Primarily Petroliana Shop Talk Forums Shop Talk Petroliana Forums General Petroliana Discussion Bowser 81 country store cabinet oily wood problem

Have this old Bowser cabinet that I am restoring. It is apart and have dipped the wood twice to get rid of the oil that has embedded it. The problem is that it still smells highly of oil, is stained, and there are lots of wood panels that are warped. Any wood workers or furniture restorers with any thought on the oil? I can easily remake the wood for this with the same material, but then how much is too much?

Been awhile since I restored antique furniture/wood. You need to breakdown the oil before you can leach it out of wood, will be hard to remove it all as it gets into cells of the wood.
As far as Un-warping the wood, you'll need to thoroughly soak/drown in water, then lay on a flat surface & Weigh it down, weights will have to be moved around & wood flipped over to insure EVEN drying.
Try to save as much of Original wood as possible, otherwise you just have a Reproduction/Copy of the original cabinet.
Good Luck Craig.

That red Bowser Cabinet is cool Craig! Keep us posted on your progress.

I would try something like brake cleaner or stripper, a soft brissle brush and oil dry.- Just a crazy idea.

and after that kiln dry it ,might work as it take sap and tar out of wood . Process that takes green wood to cured wood. Now all you got to do is find some one that does this process in adjacent with sawmill operation. Good luck

Can't help you with the oil soaked wood but you can straighten warped panels with water and heat. Get them wet, and put them in front of a heat source like a small electric heater. You can leave the panels in the frame and move the heater as needed. They will bow towards the heat.

I refinish furniture as a hobby, but I know your oil problem is something I havent encountered. However, on a hidden spot (underneath or back of the cabinet) make a 50/50 mix of lemon juice and white vinegar in a spray bottle. If you use concentrated lemon juice, you can use less. Mark off a few areas with painters tape. Spray all areas and wipe one off after 5 minutes, one area after 15 minutes and one after 30 minutes. See which area is less oily and smelly without "blonding" the wood. May need to experiment and increase the times to 45/60/2 hrs, etc until you get the desired results. I think this will work. Afterwards, you should neutralize the acid with clear water several times and dry well. The liquid may raise the grain so be careful how long you let it sit. May have to lightly sand w/220. I dont know how you plan on finishing it, but I would give it a generous amount of lemon OIL (not juice), let soak, buff and repeat.
Good luck, nice piece!
John

an added thought. If it still smells oily after the above suggestions, you could try sealing it with tung oil, paste wax or poly. Need to buff tung oil and paste wax to make it harden/seal. Poly would prob work the best, but id hate to see you use poly on that nice old cabinet.
John

I dunno if anyone can do this yer way. I used to be able to have wood striped in a Lye vat here . That stuff will eat anything , including oil . The secret is to find someone competent enoughto be able to soak it and then be able to rinse the chemicals out before they imbed themselves perminetly. Yes , wood can be re- stained as it will eat out all, if not most of the old stain. Ed Shaver

My friend does fire restorations and I believe there is a product that will block odors and keep the wood finish (they make brush on ones that are white but I know there is another one out there too that is clear). Not sure of the name but they might have some at home cheapo. Good luck with your project looks super nice.

You may check on soda blasting, i know they do it to remove smell and smoke from wood in small house fires.

Great thoughts, and alot of information to work with.
Thanks