I got a panic call from a member here today, but Gene's name will remain unnamed. He had used an iron to work some hot glue on welt strips and the nearby wood trim had developed a white blush.
There are many solutions to resolving this, but here are my two sure-fire cures. The blush is caused by water being entrained in the finish (generally lacquer or for antiques, shellac)
1. White Ring Remover cloths. These contain a fatty acid and fine abrasive. Just a minute or two of rubbing with one of these and the marks disappear. The abrasive can bring the finish to somewhat of a gloss sheen. And the fatty acid can leave a bit of a smudge. I remove the oil with either an emulsion furniture polish like OZ or Guardsman, or a wipe with a naphtha-dampened rag. The sheen can be adjusted, if needed, with a shot of touch up lacquer of the appropriate sheen or a rub with steel wool.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Homax-Furniture-White-Ring-Remover-Cloth-2236/202698033?cm_mmc=Shopping%7cTHD%7cG%7c0%7cG-BASE-PLA-D24-Paint%7c&gclid=CIarn92Jus0CFdgSgQod3wMGCA&gclsrc=aw.ds also sold under the Jasco brand, the only difference being yellow vs. red on the package.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/guardsman-water-mark-remover-cloth/1042996798?skuId=42996798&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_homedecor_&adpos=1o2&creative=43742653069&device=c&matchtype=&network=g is a smaller and lighter version.
Put them in a zip-lock bag and they will keep fresh for quite a while.
2. A wipe with a rag dampened with Denatured Alcohol. I've had pieces that were pure white after sitting in a leaky moving van, under a damp moving blanket, in the summer heat for a week. A sweeping wipe or two will usually remove the blush in a few seconds.
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl463%2Fbyhammerandhand%2Fwatermark2before.jpg%3F215&hash=381cced8835390e3b657f926d1ba38a5)
(https://forum.upholster.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi331.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fl463%2Fbyhammerandhand%2Fwatermark2after.jpg%3F135&hash=b817c14e39ea1be51f03b6f9002b3df4)
3. If you can mask off the area, there are aerosol "blush eliminators" or "Reflow" that are lacquer thinner in a can. Dissolves the lacquer, and a slower-drying solvent mix allows the water to evaporate away.
Some non-contenders:
* Wipe on mayonnaise, let sit overnight and clean up in the morning. I am not doing this in someone's home.
* Put on a puddle of denatured alcohol and set it on fire. Likewise, and my trials showed bubbled finish. Ready, aim, fire approach.
There have been many times I wanted to set a difficult piece of furniture on fire just to get rid of it but never had the nads.
I worked for a place that added a coat of lacquer to every piece they got in. Didn't matter if it was an antique, Its gotta look like new. They used mostly Mohawk products that are nice to work with. But the work was preformed on the loading deck, very dusty and in Florida very humid. Sometimes even while it was raining. After two coats of toner and two coats of clear lacquer a blush would often appear. The blush remover worked well. But after a coat of lacquer then a coat of blush remover and repeat it started to look like plastic.
Lots of great info here Hammer, thanks.
Thank you for not mentioning my name, Keith. And thank you for your help.
When Keith sees on his caller ID that I am calling, I wonder if he chuckles and thinks "What did Gene screw up now?" :)
For my situation a simple denatured alcohol wipe made the white blush immediately and totally disappear. It was amazing how quickly the white blush disappeared. And most of the wood was affected, it wasn't just a small spot.
If you ever want to put white blush on a good looking finished piece of wood, I'd recommend a $15 iron from Walmart set on maximum steam.
gene
Gene - Is this a how to video for applying double welt ? Is it on your web site ?
SA
SteveA, I don't have a web site, but I think you've got a good idea here. How about videos on how to screw up stuff? LOL
Maybe when I retire and I have the time and money? I once had an electric heater in front of my sewing machine and the fabric hung down and the heater put a big burn mark on the fabric. I tried to catch a hot iron that fell off my cutting table once. I still have the scar on my hand. I put a staple in my leg once.
I'm sure everyone on this forum could submit experiences they had and I could make a ton of great "Screw It Up Yourself" videos. I'd get rich and send everyone a postcard from Tahiti.
gene