you might be able to see in the picture, are not sticky. The rest of it is a tiny bit sticky. I doubt you can tell much by the pictures. These are antiques because I built them long enough ago to be considered so. It, and the hutch, were part of a kitchen remodel I did for this family during the Summer of 1981 while I was in between spec houses. I'd start a house in the Fall, sell it in the Spring, and usually take the Summer off, but sometimes I would take on another small job during the Summer. The kitchen cabinets matched the style of the hutch, but were done with much better grain matching. I had some lumber left over, and they wanted me to build the hutch out of what I had left-not too proud of the grain matching. They also were responsible for the choice of hardware. The house that the kitchen is in changed hands in an estate, and this couple ended up with the table, and hutch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 Here is another job they want me to do. Fix this antique sideboard. I've finally found some veneer that's a good match. The cupped top is another story. It has a veneered top, and edges. I might just make a whole new top for it, but save the edging veneer, if I can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wood Basher Posted February 14, 2018 Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 That cup is quite something. What would have caused that? If you make a replacement, how will you prevent the same thing happening to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2018 That's an early 19th Century piece. The top is one board that has veneer on one side. I can't tell what the grain pattern is, since it has veneered edges across the ends, but I have a pretty good guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted February 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 20, 2018 The owners came this weekend, and tried some Restor-A-Finish on a spot underneath. It worked so easily, and well, that they decided to redo the top of the table with it themselves just before they left. I'm glad I don't have to bother with it. That was my first job using Heart Pine to make anything out of-37 years ago. Back then there weren't many suppliers, and from the place this came from, at that time, it wasn't divided into grades. You just bought it by the board foot, and took your chances. We got lucky, and there was enough good stuff to do the main parts of that job with. The cabinets looked a lot better than that hutch does, but it wouldn't surprise me a bit if the people that ended up with the house that the cabinets are in painted them white. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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