Replies

1. 
   Samson | Apr 09, 2008 06:33pm | #1

   It's the first in a long line of dents and dings that any wooden table will suffer.  It is appropriate that you delivered the blow.  Patina, my friend, pa - teen - ahhh.

2. 
   SteveSchoene | Apr 09, 2008 08:38pm | #2

   Removing the wax is easy, just wipe down with generous amounts of mineral spirits wiped with many, many paper towels.  Polyurethane varnish, even in your small patch area, won't adhere over a waxed surface--at least not for very long. 

   After you have removed the wax, you can apply more finish. However, how you proceed depends on how deep the dent is.  If it has only dented the finish a bit not sufficently to have actually dented the finish, you can sand the varnish, and add addtiional finish followed by additional sanding until the surface has leveled. 

   But if the dent in more severe, and has dented wood not just the finish, you have mostly bad choices.  You could strip off the entire finish on the top, so you get to bare wood that you can then steam up the dent.  Heck of a lot of work.  Or you can attempt to use something like a shellac stick filler to level the surface.  This can be done, but is challenging and takes a good eye.  

   Frankly, Samson's suggestion is most likely the one I would follow for my own piece.  For a customer...I'd probably refinish the top. 

1. 
   marktheshark | Apr 10, 2008 12:19am | #3

   It had just dented the poly, not the wood.  So I put on some magnifying glasses and stuck a small brad into the poly can, so I had just a small drop on the brad, and I dropped it into the dent.  It spread out and when it cured, I saw it was still too low, so I did it again, and after it cured, wet sanded with 600 and I can find it but my wife can't (the true test).  Thanks for the input.