Replies

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 09, 2003 12:59am | #1

   When a water ring is black (rather than white), the water has gotten below the finish and into the wood.  None of the quick tricks will solve this problem.  As far as I know, sanding (or possibly bleaching and restaining to match) is the only way to fix it.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

2. 
   UncleDunc | Sep 09, 2003 10:42am | #2

   It might make sense to strip and refinish the whole top with something a little more water resistant. Like Buckminster Fuller used to say, it's easier to re-engineer the built environment than to re-engineer human nature.

3. 
   whoover | Sep 09, 2003 07:55pm | #3

   Before you try to sand out the black ring, try a strong mixture of Oxalic Acid and water.  This is often a solution for black spots and rings.  It may not work but it might minimize the amound of sanding you have to do.

   Bill

4. 
   Tao | Sep 10, 2003 12:53am | #4

   Bill's suggestion of Oxalic acid it the correst one for black rings in wood.  It's been my experience that if water will penetrate the finish to make the ring, oxalic acid will get through the finish to remove the ring.

   Sherwin Williams sells oxalic acid as Wood Bleach.  It comes in twelve ounce plastic tubs.  Read the label; make sure it's oxalic acid only and not a two component bleach.  That's a whole other subject.

   Apply a hot saturated solution to the stain, let it work for a few minutes, and re-apply periodically until the stain disappears.  It usually only takes a few minutes, but I've had it take up to an hour to get deep stains out. 

   As soon as the stain is gone, rinse thoroughly with clean water.  Do not breathe or ingest the dry powder or the solution.  If there is white opowder on the surface after drying, you did not rinse it enough, so rinse again.

   You'll probably have to touch up the finish, but with linseed oil, that's easy.

   Michael R.

1. 
   grousemouse | Sep 10, 2003 05:24pm | #5

   thanks alot folks.  I will try the oxalic acid.  I used to get that stuff from a drugstore when I was a kid.  We used it to remove rust from old beer cans.

   Brian

1. 
   JohnWW | Sep 11, 2003 06:38pm | #6

   WHY?

   JohnW.

1. 
   grousemouse | Sep 11, 2003 10:16pm | #7

   Silly other hobby I had (have) "Beer Can Collecting".