Grey Stains in Grain

Erik1 | Posted in Finishing on March 7, 2004 10:39am

I am refinishing a Danish rocker….I think it is made of ash?? I had the rocker dipped at commercial stripper. Now there is a greyish black coloring in the deeper grain (pores) of the wood. I want to remove this coloring. It takes tremendous amount of sanding to get the staining out. Is there a chemical solution…additional stripping agent or possibly bleaching? What is this coloring in the grain from? It almost seems like residue left over from the dipping process.

Replies

Paul_Snyder | Mar 08, 2004 02:57am | #1
It's either stripping residue or a chemical reaction with the stripping chemicals (or both). Wet an area of the wood with mineral spirits, naphtha, lacquer thinner, toluene, or zylene to see how it will look when a clear finish is applied. It may be just fine or you may need to do a little more work.

If it's residue, a good wash with lacquer thinner and a stiff plastic or brass bristle brush will clean the pores. If it's a chemical reaction, a saturated solution of oxalic acid wood bleach will remove the discoloration. Try the cleaning routine on an area and switch to the bleach if it's ineffective.

Paul