how to restore this silky oak wardrobe? SOS!

[pup76]

Hi there, I just learned the hard way not to purchase old furniture on ebay and then pick it up in the dark! We went through all the drama of moving a heavy wardrobe only to find out in the light it has quite a large pale/dull area that wasn't advertised I have no skills in restoring furniture, but it is quite a cute piece if only it can be fixed up a little. I contacted the seller and they said it wasn't there when they listed it and maybe it was from the rain over the weekend (had been left under a car port during some heavy storms). I can only assume the area is water damage...I am attaching some pictures.

Not sure if I should sand the area? Beeswax? Or the turpentine/linseed oil combo? I've been doing some reading but just wish I had some experienced friends to show me the way!!

Also, there is some paint in spots - should I sand this (what type of sandpaper!?) or steel wool??

Finally, the door handles look to be rusting brass? Anything I can do with these? Brass polish?

Any pros out there kind enough to help guide a complete novice with restoring this?
Thanks heaps in advance!!
Michelle

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[The Bleeder]

First of all....sand paper ...no.

I doubt that the pale area is due to water damage. I don't think it's due to UV breakdown of the coating either.

I think someone before you tried a restoration job (lets remove the coating first) and basically stopped as the job was too big.

Beeswax...again no.

Paint on the timber can be removed using one of the friendlier paint strippers (citrus based).

Ok now for the hard anwsers.....the section of the wardrobe (not the pale bit) find an out of the way place and use some metho and rub the surface.

If the surface becomes soft the coating is shellac. Until this is known restoration can't start.

[pup76]

Thanks so much for the reply bleeder

I rubbed the metho in a darker area like you said. I chose a spot next to the pale area on the inside edge of the door. The dark stain kindof spread out around where I was rubbing, and where I was rubbing did lighten a little, but only after like 30 seconds of rubbing (i.e. not really immediately)...
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Thoughts??

[The Bleeder]

Ok that's good in a way.

Clean the pale area using metho. Just remember once the cloth is dirty get a new one.

Not being able to see it in the flesh I don't know whether its a build up grime or something else but the metho won't hurt it too much.

Once finished post some more pics and we'll see what it looks like.

I may just be the case of giving the non-pale area a quick wipe over with metho just to remove the dirt & grime build up and then using Ubeaut's shellac or Polish reviver.

Try and strip the paint off before commencing the big clean up.

The brass handles (if they can be removed) should cleanup well with brasso.

Hear from you soon.

[pup76]

You are a genius Bleeder!

Check this out

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Looks waaaaaay better!!!

The area that was pale now appears better than the rest of it ha ha.
Can I use the metho to clean up the darker areas a bit more? And is there something I can do to smoothen the transition between the pale/dark areas? What's next!? (this is fun)

[The Bleeder]

Ok that's looking a lot better.

Now the sponsor of this forum Ubeaut has a product called Polish Reviver.

It's his secret forumla, so get some of that (you can order it through the website) and start to blend the darker and lighter sections.

You can then go over the whole wardrobe and it should come up a treat.

It's not a family hierloom or an antique but it's yours and it will still look good.

The only reason I say this is because you can go down the full French Polish road to bring it up to a stunning condition but that will take too much time.

[pup76]

Alright, I got the polish reviver coming my way. Before I apply it do I need to do anything else to clean the dark spot? I did a once over with warm water, but it's still pretty dirty.

[The Bleeder]

Sorry I haven't replied (been busy at work). Just give it (the dark area) a good clean using warm soapy water then a warm water rinse off.

This should remove the grime. When it's dry get going with the polish reviver. Work from them dark patch into the pale area.

This polish reviver will take some of the top layers from the dark area and blend them over into the pale area.

[AnselmFraser]

The policy in our workshop (if it is a water mark) would be to spray a small area with methalated spirits and set it on fire ! - bit drastic sounding,i know. But you only let it burn for a second or two and then blow it out. The white marks are usually caused by water getting under the finish,this process seems to reverse it.Perhaps if you tried a small area first you'd find out if it's going to work.