Ring on coffee table, how repair/remove? Ready to give up...

[Jerry Olexa]

For several months, we have a light ring that appeared unannounced on our coffee table..Roughly glass or cup bottom shape and the ring is lighter in color then the surrounding finish...This is a store bought, commercially made, rectangular coffee table (w glass insert) so I'm quite sure it is lacquer sealed...I have tried DA, an oil soak, light sanding and diluted dye. No great results..I' m about to surrender and sand down the whole top to bare wood and refinish..Any other techniques i should try prior to resorting to the sander?? Thanks in advance, Jerry

[Rich Engelhardt]

Go out and buy yourself a heater (cigar) and fire it up.
Or better yet, find someone that smokes cigars.
Save all the ashes.
Mix a few drops of tap water with the ashes to form a paste and rub the ring w/the paste.

It has to be a cigar. Cigarette ashes won't work.
Cigar and cigarette tobacco are cured differently.
Cigar tobacco is base and cigarette tobacco is acid.
Where the tobacco is placed during curing determines if it goes acid or base.

[Lee Schierer]

Place a linen towel several layers thick over the ring. Take your clothes iron on a hot setting and iron the towel heating the wood and the finish where the ring is under the towel. Check often and stop when the ring disappears. This will disperse the moisture out of the ring and finish.

[Bill White]

Tooth paste poultice.
Try it first. Just a nice coat of plain old tooth paste. Not some exotic paste with goofy stuff.
Let it sit for a while. Wipe off gently so as not to abrade the finish.
Bill

[Mel Fulks]

Tooth paste sometimes does work. If it doesn't work I'd use false teeth paste (Polident ) to glue a coaster over the damage.

[Jerry Olexa]

Thanks guys...Good recos..I tried several of them and finally went drastic (thinking i could later sand the whole top if this does not work). I hand sanded only the area.. affected. Started w 80 grit and finished with 220...Then hand mixed some transtint. Then diluted it further and applied..after 3 coats it is fairly close to the surrounding area..plan to finish with a wax topcoat but will wait a full week to let the dye thoroughly dry..The wax coat is needed to blend in the 2 areas ..The area I finished is a different lustre than the "old" existing area...we shall see...I still may up sanding the whole top and refinishing if needed...This ring does not respond to the usual remedies. Thanks again for your input..I'll continue to read this thread...

[John TenEyck]

Jerry, you might at least want to spray a coat or two of Sealcoat shellac over the dyed area before waxing. At least that will keep the wax out of the wood (should you wish to refinish it at some point this will make it easier) and give it a little protection from further damage. No need to wait a week either, the dyed area will be dry in 24 hours unless you are working outside.

John

[Jerry Olexa]

Good tip, John..I will apply a bit of shellac to seal it...Before Wax.....you guys have a favorite furniture paste wax?

[Rich Engelhardt]

SC Johnson.
Cheap - available just about everywhere - doesn't have any harsh solvents like toluol, it uses plain old mineral spirits.

What's left over can be used on any cast iron surface you have in the shop.

[Prashun Patel]

Isn't this what doilies are made for?

[Charles Neil]

Wipe it with a thin wipe of denatured alcohol, then light it, Yep set it on fire .. the alcohol will burn above the surface and burn off very quickly, and the ring will be gone. Just a light wipe , dont get real wet or puddle it, but it works super well. Sounds alot more radical that it is.