Refinishing old Arts & Crafts table

[Mike Caprio]

A friend of mine recently purchased a small antique A&C table off of eBay and asked for my help in refinishing it. I have not yet seen the table, but would be interested in what I should be looking for. From the photos I've seen, it is clearly quartersawn oak, and the finish appears to be in poor repair (many stains, water marks, etc). I don't know much about finishing antiques and perhaps my best advice to her might be to keep me away from it :). I am concerned that it might have been fumed, and if so, is there a special route to refinishing?

Thanks
Mike

[Jim Becker]

One must be careful when it comes to antiques...other than cleaning, "refinishing" can negatively affect the value. That said, if it was on EBAY, it is unlikely to be a piece that would be greatly affected. (Although it could...) Cleaning is still the first step. Once you do that, you need to acertain what finish is on the piece. In an inconspicuous place, put some denatured alcohol on a soft cloth/towel and rub a little. If the finish softens, it's probably shellac which is about the easiest thing to refinish...just pad it out to redeposit the finish. If the alcohol doesn't affect it, do the same with laquer thinner. If it moves then, it's probably lacquer. If not, it's probably varnish and will require more "destructive" processes to refinish. With most antiques or older pieces, the less you have to do, the better and often a good cleaning is all you need if there is no damage.