I recently discovered that a bottle of Windex (ammonia) cleaner had been left on a cherry ledge (just an oil finish on it). We now have a dark ring. How can I remove the ring without having to sand and refinish the entire piece.
Thanks
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Replies
Use the original oil you used to finish the piece with 0000# steel wool. Rub gently with the grain and this should remedy the problem. After you get the ring out, give the new finish time to dry, about 2 to 7 days depending on the oil. Now give the finish a good coat of wax and buff the wax with a sheepskin pad on a hand drill. Keep Windex off the furniture.
I have a nice cherry kitchen countertop that gets black rings whenever, e.g., someone leaves a metal can on it sitting in moisture. The countertop, like your ledge, is simply finished with an oil. Whenever we get rings, we get out the card scraper, touch up the spot with the ring, and re-oil. Within a week or so, the cherry darkens naturally and you can't tell the ring/repair ever happened.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
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