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We inherited a 1960 piano that is in pretty good condition save for too much wax buildup from whatever was used on it. Years of Pledge perhaps. Any suggestions for safe and effective removal would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
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Mineral spirits on a soft cotton cloth will do it with no damage to what's underneath. Change to a new cloth often and do it two or three times to get it all off.
John
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Pledge is not wax and a completely different issue. One that IME is not going to be easy to overcome.
Joe
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The finish on some of my antique furniture is just stain and wax. Using mineral spirits to remove the wax would also remove some of the stain.
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(06-27-2017, 10:28 AM)Lynden Wrote: The finish on some of my antique furniture is just stain and wax. Using mineral spirits to remove the wax would also remove some of the stain.
If the stain was a typical pigment stain that contains a binder (small amount of varnish) to bind it to the wood, then MS will remove only the wax and leave the stain behind. If the stain contained no binder, well, I'm not sure how the wax got applied without lifting it up, but MS would likely cause a problem. Try it with a Q-Tip in some inconspicuous place and see what happens.
John
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According to Google Pledge contains:
Known Ingredients- Ingredient.
- Some Concern: skin irritation/allergies/damage, acute aquatic toxicity, nervous system effects, respiratory effects, biodegradation; Disclosure Concern: non-specific ingredient.
- BUTANE.
- ISOBUTANE.
- PROPANE.
- ISOPARAFFIN.
- DIMETHICONE.
- DIMETHYL SILOXANES AND SILICONES.
Of these, the silicones are nearly impossible to remove entirely and refinishing would require that the entire finish be sanded off. But for the build up of the finish I think mineral spirits will probably work (but test first on an inconspicuous location). Use lots of clean rags as the silicone will just smear over the surface over and over again.
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(06-27-2017, 10:12 AM)JGrout Wrote: Pledge is not wax and a completely different issue. One that IME is not going to be easy to overcome.
Joe
I've never had a problem cleaning old furniture with MS regardless of the type of polish used. Dish soap and MS in combination will remove most any form of dirt and buildup.
John
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it is the silicone in the polish that causes a film that never quite seems to go away.
Adding MS is certainly the least harmful, well except when/ if the piece goes to a refinisher who won't like you very much one is bad enough the second makes it worse.
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(06-27-2017, 02:28 PM)daddo Wrote: Ammonia.
is deadly on some finishes.
John
