restoring an old silky oak table

[redcharger]

Hi All,
Bought an old silky oak table which has been partially stripped/sanded. Would like to know what you think the black colour in the photos is likely to be and what would be the best method to strip it? Is it possible to get the black out of the wood grain without sanding the heck out of it?

Thanks,
Mike

Ps Having trouble making the photo's smaller will try again tomorrow

[RufflyRustic]

If it's an old S.O. table, as in early 1950's? then the black could well be black japan.

cheers
Wendy

[nick_b00]

i had the same problem with a silky oak table i bought. tried rubbing with metho and using selleys paint stripper with mixed success. it probably is worth a try - eg if it is shellac then it should start to come off with metho. give it a go on a concealed area eg under the skirt or inside the frame so that if it doesn't achieve what you want you havent created a problem on an area thats visible.

at the end of the day the only way i found to get the black out of the grain was sanding being careful not to create hollows etc, and to not take too much material off. there are a few flecks through the table but you don't notice them and i am more than happy with the result.

pic 1 before / after sanding
pic 2 finished

look forward to seeing the pics - i love silky oak and have restored the dining table, 6 chairs, a 4 drawer filing cabinet and a office desk. the filing cabinet was also pretty sorry beforehand, but with a bit of time and effort they have come up very well.

thanks
nick

[conwood]

I did one a few years ago. Ended up sanding it back to bare timber and veneer, then french polished it.
It was want the client wanted and it came up a treat.

See images-

[redcharger]

Here are the promised pictures, thanks for the info so far. I inherited a 1920's I Guess Silky Oat bedroom setting (Bed, Dressing table, waldrobe, washing stand from my grandfather who had it made by a Chinese Carpenter when he returned from ww1. This started my Silky Oak passion Since then I have added a Sideboard with legs which match this table and a bedside table to my collection.

Cheers,
Mike

[hap97]

Step 1 is to remove the top and see what can be done to the opening joints.
A photo of the underside, showing the method of top attachment and internal corner joints is handy.
As the table has been partly sanded?, all of it may be sanded.
I find the best sander for this and any jobs is a "random orbital sander 125mm"
This link is an example.
http://www.bosch-do-it.com.au/boptocs2-au/Product.jsp;jsessionid=2C135BF16DF1AEECC96490A265D7AE0F.worker1?country=AU&lang=en&division=hw&ccat_id=95255&object_id=5983

Hilton