Clean it up as best you can and put a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac on
then apply a finish.

--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Joe Stefanovich" wrote in message
...
I bought a table at an estate sale that was made by an
instructor at an Army woodworking hobby shop. It has a beautiful
solid 6/4 + mahogany top sitting on ash frame & legs. Size 2m x 1m.
The problem is that the fellow that made it passed away before he got
around to finishing it. His daughter had been using it as a breakfast
table for about 10 years and all she has ever done is polish the raw
wood with stuff like Pledge or occasionally a paste wax. Is there
anything I can do to get a good finish on the table top with the wood
already permeated with this stuff. There is a profile routed around
the edge of the table so sanding/planing the surface is not an option
I would prefer.

tia

Joe/Albuquerque

Depends on what use the table is going to be put to. Which is why I didn't
recommend any particular finish. Assuming shellac provides the necessary
protection required by projected use it would, of course, be a fine finish.

--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Dr. Rev. Chuck, M.D. P.A." wrote in message
...
Mike G wrote:

Clean it up as best you can and put a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac
on
then apply a finish.

Orange shellac to deepen the color, rubbed with 0000 steel wool. No
additional
finish needed.

--
Mike G.
Heirloom Woods
www.heirloom-woods.net
"Joe Stefanovich" wrote in message
..
I bought a table at an estate sale that was made by an
instructor at an Army woodworking hobby shop. It has a beautiful
solid 6/4 + mahogany top sitting on ash frame & legs. Size 2m x 1m.
The problem is that the fellow that made it passed away before he got
around to finishing it. His daughter had been using it as a breakfast
table for about 10 years and all she has ever done is polish the raw
wood with stuff like Pledge or occasionally a paste wax. Is there
anything I can do to get a good finish on the table top with the wood
already permeated with this stuff. There is a profile routed around
the edge of the table so sanding/planing the surface is not an option
I would prefer.

tia

Joe/Albuquerque

Joe,
I've read the other replies, so I have some idea of what is going on.

Since it seems like your 'non-mechanical' options are limited, and the one
'mechanical' suggestion sounds expen$ive, let me offer a suggestion. It's
like offering Chicken Soup to a corpse; may not work, but ". . . couldn't
hurt !".

Since wax, or wax/solvent/oil, was the supposed 'only' things used on the
surface why not try to 'flush' them out.

First - 'Flush' it with alcohol, and use a LOT of paper towels to soak up
the liquid . . . and hopefully any dissolved waxes, etc. De-Natured is
available by the gallon, and apply it with a plastic 'spritz'
bottle/sprayer. Really go at the edge detail. Use a LOT of 'Q-Tips', etc.

Next - for the top . . . get some cloth, a white cotton flannel {so you can
see your results}. Spread it over the flat surface . . . and IRON away with
a DRY iron. I'd start with medium heat. Theoretically, this should open the
pores in the wood, 'liquefy the waxes, and 'drive off' the volatiles. The
cloth should then 'wick-up' these materials. If you see results, keep
repeating the process until you DON'T see any more.

Hopefully, at this point, everything should be clean enough to not 'reject'
a finish.

Nobody seems to have asked WHAT are YOU going to use the table FOR?? To me
that is critical to the type of finish YOU choose. I'm a boatbuilder; I am
very partial to Mahogany with a deep finish of about 6+ coats of VARNISH
{'long oil, 'Spar' for vertical exterior trim, 'short oil', 'hard' for
anything that will be touched or sat on; except hand-holds that are OILED}.
HOWEVER, this would NOT be appropriate if you will be continuing to 'kitchen
table' usage.

Although this may sound like 'heresy' to many on this 'Forum', I recommend
water-based POLY for it's hardness and abrasion resistance. It is what I
used for the Maple top on a kitchen cabinet/lamp stand/side table/etc. that
I built for Joanne. I applied it with the SAME TECHNIQUES that I use in that
'deep varnish job'. I use Clear Gloss, and left it that way; I prefer the
control of doing a 'Satin' finish mechanically. It's been several years -
and it STILL looks brand new.

Regards & Good Luck,
Ron Magen
Backyard Boatshop


"Joe Stefanovich" wrote in message
...
I bought a table at an estate sale that was made by an
instructor at an Army woodworking hobby shop. It has a beautiful
solid 6/4 + mahogany top sitting on ash frame & legs. Size 2m x 1m.
The problem is that the fellow that made it passed away before he got
around to finishing it. His daughter had been using it as a breakfast
table for about 10 years and all she has ever done is polish the raw
wood with stuff like Pledge or occasionally a paste wax. Is there
anything I can do to get a good finish on the table top with the wood
already permeated with this stuff. There is a profile routed around
the edge of the table so sanding/planing the surface is not an option
I would prefer.

tia

Joe/Albuquerque

Get a good book on furniture refinishing out of the library this is you
first good bet.
Do the alcohol clean thing suggested. Definitely Seal with a shellac. A.
because Shellac makes a nice sealer. B. Shellac interacts the best (although
not perfectly) with wax and silicon. I would not however even think about
stopping at a shellac on a table. Ack! major discoloration visions in my
head. If you do use WB poly then you may not want the shellac. The poly
may give you fisheye problems though. Do a little read up.

--
Young Carpenter

"Save a Tree, Build Furniture"

"Joe Stefanovich" wrote in message
...
I bought a table at an estate sale that was made by an
instructor at an Army woodworking hobby shop. It has a beautiful
solid 6/4 + mahogany top sitting on ash frame & legs. Size 2m x 1m.
The problem is that the fellow that made it passed away before he got
around to finishing it. His daughter had been using it as a breakfast
table for about 10 years and all she has ever done is polish the raw
wood with stuff like Pledge or occasionally a paste wax. Is there
anything I can do to get a good finish on the table top with the wood
already permeated with this stuff. There is a profile routed around
the edge of the table so sanding/planing the surface is not an option
I would prefer.

tia

Joe/Albuquerque




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