Thanks to everyone for their input. I feel more like a pro. I rescued a small old oak bookcase. I stripped off the paint & the oak appears to have been amonia fumed. On a lower shelf there are spots of what seem to be tar. I was able to scrape most of it off but taking the final layer takes out some of the wood color. I sanded a bit of the back & don’t want to do too much of that either. Acetone & steel wool? MEK? Goof off? I would also like to know about the shelf style. Any problems with posting a pic here?
Jerry
Replies
Jerry,
When faced with debris of unknown chemistry I try the following solvents: soap and water, or a water based spray cleaner, alcohol, naphtha, and lacquer thinner. If it doesn't dissolve in one of those, it probably isn't going to be dissolved in anything. If the material is tar, the naphtha will work on it. It is surprising how often a mark will be removed by soap and water, so I always try that first.
The problem with any solvent is that, if it works, some of the substance may be carried deeper into the wood so I try to remove as much as possible by scraping before I try a solvent.
John White, Shop Manager, Fine Woodworking Magazine
John, thanks. I'll try the naptha. Something I don't have on hand though. Home Depot??Jerry
Commonly available at hardware stores, probably at Home Depot. It is in the same class of solvents as ordinary paint thinner. I like it because naphtha evaporates quickly compared to paint thinner. So if you don't have naphtha, you can try paint thinner, at least as an experiment.
John W.
"Any problems with posting a pic here?" Nope. You can attach your picture when you type a response. Look at the bottom of the composition area where you see the row of orange buttons:
If you don't see the Attach Files button, you need to go back to the forum and change to "Advanced View."
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
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