I’m in over my head

[womanontheedge]

Hello

I’m posting for some help with an old Ercol table that has seen better days.

The legs and underside are fine, but its surface had been horribly abused. (Graffiti all over it)

So, I’ve sanded it all back and there’s a lovely smooth table with nice grain, BUT there are ring stains soaked deep into the wood that won’t sand out. I’m told they are olive oil stains, and have been soaking in for months. I’ve tried mineral /white spirit (about 10 times) I’ve tried heat and brown paper, and bicarbonate of soda and vinegar... and so far nothing seems to be reducing it. Any clever people out there with any other ideas?

Also, I have no idea what to finish it with. I bought some Danish oil because it looked easy but am reluctant to use it in case it stays tacky as I’ve heard it can do. I will want to use the table as a family table so I need something relatively hard wearing but I also really like to see the grain (providing I can get the olive oil out!)

Can anyone help?

 

[Bodgers]

Hello

I’m posting for some help with an old Ercol table that has seen better days.

The legs and underside are fine, but its surface had been horribly abused. (Graffiti all over it)

So, I’ve sanded it all back and there’s a lovely smooth table with nice grain, BUT there are ring stains soaked deep into the wood that won’t sand out. I’m told they are olive oil stains, and have been soaking in for months. I’ve tried mineral /white spirit (about 10 times) I’ve tried heat and brown paper, and bicarbonate of soda and vinegar... and so far nothing seems to be reducing it. Any clever people out there with any other ideas?

Also, I have no idea what to finish it with. I bought some Danish oil because it looked easy but am reluctant to use it in case it stays tacky as I’ve heard it can do. I will want to use the table as a family table so I need something relatively hard wearing but I also really like to see the grain (providing I can get the olive oil out!)

Can anyone help?

You could try something like a card scraper. Correctly sharpened that will take you through the top surface fairly quickly.



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[custard]

Provided the top is solid wood and not veneered then more sanding with 80 grit paper will eventually solve your problem. It's hard tedious work by hand but it is do-able. After that you need to work through the grits, 120, 150, 180, 220. If you skip even one step in that progression you'll see residual sanding scratches as soon as the finish hits the surface.

Osmo PolyX is a good choice if you want a simple to apply finish that still provides decent protection against spills.

You don't say where in Hampshire you are, but I'm a local professional furniture maker, at the southern edge of the New Forest right on the Solent. If you're passing you're welcome to drop by the workshop with your table, where a few minutes with a power sander will almost certainly sort it out.

 

[Trevanion]

Try some oxalic acid on the stains. Works well on black rings from people leaving glasses on table tops.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

If the table top has had olive oil sat on it for a long time it is likely it has soaked in fairly deep especially with Ercol as I'm assuming it is an Elm top. The best, cheapest and easiest way to remove the oil is to use Fullers earth. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fullers-Eart ... aEZlO8tHKQ . Simply pile the fullers earth onto the stain to a depth of about 20mm and leave it on for approximately three days, brush the powder off and inspect. If the stain is still there brush the powder back on and leave for another few days. Three days is usually enough but one Robert Thompson tray I restored was completely soaked in grease and took three weeks to get the stains out!
As for finishing, Danish oil is a good finish as is osmo oil. If your tin of oil is new and unopened you will have no problems with it not drying just make sure you give it a good shake before using and heed the warnings about oil soaked rags.

 

[Peter Sefton]

If the table top has had olive oil sat on it for a long time it is likely it has soaked in fairly deep especially with Ercol as I'm assuming it is an Elm top. The best, cheapest and easiest way to remove the oil is to use Fullers earth. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fullers-Eart ... aEZlO8tHKQ . Simply pile the fullers earth onto the stain to a depth of about 20mm and leave it on for approximately three days, brush the powder off and inspect. If the stain is still there brush the powder back on and leave for another few days. Three days is usually enough but one Robert Thompson tray I restored was completely soaked in grease and took three weeks to get the stains out!
As for finishing, Danish oil is a good finish as is osmo oil. If your tin of oil is new and unopened you will have no problems with it not drying just make sure you give it a good shake before using and heed the warnings about oil soaked rags.

Spoken like a true restorer, nothing like have the knowledge and experience to go with it.

Cheers Peter

 

[ED65]

Your oil stains sound particularly stubborn, as 10 treatments with mineral spirits alone should have reduced them significantly. I've gotten machine oil staining out of wood with far less.

So if by chance the fuller's earth alone doesn't cut it you can go one step further by combining the absorbency of the powder with the dissolving power of an organic solvent. Other things will work but it's typically done using acetone.
https://thefinishingstore.com/blogs/new ... ase-stains

You can get pure acetone cheaply in Poundland, sold to remove artificial nails and tips.

I bought some Danish oil because it looked easy but am reluctant to use it in case it stays tacky as I’ve heard it can do.

This will usually be down to user error, not a fault of the product. With any penetrating finish like this the excess must be wiped away for the surface not to end up sticky or gummy; sometimes the instructions don't emphasise this enough, the wood should feel quite dry when you're done wiping off the excess.

But given the use you want to put the table to I don't think you can rely on Danish oil to provide the level of protection you need. Even if you apply more than the typical 2-4 coats your average Danish oil doesn't produce a particularly water-resistant surface, even if the tin claims otherwise! So you'd need to continually take care of any liquid spills, particularly tomato sauces, coffee, tea and red wine but even tap water can stain if left on the surface for too long because of any iron dissolved in it. In short, you'll want to rely on coasters and will need to be careful about wiping up spills fairly pronto.

If you'd prefer a surface that's more user friendly (I know I would in a working kitchen!) use wiping varnish instead. You'll end up with much more waterproof finish, with sufficient coats. Wiping varnish is just normal varnish thinned with white spirit in a clean jar. 1:1 is a good starter mix although you can make it lighter or heavier if you prefer.

No need to be nervous about using varnish for the first time, converted to wiping varnish it can be applied in exactly the same way as Danish oil where you apply liberally and then wipe off all the excess. Depending on drying conditions the finishing process will take you at least a week, then it will require about a month to harden fully.

bicarbonate of soda and vinegar...

Wanted to add something about this since cleaning tips involving lemon juice and vinegar in combination with bicarbonate of soda are such an Internet favourite. Mostly it's a load of old cobblers.

The mix has no cleaning action to speak of. The two things are each useful cleaning agents by themselves but should almost never be used combined as vinegar is an acid and bicarb is a base (alkali) and they react to produce water and carbon dioxide. This is generally only useful if you actually want the bubbles, e.g. to try to free up a blocked sink trap.

 

[HowardM]

Meths and a match does oil well

 

[Woody2Shoes]

As an alternative to buying the powdered fullers earth, if you know a cat owner you could try mashing up cat litter instead (usually based on fullers earth - per label). Cheers, W2S