Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - finishing Oak Dressor

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04-28-01, 04:48 PM
I had to sand the top of a dresser in an attempt to remover a burn (looks like someone put a hot pan or something on it). In sanding the wood all of the black grain was removed and that area does not match the other parts of the dresser. I can see where someone apparently wiped some very dark stain or something similar on to the wood then wiped it all off except what was left in the lower grain area. My questions is: Is there anything I can do to bring back the dark grain? I hope I have not ruined this wood as it is a very nice dresser. Also, any suggestions as to taking the dark stain from the burn out?
Any help is appreciated.
Jerry Hutchinson


George
04-30-01, 05:45 PM
Jerry:

Sounds like you may have sanded a veneer a little too much. Wipe the top down with a rag wet with paint thinner. Disregard the part you didn't sand. If you like the appearance (grain wise) of the sanded area, you can sand the rest to match.

If the grain still doesn't show up at all, you probably need to re-veneer the top.

As far as removing the scorch mark, if you had to sand it as far as you did to get part of it out, the veneered top needs to be redone.

05-01-01, 01:18 PM
Gerorge:
Thanks for the reply. I apparently did not make my self clear. The oak is solid (no veneer). Before sanding the area the dark grain was very prominent. When sanding the area I pulled out the dark pigment (not sure what it’s called) so although there is grain, the darker part was removed such that you can no longer see the grain. I had this happen on another table that I was working on. I am wondering if there is something dark (same color as the grain) that I can wipe on to fill the lower grained area, then wipe the excess off leaving a darker grain.
Regarding the burn, I’ve sanded down to a point were the wood is a darker brown (not back as it was). I believe that I can stain it a bit darker than it was and hide most of it. Might try bleaching it. Any thoughts their?
Jerry


George
05-01-01, 05:46 PM
Jerry:

Sorry about the misunderstanding - must be getting old...

There are several options to re-establish the dominant darker grain. The simplest would be to buy a 2 ounce tuibe of artists oil color (Van Dyke Brown), squeeze about 1/2 of it into an old pie pan, thin slightly with paint thinner, and wipe the entire top down with this mixture.

Let this stand about 15 minutes, the wipe the top as clean as you can with a rag DAMPENED (Not wet) with paint thinner. This technique will leave the brown in the grain, but remove most of it from the surface.

You can let this dry overnight, then stain with regular materials to suit your taste.

PS - Don't use black - it's not a color found in nature - Very dark brown looksmore real.

As far as the burn, bleach can't hurt, and it's relatively inexpensive. Try regular wood bleach (oxalic acid) - not the two part bleaches. Oxalic acid works on the stain - but doesn't appreciably lighten the wood itself.

05-01-01, 06:31 PM
Thanks George, I'll give that a try.
Jerry