Restore a Table Finish

After the glue had cured, I removed the clamps. I wasn't surprised that the project still needed a little persuasion of the mallet. With the multiple layers of folding pieces, it wasn't possible to get all the glue squeeze out. The addition of the painters tape made the "unsticking" a little easier, but not by much. I was still extremely worried that prying it apart would cause the remainder of the old glue joints to fail. Luckily, a few subtle taps and the table was operating as intended. 

I took a some 100-grit and hand-sanded the old polyurethane finish down a bit. This removed a little of the surface dirt and grime. 

I then gave it a rub down with Restor-A-Finish, a product I've been dragging along since North Carolina. I've never actually used it before, but looking at the MSDS showed me that it's basically mineral spirits and mineral oil. 

Nothing in this product will film or protect the project, and they even advise further coverage with their version of a wax product. Which, I'm fairly certain is a company packaging of paste wax. The only purpose of this product is to add a little oil back into the piece, which would shine and cover up smaller scratch marks. 

Since it is mineral oil, it wont cure and would cause certain other finishes not to bond. I would most likely cover it with a coat of linseed and beeswax, my go to finish. 

This restored table will be used by my wife, she is a Scentsy consultant and the table will come in quite handy during her visitation parties. I also made her a set of shelves which she also takes with her, but that would be another post. 

Dan.