# I Screwed Up My Manzanita Burl Table!



## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

Hi, I'm just joining this forum and I am a complete novice when it comes to woodworking, so bare with me. 
Okay, that said, I REALLY

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* SCREWED UP A BEAUTIFUL MANZANITA BURL WOOD TABLE! She was a beauty 48×24 base with a 60×34 glass top. Found it on Craigslist for $100.00 and nailed it! Okay, so it was 30-40 years old and it was dirty and I wanted to spruce it up.

I called my local wood workers shop and asked them what the best product would be to use on it. The guy told me Teak Oil. I bought the most expensive can they had! I was going to make my table like new again! WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. Teak oil turned my beautiful blonde and reddish table black. I tried washing and scrubbing it off but there was no budging the teak oil. So….what to do, what to do?

I decided to put it outside in the rain, the snow, and the sun and let the elements have at it for about a year. That indeed got rid of the teak oil and it looked like a piece of grayish white driftwood. I was ready to tackle it again, someone recommended Linseed oil this time. Wrong again. Linseed oil over silvery driftwood turned it to a mucky lifeless brown and black. So that's where I'm at this Sunday afternoon looking for help. I really want to save this magnificent piece of burl art but afraid it's just firewood at this point. I remember seeing this table at 30 years ago at Macy's retailing between $3000.00-$4000.00. Can anyone guide me in the right direction as to what to do.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Burly,

Post a picture so we can see what we're dealing with. But from here, I would say SAND, SAND, SAND! You're going to have to stART with 60 or 80 grit and work through the grades to at least 220. First though, we need to know how thick it is. If it's solid, and you've led me to believe it is, you have material to sand down to get back to the natural beauty of the burl. You must be careful about sanding evenly and thoroughly,do not skip any grades, then go for the clearest clear finish you can find. If you can flip it over, you can experiment on the underside-if it's solid and you can get to it. By now you've probably learned not to trust guys at the wood store (some of whom know nothing), NEVER experiment on the show face of a project, and NEVER get into something you haven't studied, researched, and planned (see the thread on do-overs). Never fear, there is a solution to this problem, and I'm sure some different suggestions are coming. Read them all, think it over, and ask more questions. But post that picture so we're not shooting in the dark.

Steve


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## drewnahant (Dec 10, 2009)

Agreed, SAND! that grayish color isnt skin deep, it is a solid layer of wood which has had all of it's color rich compounds washed out and bleached by the sun, there is no bringing it back without grinding down to new wood, and applying new finish.


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

Hi fussy, I don't know how to post a picture here. Can you walk me through it? I think I'm going to have the thing sandblasted. There's no way I can get a tool in between the twists, cracks and crevices of these raw gnarly burls. I'd love to post a picture. Mean time I'm looking up sand blasting companies. I hope it's not too expensive to have done. It's a gorgeous table and can't believe I screwed it up so badly! Manzanita and oil do not go together!


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## skywalker01 (May 19, 2009)

Do not sandblast. You'll ruin it. but we need pics.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

How about hand planing?


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

the little button up in the comment header
says img
press it and you can load pictures to the comment 
you are making
keep them under 3mb's
or they wont load


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

When you post a reply click on the "IMG" button just to the right of your Avatar. This will allow you to post a pic from your comp. or the Net. I agree do not sand blast. It will leave you with an uneven surface and tears out the softer wood easier then the harder.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

Naptha will clean it . It depends what you will use it for as to what to do next.


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

I hope this worked. Thanks BTW: The flash on my camera lightened it up considerably. The real color is 10X darker.


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

This is what it looks like upside down with glass.


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## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

My best guess is to spray some lacquer on it after it's clean. You might have to use a stiff brush and some naphtha to try and clean it. or even put some in a garden sprayers.


