# How do I revive old dried out wood on an antique



## ToddJB (Jul 26, 2012)

All,

I'm looking to freshen up the lid of this old Cuban humidor. The rest of the wood is in pretty good condition, but this looks like it's been exposed for a very long time. I'm not trying to bring it back to a "new" condition, but I am looking to make it look less dried out. Lightly sand and apply some oil? If so what would you suggest?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

Can you tell what it was finished with before?


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## ToddJB (Jul 26, 2012)

I have no idea. This is something one of my wife's coworkers bought in Cuba and I've been asked to "clean up". From the looks of it it's pretty old, I'd guess from the 40's or older. Not sure what available finishes there were back then. It does not look like any heavy clear coat would have been used. The wood looks fairly natural.


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

They greyish areas might be from water damage, and if you oil those they might turn black. I'd give the whole thing a sanding with very fine sandpaper, start with a 1000 grit and work backwards if that isn't aggressive enough. A couple coats of shellac followed by some paste wax would make it purty.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I think it might be finished in shellac. If you can get
a little piece to flake off, try dissolving it in alcohol.

You can dub off the corners of a razor blade and use
it to finely scrape the damaged areas to lift off loose
finish.

Shellac will go on top of and repair almost any finish - it
does take some finesse to do it so well you cannot tell
but you might be surprised at how good it can look
your first time out too.


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## ToddJB (Jul 26, 2012)

Should I reshellac the whole box then? Just the effected area? Or the whole lid? His biggest concern is to not mess up the flower inlay.


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## pintodeluxe (Sep 12, 2010)

Not knowing the original finish, I wouldn't be brave enough to apply shellac. If it were mine, I might just wipe some Howard's Feed-n-Wax. It is available at Home Depot with the butcher block oils and furniture waxes.


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## ToddJB (Jul 26, 2012)

What would that result be?

I'm trying to stay away from the shinny look. It's very old, looks very old, and should stay looking that way, but a better condition very old, if that makes any sense.


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## FredZiffle (Jun 3, 2013)

Maybe a little Old English furniture polish?


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

So lightly sand and apply some wax only. Wax can be removed with mineral spirits. Oil, not so much. If that doesn't richen it up enough then go to the shellac. It won't look like polyurethane, it will be duller and look more hand applied. You won't be killing any patina, only enhancing it.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I'd shellac the whole lid. You can strip it off with alcohol
if it looks bad (it really shouldn't). If you buy more common
shellac, it has an amber color you may not want if you
want to keep the whites as white as possible. In that
can you need to find "super blonde" shellac or whatever
the current palest variety is.

I'd scrape, sand a little (very little) and pad the shellac
onto the problem areas until the ambering seems to
match the old finish pretty well, then lightly sand
with a block to level and then lay on a couple more 
shellac coats.

A lot of people work with a 3lb cut, which builds fast - 
I tend to work with around a 1 or 2 lb. cut. It builds
slower but the finish goes on thinner, which I like because
I "sort of" french polish usually and occasionally really 
do a french polish, which is a technique of compressing
the layers of shellac together as more shellac is applied.


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## jim454 (Oct 17, 2011)

Use a wood cleaner that is specifically designed for wood, One of the acceptable ways of preserving an antique finish is paste wax, rub it on the wood, let it dry but not completely harden, and then buff it off. The amount of buffing you do will determine how much of a sheen you're going to have, whether it's satin, semi-gloss or high gloss. That thin coat of paste wax will seal the original finish, but it won't change the appearance of it dramatically. The other option you have, if you like rubbing on oils rather than rubbing out paste wax, you can go with Tung Oil.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

yeah, sometimes waxing and buffing can make a beat-up
finish look pretty good. Try that a little.

Sometimes when it's just something simple I've made
and I want it to stay looking like the real wood, I just
use paste wax. It's quick and offers a nice look and 
a little protection from scuffs and moisture.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I would rub some Zinsser Shellac/alcohol (1:1) with a t shirt pad on that piece.


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## jimmyb (Mar 21, 2013)

Been loving the Howard's Feed-n-Wax. Works great on many of my "vintage" wood revivals I have done.


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## jimmyb (Mar 21, 2013)

Oh and I clean it first with mineral spirits to remove grime.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

Watco has a product called Satin Wax. Liquid, shake well, apply with a padded cloth, wait a bit, buff off.
Might be just what the doctor ordered.
Bill


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## dominikmatus (Mar 4, 2013)

Clean it with alcohol. I think shellac was used (try dissolution of finnish), so remove it. If some parts are peeled off, use animal glue in injection. Repair lost parts. Carefully wash it with wet textile and sand it a little. After this, make classic shellac finnish (begin with pumice polishing for fill pores and holes).


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## ToddJB (Jul 26, 2012)

All, thank you so much for your suggestions. I see the are many ways to skin a cat - in this case a Cuban cigar eating cat. I very lightly sanded it with 600 grit (didn't have anything higher), cleaned it with mineral spirits, and then applied a heavy coat of Howard's Feed & Wax, let it sit for awhile then buffed it out. It really looks in nice. Still looks old and used, by not weathered. It did darken up the flowers some, which I didn't expect, but it still looks nice.


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## oldcans (Feb 23, 2010)

Scott's liquid gold. Spray it on and wipe off the excess and it will look like new.


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