Cloudy white finish on Lacquered box, how to remove please?

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stvn66

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Hi,
My name is Steve and this is my first post.
I have purchased a lacquered box that has a white, cloudy finish on the top.
I do not know if it is heat, sunlight or moisture damage.
Is there any way to remove this 'film' back to the beautiful original finish?
As a new member I am not allowed to link to a website where I have posted the image !

Thank you
 
Welcome Steve.

If you post the address, typed out with the "@" symbol replaced with "at", I'll create a link. This is obviously a genuine question, and one which could be discussed authoritatively after seeing a photo. I presume you are talking about a second hand item, or even an antique perhaps?
 
Thank you.
www britishmilitarywatches co uk/images/box310119 jpg
Missing 4 spaces need a dot :)
 
Sorry 3 x dots.
www dot britishmilitarywatches dot co dot uk forward slash images forward slash box310119 dot jpg
phew !!
 
The problem is probably moisture trapped below the top surface of the finish (with a dining or side table you also get the problem of a hot cup or plate melting surface wax as well as causing condensation within or under the finish and giving a similar problem, but that's not likely with a box) Fixing it essentially means softening the finish sufficiently, while being in a warm/dry environment, to get the moisture out.

There are plenty of supposedly easy fixes, and sure enough many will indeed work especially on smaller scale problems and if you can correctly identify the finish. You can run a warm iron over the surface protected with a tea towel, you can dab with olive oil, you can invert a bucket with a rag tied inside that's been dampened with meths, you can buy proprietary bloom removers, etc.

But before jumping in consider this. These amateur fixes aren't guaranteed to work and can even make a bad situation worse. As you've just bought the box I'd seriously think about returning it or getting the vendor to contribute towards a professional repair by a local antique restorer.
 
I suspect custard is right that moisture has got trapped in the finish. He's also right to urge caution. But you might just try one technique on a small less conspicuous area, if there is one, and if it works then perhaps expand the on the surface you work on.

Get a good sized handful of cotton wool, and gently wrap a clean white cotton cloth (e.g., handkerchief) around it. Make it into roughly a sausage shape with no creases in the surrounding cloth. Add some alcohol (meths) to the cotton wool, just enough that when you squeeze the sausage the handkerchief becomes moist, not dripping.

Then, with a gently swinging motion ranging through about 2 - 3" in the same direction as the box's length, lightly let the cloth just barely brush the surface of the polish, i.e., swing down, touch, swing off, then the same in the other direction. Swing backwards and forwards like this maybe half a dozen times and examine the result. If the cloudiness has diminished, do a bit more, and if the cloudiness disappears leaving a clear polish, you may have found the cure - if you're feeling confident you might tackle the whole box. If this initial test makes no difference, then the existing polish is unlikely to be either shellac, or possible one of the other finishes that alcohol can quite often soften enough to release trapped moisture, e.g., pre-cat lacquer, and fixing the problem becomes more challenging, probably out of the reach of a simple home cure, thus falling into the realm of a skilled restorer or polisher. Slainte.
 
There's a slightly lower risk version of Richard's approach which is sometimes used for smaller or for very valuable pieces. You make a simple tent from poly sheets and inside have some scrunched up cotton wool that's been dipped in meths. Take care that the meths can not, under any circumstances, drip on the piece of furniture. After an hour or two take a look, try gently rubbing the piece with a dry cloth, if the cloudiness clears then it was french polished, a common finish for boxes.

But the problem with even this approach is that there's a small risk of a mishap, and if that happens then the option of a return has gone. That's why I'd always say, if you can return the item then do so, after all there are many more fish in the sea!
 

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