Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | May 30, 2004 05:16am | #1

   Soft,

   You didn't mention what the finish is, but you might try oxalic acid.  It will remove some stains, not others.  Neutralize with baking soda after using, then refinish/touch up old finish.

   Good luck,

   Ray

2. 
   UncleDunc | May 30, 2004 05:19am | #2

   Black paint.

3. 
   nikkiwood | May 30, 2004 07:53am | #3

   I refinished a dresser for a client, and it also had a black stain on the top.

   I tried everything I could think of -- oxalic acid, wood bleach, and various solvents. Somebody told me to try cigar ash; so I bought a cheap cigar, gagged my way through enough of it to get about an inch worth of ash, made a paste of it, and laboriously rubbed it into the mark.

   As you can guess, nothing worked. So I get on the phone, told the client I had stripped said dresser, and asked if she was sure she wanted me to remove the black mark. I suggested we might want to leave it, since everytime she looked at the top it would remind her of her grandfather -- who put the mark there in the first place.

   I was relieved when she told me she liked that idea.

1. 
   softfurn | May 30, 2004 02:11pm | #4

   I couldn't remember if the finish was just a rubbed butchers wax. It is not a stain. Paint really isn't an option. This is an art piece . The top and bottom were laminated 1 x's and then turned on a lathe. This piece was then cut in half with one half facing up for a seat , and the other faces down for a base. In between is a morticed shaft joining the two together. I can feel some of the grain coming up where some of the seams are. Would this acid do anything to the glue that was used for laminating? Now, don't ask me what that was, but I'm sure it was the proper stuff.... I made this in a wood class in art collage and my teacher was somewhat of a perfectionist.  Someone told me about using mayonaise on stains..... any thoughts on this??????(and don't tell me to hold the tomato!)

1. 
   nikkiwood | May 30, 2004 05:56pm | #5

   Yeah, I have heard that mayo works on some stains too, but I've never tried it.

   There are some real finishing experts wandering around this forum; let's hope they find this thread and weigh in.

4. 
   whoover | May 31, 2004 05:08am | #6

   try oxalic acid.  A dilute solution with water will remove many stains in wood.  Be sure to rinse well after you use it.

   Bill

5. 
   Gretchen | May 31, 2004 02:39pm | #7

   A black mark indicates that the damage is in the wood not the finish. It would be white if in the finish. Try bleaching the top of the stool. If there is a finish on it, you will need to remove it. Bleach with a fresh bottle of Clorox. Neutralize with vinegar.  If this doesn't remove the mark then try oxalic acid.

   For the mark that nothing removed, it might have been ink, not a water mark.

   Mayo may work on white water marks, not the black ones.

   Gretchen