Complete finishing balls up

[AJB Temple]

Friend has "restored" a family heirloom. It's an old, small linen press. His lovely wife is a keen up-cycler so she has stripped off all of the finish, where she can get to it, and refinished it. With rapeseed oil aka Canola. Based on advice from a tuber. This was done over the Christmas school break and is still not dry. They have asked for suggestions as it is sticky, patchy and smells funny. She tried stripping a drawer front again, and it remains sticky. She says the joints now feel a bit loose.

Rapeseed is of the cabbage family, so I suggested the smell will get worse as the oil goes rancid. I am doubtful that it will ever dry to any kind of usable finish.

Clearly any value in the item has been lost by this treatment. I am at a loss to suggest what will remove soaked in rape oil without also destroying the joints, which are probably animal glue. Wondering if wiping it with meths to remove as much surface oil as possible, nice and quickly to avoid joint penetration, and then refinish asap with a hard wax oil based finish.

Any thoughts?

 

[RogerS]

I think 'friend' should stop watching YouTube.

As for the heirloom. Past redemption. Burn it.

 

[Mike G]

I know it's tedious, and there is an avalanche of half-witted Youtube videos promoting the destruction of furniture with hopeless advice like this, but I always post a comment and tell them why they're wrong. They generally know so little that they don't have a clue about the damage they are doing. Your tale is at the very mild end of the spectrum of half-witted behaviour.

I'd try white spirit before meths.

 

[Frank]

Dunning-Kruger effect Mike G

 

[Blackswanwood]

When my son bought his house the wooden kitchen surfaces had been treated with type of oil that made them feel sticky. We had good results removing it using this …

https://www.wood-finishes-direct.co...7HYCghMkVJeuBoCndjBrYLmtni14WHwBoCr6wQAvD_BwE>in=4006850851799

 

[Windows]

I would have thought wiping/washing to remove the surface oil and re-oiling with something else would fix it up. Perhaps only the surface oil has enough oxygen & exposure to bacteria to go rancid. Slightly damp sponge and dish soap has worked to remove sticky cooking oil from wooden kitchen counters (where the oil penetrated because the original finish was absent) without anything going rancid or further damage to the wood.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks. People have to start somewhere. You Tube seems so authoritative too if you are a novice. I will get them to try the osmo intensive cleaner. Thanks BSW. There is no point applying a finish anyway until all of the old finish has been removed from the mouldings. She is distraught and I think it will be relocated to my workshop and I will try to help them fix it. With loads of oil in it, there is no real chance of replacing the original finish which was probably French Polish. The loose joints on one of the drawers bother me a bit, but we shall see.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I would have thought wiping/washing to remove the surface oil and re-oiling with something else would fix it up. Perhaps only the surface oil has enough oxygen & exposure to bacteria to go rancid. Slightly damp sponge and dish soap has worked to remove sticky cooking oil from wooden kitchen counters (where the oil penetrated because the original finish was absent) without anything going rancid or further damage to the wood.

I don't think the issue is whether it goes rancid so much as whether anything else will set over it.

 

[Cabinetman]

Thanks. People have to start somewhere. You Tube seems so authoritative too if you are a novice. I will get them to try the osmo intensive cleaner. Thanks BSW. There is no point applying a finish anyway until all of the old finish has been removed from the mouldings. She is distraught and I think it will be relocated to my workshop and I will try to help them fix it. With loads of oil in it, there is no real chance of replacing the original finish which was probably French Polish. The loose joints on one of the drawers bother me a bit, but we shall see.

Well loose joints can be knocked apart probably, quick clean up of old glue and re-do. Shame about a nice piece ruined.

 

[Woodbloke]

Thanks. People have to start somewhere. You Tube seems so authoritative too if you are a novice.

Agreed it is and therein lies it's inherent danger. Much of wot's portrayed is utter tosh if not downright bloody dangerous and the newbie doesn't know the difference. There is though, a lot of excellent stuff, our very own SM providing some of it but you have to know the good stuff and recognise it when you see it and that takes a bit of 'savoir faire' - Rob

 

[AJB Temple]

Indeed. Most of us here developed whatever skills we have before you tube was invented. Many of us probably had fathers who were very practical. I was shown how to use a plane and chisels and saws before I was 10. Many here are much older than me and probably had an even better grounding from when skills were expected. That has all been swept away pretty much so I do sympathise with people trying to do things and turning to today's resources to find out how. It was a bit unfortunate to start with an heirloom piece (her previous experiences was doing a shabby chic job on some chairs). My friend is quite practical, in that he can repair his motorbike and has laid a floor, but has no experience of renovation and repair. We all know that dealing with finishes can be a bit of a black art anyway to get the desired results.

 

[RogerS]

.... There is though, a lot of excellent stuff, our very own SM providing some of it but you have to know the good stuff and recognise it when you see it and that takes a bit of 'savoir faire' - Rob

There's an analogy with some Govt departments when they are recruiting IT consultants. Since many have no competent inhouse IT staff, they have no metrics on which to base the recruitment of the right sort of people with the relevant experience.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Indeed. Most of us here developed whatever skills we have before you tube was invented ...

Most of us here developed whatever skills we have before you tube was even dreampt off.

Ftfy.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Things that might help get the gunk off.

Something alkaline, like sodium hydroxide aka caustic soda. With appropriate care. It will react with the oil to make soap which washes off. It will also strip paint if a stiff enough solution is used.

Natural turpentine to dissolve stickiness, and cover up the smell of rotting cabbage !

If you think YT is bad, look at the up-cyclers on Instagram. Paint everything grey.

 

[AJB Temple]

Thanks all. This is now resolved as the couple concerned have cleaned the drawers in the bath with hot water and detergent. This was based on advice from someone at the school (ie not me) and the result is the joints have come apart and the wooden screw has split. Accordingly the cabinet has now been taken to the tip. We know it could have been re-glued but they have lost heart.

 

[NickM]

Oh dear

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you think YT is bad, look at the up-cyclers on Instagram. Paint everything grey.

Or do a Jay Blades and paint part of everything a contrasting colour.

 

[Trevanion]

Thanks all. This is now resolved as the couple concerned have cleaned the drawers in the bath with hot water and detergent. This was based on advice from someone at the school

I can't think of a more "out of the frying pan and into the fire" situation than that!

I remember seeing a car that someone had cleaned pretty much all over with a sink scourer to remove stubborn tar spots. Unfortunately, these people do walk amongst us.

 

[AJB Temple]

Indeedio. I did actually laugh as discreetly as possible when she told me. But the overwhelming feeling was relief as at least I don't have to fix it.