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Well Ollie, this another fine mess you've gotten us into!! Forget sanding, forget planing, and forget sandblasting. As Jim says Naptha might clean it, but that's a BIG honkin' piece. I thought you were talking about a burl slab. If you try Naptha, do it outside, wear nitrile gloves, place a fan so as to blow away the fumes, and DON'T SMOKE WHILE YOU'RE DOING IT. Seriously, if you try-anything you try- try to find a inconspicuous spot and be gentle. What do you experts out there think of soda blasting? Environmentaly benign, gentle (so I hear) and probably less damaging than anything.. Best part is any debris left in nooks and crannies can be washed out with water. Or am I all wet?

If that fickles your tancy, check out soda blasting at Harbor Freight (www.harborfreight.com). It's on sale, and the medium is nothing but Arm and Hammer baking soda. You might even be able to rent a blaster and buy nothing but the soda. If you try it, experiment on an out of the way spot, and start of with low preasure and bump it up a little at a time until it works.

Steve


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

Yeah!! no hand planing that table ;-))


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

Yes Stanley, this is a fine mess I've gotten myself into…tee hee ha ha :{ This big hurkin' coffee table is suppose to be blonde with reddish highlights! It's not going to happen with sand paper.
Thanks for suggesting the Naptha & I'll check out the soda blasting. I thought you might see the dilemma once you saw it. If nothing works I'm going to put it back outside in the elements and plant a fern in the middle of it!


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## ScottN (Jan 24, 2011)

If nothing works and you want to get rid of it let me know. That would look awesome in my theater room.


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## mwm5053 (Feb 27, 2010)

Just my opinion Looks beautiful the way it is.


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## majeagle1 (Oct 29, 2008)

I agree with the Naptha so far…... I would try it in a small area underneath first to see how it does….. if it doesn't work the way you want it to….............. leave it the way it is! I also agree with Walt, it looks beautiful just the way it is….


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

You might be able to try a pressure washer, it would be less abrasive than sand blasting. Otherwise if all else fails, stick a fern in the middle of it.


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## sIKE (Feb 14, 2008)

That was one sick tree! Really dont see much that you can do here, the oils that you have added have done the job as designed. Now if you wanted to "clean" it not "refinish" it, (which is what you basicly have done) I would of tried Murphy's Oil Soap or something along those lines. Not much that you can do now.


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

Hey fussy, I looked into soda blasting and think that's the way I'm going to go. I'll see if pressure washing will work first….my next door neighbor has a pressure washer. I just moved here…I'll take him a plate of cookies and ask him if he can help me. Worth a try anyway.

Hey everyone, thanks for all of your comments and advice. All of it good! You've definitely steered me in the right direction.


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## Pawky (Sep 22, 2010)

Please update in this thread what you end up doing and the results (whether they work as you want or not). Pictures after different attempts or whatever too would be great. Thank you


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Burly,

Be careful with the preasure washer. Too much could literally blow some of those details off. And not to be flogging a dead horse, try a less visable spot. I agree with the rest of the guys, that thing is beautiful even as is, and a hell of a buy for $100. Heck, I'll give you $125 and meet you half way!


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

I got a pressure washer to wash my deck. You can literally cut through the word very quickly if not careful!! Before you burn it, I'll got $126 and come get it ;-))


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## childress (Sep 14, 2008)

what about a wire wheel followed by flap sanding?


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## dbray45 (Oct 19, 2010)

On small pieces that are not visible, not much bigger than a quarter, try the following solvents -

first try paint thinner 
then alcohol
then naptha 
then lacquer thinner
finally acetone
See if these remove the previous finishes
Let sit for a day or so and see what happens to each spot that you have cleaned

Then try a small spot on half of the cleaned spots apply clear lacquer, on the other half, a small spot of poly (oil based) using a cloth, not brush, thinned at 50% each.

With that, you will know what you have and which direction to go. Chances are that the original was a pre cat finish. Sitting outside didn't help you and may have dryed a lot of the oils out of the wood.

To determine the spots to do this turn the piece upside down, cut pieces of paper and tape them to spots that you don't think are visible, turn the piece right side up. If you can see the pieces of paper, they are visible.

