HELP!! Needed

[Rodgera]

I am in desperate need of some help.
I am in the process of making a dining table as a wedding present for my daughter.
Some oil leeched into the wood from a clamp and stained the wood (White Oak). I did not notice the stain for 3 days.

Is there some way I can extract the oil from the wood????

[seriph1]

poor beggar

I believe bleach will work, though I wouldnt go putting it on the timber until it was tested on some offcut stock - oil on a clamp?

What kind of oil is it ..... maybe a manufacturer of the oil could advise - or maybe staining the table to disguise it might be the go, though I am sure you wouldve been agonising over that one already....

Maybe a stripper will help - perhaps call Cooper's - they claim to be able to strip any timber without any damage to it, though they are talking paint - but oil is an ingredient of paint so .......

I hope you get it sorted mate

[Arron]

Just guessing, but havent you just had a dose of that problem that occurs when many woodworking glues comes into contact with metal. A chemical reaction occurs between the metal, glue and wood causing a dark stain on the workpiece.

Its usually too deep to sand out, though a scraper might help. I will be very interested to hear if any chemical remover will work - and surprised.

I wrap clamps in masking tape now, anywhere they might touch glue.

Arron

[gatiep]

How about : Ask Neil

[seriph1]

good point there - esp. some types of cast iron and oak/elm it seems....

I usually work in old-growth pine (18th century European rural furniture repro's) so always use timber blocks to avoid bruising.

[bitingmidge]

IF the stain is caused through metal contact and not through oil or grease, you could try some diluted Oxalic Acid.

Oxalic works in lots of stain removal situations; disolving completely hardwood stains off concrete and rust stains off sails and fibreglass.

I think you can buy proprietry brands for vast sums of money in Marine shops under the generic "rust and stain remover" name, but you pay a lot less if you just buy oxalic acid at a hardware shop and dilute it to suit.

Other caveats include the usual: test it on something else first, follow manufacturers directions etc etc.

Would be interested to know if this works in this situation!

P