How to fix finish damaged by heat?

[atgcpaul]

My wife has this decorative tray she got in Eastern Europe. Her Dad set a hot soup bowl on it which turned the finish nearly opaque--this was months ago. The tray is at least 17 years old. I didn't want to sand it out so I'm trying to figure out what type of finish is on there so I can strip it off and spray on something more durable.

I started by wiping the area with some DNA. I don't feel any kind of gumminess like you would while wiping off shellac. However, you can see that it made a dramatic improvement considering you couldn't even see the pattern underneath the haze before.

Have I merely just "wet" the finish so that's why it's not so opaque anymore or is it really a shellac finish that will eventually be removed with more wiping with DNA or is this something else? How do I fix it?

Thanks,
Paul

[JR1]

Wiping with DNA is a common way to do minor repairs on shellac. A test for shellac is to place a few drops of DNA in an inconspicuous place and give it ~15 minutes, if the finish softens then it's shellac. If you just moistened a finish the DNA will pretty much evaporate after a few minutes and the appearance will return to what it was previously, unless it's shellac.

As for a more durable topcoat I'd recommend GF EnduroVar or Crystalac Poly-Ox.