If none of these are to your liking, your new custom table is right in front of you. It is unique!


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

dbray45…Thanks for your input but I'm really sold on the soda blaster. I've been in contact with a fellow that does this for a living and he says burl wood is a snap. It'll take under an hour and cost me $150.00. It's worth it to me. I didn't pay much for this table so I don't mind putting the extra dollars into it. I'll have to wait until payday though to do it…I'll post some (after) pics then. I think soda blasting will be the easiest….I'm pretty tired of wrestling with this thing. Check it out on YouTube. It's really gentle and at the same time can strip cars as well as decks and furniture.
Fussy suggested it and now that I've researched it…I'm convinced it will also be gentler on my hands, knees, elbows & back!  This old lady likes it easyER these days.

When I do get it back to it's natural wood color, I'd love some expert opinions on finishes. I've watched some wood turning videos and followed other forums about working with Manzanita. I'm hearing for the most post to stay away from oils and stick with paste wax. Anybody out there have opinions about furniture paste wax to bring out the color? I don't want to be going through this again anytime soon. 
Thanks.
Sherry


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## fussy (Jan 18, 2010)

Sherry,

Once you've restored it to its' natural beauty, e=mail [email protected] and ask Jack the best finish to maintain the color. You don't need much. I'm thinking a little bit of beeswax. He should be able to tell you what to do. He's the expert. Show him a picture and break his heart! Better yet, let him offer you a gazillion bucks for it! Good luck and post more pictures as it progresses.

Steve


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## BurlyBlues (Mar 27, 2011)

The linseed oil is boiled. Thank you everyone who thought it looks nice like it is but it was the flash in the camera that picked up any color. It is BUTT ugly…really! In fact I put it on Craigslist for sale because I really didn't want to deal with it anymore before I joined this forum. Three people have looked at it in between typing this and the looks on their faces spoke volumes. 
Since I put the linseed oil over driftwood grey it's getting worse by the hour. The grey is really starting to come through again. I'll take a picture of it in the daylight so you can see it. I will document and photograph each step of the soda blasting. I think that is going to do the trick. If it comes back to it's natural color I will keep it. It really is a magnificent piece but like all things I do…I seem to do it the hard way.


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## KenMenard (Jul 16, 2011)

Well, What was the outcome? I am eagerly waiting to see a new picture of the table with some of the suggestions.


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## karenb (Sep 10, 2011)

Was just browsing and saw this blog. I have the same table. I have used Liquid Gold in a spray bottle for years with no problems. Put plastic underneath and spray lightly. Buff where you can reach and let the rest soak in. Hope this helps and good luck. Hope to see an outcom.


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## EricMSaperstein (Jul 5, 2009)

OK I came on REALLY late I think …. but for future reference to clean something like this upfront use Homer Formby's restorer to clean it up.

Sanding will not be a good thing in this case. Power washing is dangerous but you could almost have too lightly do that to get the black off. Homer should take most of the finish off it … that black reaction though is a major PIA once it happens!

ANY oil finish will darken something like this - teak oil and lindseed oil no way! ... it'll turn well - black …

Renaissance wax will moisturize and protect it if you don't want to finish it and don't want any color changes. Briwax will offer you an evening effect with the dye in the stain.

For a finish your best bet is dewaxed blonde shellac for the lightest sealing and warming it up, into the garnets to go browner.

You could also tung oil it which will richen it - COULD turn black also but not as likely as any of the other products. Use Waterlox it is REAL tung oil (modified obviously it cures) ... but I would tend to stick with shellac on this one.

Good luck - hopefully you fixed it before even reading this. Cool table!


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## tracyt3 (Aug 26, 2013)

Just bought coffee table and two end tables. Manzanita wood. Am hoping to 
See if you ever successfully restored yours?


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## tracyt3 (Aug 26, 2013)

Better pictures, one end table is light dues to exposure(maybe full sun or outdoors) other end table dark with a finish? coffee table dull colored due to age and lack of care. Help? How to make them beautiful again?s:


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