Repair finish help. New to me 2003 Stickley mission coffee table

[joel cervera]

I picked this up on Facebook marketplace today. Paid $250 for it hoping I can repair a few imperfections it has and put it into service in my living room. I have experience with aniline dyes and shellac and wiping varnishes. Thats my sweet spot. But my understanding is that this will likely be a lacquer finish. I am not looking for this to look new. I like to use the furniture I build and feel the same about a factory made piece. I don't abuse my furniture but I don't baby it either. I wish this had an oil finish but assume it won't.


1. I am hoping to get some input on how to address the large scratch on the top. Its the main issue this table has. I have cleaned this table with MS and a white scotch bright pad. the only imperfection that does not darken up at all is this scratch. The other dents, dings or scratches get closer to the original color of the factory finish (which is good). I have never tried repair like this scratch and am hoping for some advice.


2. Based on how MS effected this table most of the imperfections will benefit from a light refreshing of the finish. Wish I could just lay a nice thin coat of wiping varnish down to even things up after fixing the scratch but lacquer isn't so simple for me as I don't spray my finishes.


3. I'm not sure if this is old style nitro lacquer or precat or some other modern lacquer. How would I test that. I know lacquer thinner will soften nitro. But will it soften modern lacquers. How can I determine which i'm dealing with.


4. Is it useless/possible to go over current finish with perhaps a shellac sanding sealer then go to wiping varnish? Just curious. again trying to avoid rattle cans or spray equipment if possible.


Thanks for any advice in advance.

Attachment 439871Attachment 439871Attachment 439871IMG_6186.jpgIMG_6185.jpgIMG_6184.jpg

[joel cervera]

Attachment 439887IMG_6194.jpgAttachment 439881IMG_6188.jpgIMG_6189.jpgIMG_6190.jpgHere are a few more photos showing some of the less important dings and damage the I'd like to minimize. Tho as stated even just wiping on some MS helps some of these out.. The large scuffing on the edge of the top darkens up pretty well with some mineral spirits (so a bit of finish will help this one out a lot) But the edge is pretty jagged. . The other imperfections are less noticeable without raking light and zooming into them. Although minimizing them would be fine if possible.

[Tom M King]

My first try is always Restor-A-Finish. We repaired a large scratch in a Walnut school table just yesterday with it. Pretty sure it was some type of lacquer from the 1960's.

Yes, a Walnut school table. We have a whole stack of them, and a bunch of Walnut school chairs too. There used to be a factory 25 miles away that built Oak school furniture, that you all have seen. I had an Uncle that had a bunch of Walnut lumber. He took some there, and had them make a bunch of furniture.

We also have a couple of teachers' desks in Walnut. I use one in the mechanic shop for working on chainsaws while I'm sitting down. The drawers have Masonite bottoms.

[John TenEyck]

You need a furniture medic. https://www.furnituremedic.com/repairs/furniture

If I were doing it I'd strip the top, inlay new wood to repair the dinged edge, and then use Jeff Jewitt's process to apply a new finish, all by hand.

John

[Bennett Ostroff]

Really nice table. I think you’ll need to decide whether you’re okay with touching up with those areas with some stain markers and then adding additional coat(s) of finish on top, or completely sanding it back and starting over.

If you just strip and/or sand, you’ll still have a lot of those dents and dings. Assuming the top can be removed, what about taking it to be put through a wide belt sander and starting with a perfect new surface.

[Stan Calow]

What's your goal? Restore to "like new" finish, or just make the scratches and dents less noticeable? I've had great success with the previously mentioned Howard's Restor-a-finish (in the right tone), or even the marker pens to just reduce the visibility, but actually filling the scratches and the building up the edge dents requires more work - shellac burn sticks, wood filler, epoxy, etc. I've never gotten exact color matches touching up, but close enough to pass.

[joel cervera]

Ya the more I think about it .. i'm leaning towards stripping the top completely and refinishing it to match. maybe cutting off the edges and adding some wood to keep the original width. Though i've never dyed a piece this large. Do know how difficult it might be too get even color with hand application on a large flat surface. I uasually try many coats of lighter dye to sneak ou pot the color and help even things out..

[Bennett Ostroff]

Shouldn’t be too hard. Dilute with water if you’re using transtint, apply with a rag or brush or even spray bottle. Wipe off the excess. Here are some good directions:

https://homesteadfinishingproducts.c...ns-11-2018.pdf

[Jim Becker]

I can see stripping and refinishing...but be aware that matching a factory finish can be an exercise...but not ripping off the edges and gluing new material back on. Getting a grain and color match will be a tough exercise in many cases with that.

[David Utterback]

If it was me, I would strip the top and rip the width only enough to remove the edge defect. The gouge could be removed with card scrapers but the top would no longer be flat. Feathering the work area would diminish this new irregularity. A set of period appropriate coffee table books could be a nice addition in case you are less than fully satisfied with the appearance.