Refinishing mahogany table top

[HappyPixie]

My wife bought a gate leg mahogany table at auction with wood hinges for the folding out rear legs. The 'outside' top and the surfaces of the opened out table had a high polish but there was a lot of water damage around the edges and a couple of big blooms into the surface finish. I decided these surfaces were beyond renovation so I got out the steelwool and the meths. A week later and the resulting brown sludge has been removed to reveal bare wood (I've left the frame and legs in their original state). There are several areas of bleaching, staining and old damage on the surfaces which I'm happy enough to leave under the new finish. I don't want to pretend it's new furniture so I want to give it a finish which will have a good lustre but not a shine. Hardness and resistance to coffee cups and dinner plates is preferable to high-gloss.

I have plenty of Danish oil and had planned to apply a few coats of that and then a microcrystalline wax (I occasionally turn bowls using this method), but I thought I'd gather your advice first.

Many thanks

Steve

 

[MusicMan]

Fiddes Hardwax Oil or the Osmo equivalent have good appearance and excellent resistance to chipping, alcohol and coffee.

 

[custard]

That gate leg table is a cut above the average The majority have ugly "Jacobethan" bobbin turnings on the legs, or nasty veneers to the tops, or the mouldings are broken and the hinges are shot. Yours appears to be made from decent quality Mahogany, is fully serviceable, has the square tapered legs that will better fit in a modern home, has a passable imitation of blind fret work, etc, etc.

Given its quality french polish with garnet shellac, and then the appropriate care in use, would be my suggestion.

But if you want something utilitarian and simple go with your existing Danish Oil; you've already got it, you've used it so you're familiar with the results, and it's no better and no worse than any of the simple to apply alternatives.

 

[AndyT]

While not disagreeing at all with the last two posters, you might like to glance at this thread, where I refinished some old mahogany which is now a useful hall shelf. It's effectively what you'd get with just a boiled linseed oil finish. Not quite as durable as the other options but a gentle sheen which is easily topped up whenever you feel like it.

revival-success-t101538.html

 

[HappyPixie]

Many thanks, all.
I agree that the shellac is likely to be the most true to the original but I'm unused to it. I have some shellac flakes in a plastic bag that I've never opened. I may well try it out on the inside of the drawer front to see how easy it is and what sort of appearance it gives. I can always remove it!
Otherwise I'll go with the Danish oil. I have some Osmo hard oil which I used on my workbench top. Oddly, it seemed to be quite delicate for a few weeks even though thoroughly dry. I shall have to try it again, but on another project methinks.
Thanks for all the advice.
Steve