Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

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Dave Locher
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:56 pm

Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Dave Locher »

Last weekend I discovered the joys of using a scraper to contour my maple/mahogany body. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law's shop is warm and I sweat easily. I dripped right into the bare naked wood about 4 or 5 times, and each time I just quickly wiped with a dry rag and kept going. Now it's a few days later and I can still clearly see each sweat mark, which I assume means there is oil in the wood in those spots. The only good news is that most of them are on the back, not the front.
What can I use to clean the wood before sanding, staining, and spraying? Lacquer thinner? Enamel reducer? Mineral spirits? Denatured alcohol? Oil and wax remover? (These are all chemicals I have.)
Clay Schaeffer
Posts: 1674
Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 12:04 pm

Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Clay Schaeffer »

Hi Dave,
Most people don't sweat oil. A quick wipe down with a damp cloth should remove any sweat ( and salt?) stains that may be on the wood. This may raise the grain a little so you may have to follow up with a light scraping to smooth the wood.
Dave Locher
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Dave Locher »

Are you sure no oil? It sure looks like light oil stains. But I'll assume that once the stains aren't visible that it is no longer a problem. Thank you, Clay.
Ron Belanger
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Joined: Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:54 pm
Location: Orillia, Ontario, Canada
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Ron Belanger »

If it's oil use mineral spirits or naptha. That should pick up any traces of oils.
Dave Locher
Posts: 155
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 2:56 pm

Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Dave Locher »

Thanks, Ron. I wiped it with a wet cloth last night and that took care of some of the stains, but there is one right in the middle that still lingers. On to the mineral spirits!
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Nelson Palen
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Joined: Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:27 pm

Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?

Post by Nelson Palen »

Dave, I know that some woods are oily but never heard of an oily luthier.
Just rattling your cage a little.
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