In article , Walter R.
wrote:

I have a beautiful inlaid burl dining room table. It has a very high gloss
finish. Some miscreant put a small nick (1 mm deep) in the surface, barely
noticeable but, it's there.

I understand there are two types of finish for high-end tabletops, they are
called piano finishes. They can be either lacquer or polyester.

How can I determine if the finish is polyester or lacquer? If it is
polyester, can it be repaired by a DIYer?

I've seen piano refinishers repair dings in lacquer finishes, never
polyester (not that it isn't done, I've just never seen it). It takes a
knack with a lacquer stick, a pallet knife and an alcohol flame, then
wet-sanding down to rouge. Not easy, especially if you're trying to
match anything but black.

-Frank


Thanks

--
Here's some of my work:
http://www.franksknives.com/