Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Dodger]

Hi.Any expert woodworkers on this forum.?
Does anyone know how i would go about removing this waterstain from the woodwork.? It was already stained when i got the van last year.The skylight had been leaking and this is what its done to the wood panelling.Any ideas please for getting it out.? The panel is bare wood and never been sealed or coated with anything.Any ideas most welcome. Cheers Nick.

[cornish_lass]

Hi Nick

Bit of a problem there What sort of area does the water staining cover?

No expect woodworker here, but I have had experience of this when I purchased my van as it had been left with few windows in and open to the elements.

I tackled it in three ways - firstly it was sanded down to get rid of the really hard outline of the water stain. The wood was then stained with wood dye and varnished. The second way was to cover it up by painting any areas that could be. The third (and most drastic) was to remove the worst stained panels and replace them with new wood.

All ways worked well and look good now. Just a matter of perserverance and hard work.

Good luck with it.

Cornish Lass

[Uncle Joe]

No problem at all to remove the stain.

Start by sanding the area with 100 grit, then 150 grit, then 220 grit.

Apply dilute oxalic acid with a sponge. Let it dry.

Sand again with 220.

If the mark has not gone, apply the acid again, and sand.

Finally, mix up a WATER BASED stain that is LIGHTER than the original colour to get the colour back. This will raise the grain, so you will have to sand and restain. The second coat will be darker and closer to original.

UJ

[Dodger]

Hi Cornish lass and Uncle Joe. Thanks for the info.Spot on. Ive had a go at getting the stain out today and after lots of elbow, it sems to be coming out quite well.It doesnt seem to have penetrated as deep as i first thought.I think it looked worse than it actually was.I might be able to get away with just some more sanding.
Thanks for the advice. Nick..

[Uncle Joe]

Just a word to the wise on this point, even if it appears that you have removed all of the stain by sanding, quite often you havent, and it will reappear after a time. Thats part of the reason to use the acid.

UJ

[buzzy bee]

Hi

If you need to get oxalic acid, you can get it from beekeeping shops, in small amounts, we use it to control the varroa mite.

If you don't know of a beekeeping store, here is one for you; www.thorne.co.uk

Cheers and good luck

Dave

[Uncle Joe]

Buzzy, to save you a bit of money, you can also get oxalic acid from woodworking shops.....come in bigger tins!

By the way, it should be warm when applied, forgot that!

UJ

[pigtin]

Didn't they used to supply a two-part pack of chemicals for removing stains from the woodwork of Morris Travellers etc' ? seem to remember one being loaned to me, waaay back.
We used to get oil stains out of wooden bowling lanes by using Fullers Earth.
Probably outdated info, but I thought I'd mention it.
Don.

[Uncle Joe]

I dont remember such a kit, but I would have epected that it would have comprised of pre-mixed oxalic acid, and then either a suitable stain or varnish.

Can anyone shed any light on pigtins memory?

UJ

[pigtin]

Oddly enough someone gave me this kit in 1969 and I only threw it away in the last year-or-so. Dredging my memory I seem to recall that there was some sort of bleaching agent (that I was told to be careful of) and a basecoat/sealant.
Seems UJ you may be right about the kit contents.

[Uncle Joe]

If one component was a bleaching agent, then it would without doubt have been Oxalic acid.

The other component of the kit was probably grain filler. Ash has what is known as an open grain, and has to be filled before a good surface can be obtained. Possibly the filler would have been tinted to get the colour back. The whole lot would then have been varnished.

Maybe I should put one of these kits together, and start selling them to owners of Travellers and caravans? I know where to get all of the things!

UJ

[Dodger]

hi.Thanks for all the advice.i did manage to get the stain out with sanding down.I also managed to get some oxalic acid and have treated the area.So hopefully,it shouldnt re-appear at a later date. i had never heard of oxalic acid before,so you learn something new everyday.! Many thanks to all who replied.It was a great help. Nick.

[Uncle Joe]

Just a final word on this. THe oxalic acid will turn the stain into a powder. Treat the area, let it dry, and remove the powder. then repeat the proces. No powder = no stain. And dont forget to dilute it!

UJ

[Dodger]

Thanks Uncle Joe.Will remember that.its been done a couple of days now with no appearance of the stain again.Going to leave it for a while,just to make absolutely sure. cheers Nick.