Mahogany/leather Furniture repair

[mattl]

Got a problem, looking for some advice. In our Study I have several mahogany pieces with leather insets that date from the early 50's to early 60's. One is a step table. My dad who basically lives in that room while he is recovering from his latest fall spilled something on the table, it could have been pop or pee, I have no idea at this point, but it glued the felt bottom of the table lamp to the top. I went to move the lamp and found it firmly attached, pulled it loose and found a discolored black fuzzy mess.

Any idea how to salvage this? What is a good solvent that won't ruin the leather or the finish on the wood. Dating back to the early 60's I'd have to guess it's a shellac or something more natural than poly. It has almost 5 decades of furniture polish on it, hope it did some good.

Suggestions?

 

[SactoTeddyBear]

Hey! Matt:

I don't know if this would work for this kind of problem, but I know that on my Leather-Top Tables, if anyone spills Liquids and they Stain the Leather, I've used Regular Mayonnaise {I use Best Foods}, which can be also used on most Wood Furniture to take out Liquid Stains.

I hope that this helps, or at least gives you some info about for other Liquid Stains.

Peace and Kind Regards, Steve
SactoTeddyBear0503...

 

[alr2903]

MattL, I would resaturate the lamp felt with a weak solution of warm water and some cheap hair shampoo. alr2903

 

[volvoguy87]

Elixer of Life...

This is for shellac based finishes:

1 part denatured alcohol (optional)
2 parts linseed oil (raw is preferable, but boiled will work)
2 parts mineral spirits
2 parts vinegar

Scrub it in with #0000 steel wool.
Wipe dry with paper towels within 30 seconds especially when using denatured alcohol. This is because denatured alcohol dissolves shellac.

This is a finish restorer. It will remove lots of dirt and re-set the finish.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[mixfinder]

Let's hear it for Rhubarb

I agree with Teddy that mayonnaise works wonders for removing whitened marks and stuck on goo from wood. If the stain appears darker, Oxalic Acid is used to lighten or bleach wood and it's action is increased when placed in direct sunlight. Rhubarb leaves have a high concentration of oxailic acid which is why animals won't touch it.

 

[mattl]

Tried the mayo, the wood survived but the leather didn't. Big discolored area and the gold leaf is gone. I guess it could be fixed if I want to bother, but with my dad around it's better to have trash around rather than good furniture. He also ruined my custom made area rug too. Ah well, what you gonna do...