Anyone have any suggestions on the best way to clean my cherry Charles Shackleton bar stools. They were finished with linseed oil and wax originally. My wife purchased three from a friend for 100 bucks apiece. They are in very good condition except that they have alot of scruffy marks from shoes on the bottom of the legs and on the rungs. I tried rubbing out with 0000 steel wool and it didn’t do much except make the finish look dull. These stools retail for $1,100 each and my wife will hang me out to dry if I mess up. Is sanding and refinishing the whole piece the way to go?
Jim
Replies
Why not see what Shackelton has to say at
http://www.shackletonthomas.com/Specsfinishcare.html ? In addition to the on-line care instructions, the maker invites calls with specific questions. He basically says to use steel wool to remove old wax and then to rewax. He will sell you some expensive Black Bison clear wax and a buffing cloth, but says using Minwax Paste Finishing Wax works fine, too.
You don't want to get carried away with steel wool which could attack the patina of the cherry which is critical to the appearance and value.
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the tip. I was concerned about overdoing it with the steel wool so I backed off when I saw that the grime was working it's way into the wood and giving it a grey look. I will contact Charles at his shop which is is in the next town here in Vermont. He is great guy, but I didn't want to bother him with this problem. If I want to preserve the chairs I guess I would do well to contact the guy that builds this beautiful furniture. Thanks again.
Jim
Over the years I've grown to accept "dent/dings/scratches" on furniture. I've accepted that it adds "history" to the piece.
It's either that or drive myself crazy trying to fix them!
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