I have a 2 year old "Skovby" dining table in light oak natural wood. No marks or blemishes until this weekend when we inadvertantly put a container containing hot water (baby's bottle) on it and it has left a whitish ring on the polished surface (surprisingly, as we had an old blanket plus a table cloth on the table at the time). The finish appears to be some kind of semi-gloss laquer. Any ideas how I can get rid of the mark?
TIA petek
Gentle application of T-Cut is the usual cure for heat rings. Sometimes a high ammonia content window leaner may work on some finishes. Test somewhere inconspicuous first!
Wouldn't cloudy ammonia work, in that case?
It sounds to me like there is a wax within the finish. Sometimes a rub over with vaseline can sort this problem.
Calum Sabey NewArk Traditional Kitchens 01556 690544
Any idea of a brand name for the high ammonia window cleaner? I had a look at one or two in the supermarket today but they did not have a chemical content list on them (or it was so small my eyesight wasn't good enough!). I suppose I could have takem the tops off and had a quick sniff but this didn't occur to me at the time. I have some T-Cut but I thought I would try both on an inconspicuous bit first, as you rightly suggest. Cheers Pete
Ironmongers still sell "household ammonia" (9%), which you could dilute. Taking a gamble when you don't know what the lacquer's made from though. Have you tried a hot iron over a folded tea towel. Said to work well on traditional finishes
Someone else on a different User Group has also suggested a warm iron but over brown paper. I can't get my head round using more heat to cure the problem which was caused by heat in the first place! Has anybody any first hand experience of this method?
Cheers Pete
Heat plus water in the first place, and the varnish dries before the moisture can fully evaporate.
Has
I don't think anyone ever tries any of these things. They learn to live with the mark but dish out advice to others on the internet.
Well I have tried my two suggestions... ammonia seems to work ok on softer finishes - oils etc. The T-Cut works better on shellac finishes like French polish.
Like all alkalis, ammonia darkens hardwood. It has the advantage over other alkalis in that it doesn't leave a deposit of salts behind but it wouldn't be my first choice. Just remembered the reason I haven't tried the hot iron. I don't know where she keeps it.
That, and you would not want to demonstrate that you know how it works ;-)
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