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.)
Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
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.
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.
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
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.
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
If it's oil use mineral spirits or naptha. That should pick up any traces of oils.
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
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!
- Nelson Palen
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Re: Sweated on my bare wood. Now what?
Dave, I know that some woods are oily but never heard of an oily luthier.
Just rattling your cage a little.
Just rattling your cage a little.