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<p>[QUOTE="Svenedin, post: 2360124, member: 15615"]Today I decided that the ink stain in one of the drawers was just too much and I should try to do something about it. This isn't just a pen that has leaked it's a whole bottle of blue-black fountain pen ink. When this spillage happened (before I owned the desk) it seems clear that no effort at all was made to mop it up. The ink dried in situ. Perhaps the desk was moved without taking out the drawers and a bottle of ink smashed but nobody noticed.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I was not expecting success as I had assumed that the ink would have soaked deep into the wood given that the inside of the drawer is unfinished with no protective coating of any kind. I thought it was worth a try providing I did not spread the stain further.</p><p><br /></p><p>I started by dabbing at the stain with a ball of cotton wool soaked in hydrogen peroxide (20 volumes). As soon as the cotton wool ball was covered in ink I threw it away and started again with a clean one. I never allowed the wood to become significantly wet. Gradually, over about 2 hours the worst was gone. I then used the same technique using isopropyl alcohol (this must never be allowed to come into contact with shellac French polish or it will strip the finish). Further ink was lifted from the grain. Next, I used some more hydrogen peroxide and ultrafine steel wool but only when almost all the ink had gone. Finally, I cleaned everything down with a damp cloth rinsed clean frequently.</p><p><br /></p><p>I'm very pleased with the result. Admittedly it's not perfect but it helps the desk show some age.</p><p><br /></p><p>Please don’t anyone tell me that a massive ink stain is patina and shouldn’t be cleaned off! </p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]261428[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261429[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261430[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261431[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261432[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Svenedin, post: 2360124, member: 15615"]Today I decided that the ink stain in one of the drawers was just too much and I should try to do something about it. This isn't just a pen that has leaked it's a whole bottle of blue-black fountain pen ink. When this spillage happened (before I owned the desk) it seems clear that no effort at all was made to mop it up. The ink dried in situ. Perhaps the desk was moved without taking out the drawers and a bottle of ink smashed but nobody noticed. Anyway, I was not expecting success as I had assumed that the ink would have soaked deep into the wood given that the inside of the drawer is unfinished with no protective coating of any kind. I thought it was worth a try providing I did not spread the stain further. I started by dabbing at the stain with a ball of cotton wool soaked in hydrogen peroxide (20 volumes). As soon as the cotton wool ball was covered in ink I threw it away and started again with a clean one. I never allowed the wood to become significantly wet. Gradually, over about 2 hours the worst was gone. I then used the same technique using isopropyl alcohol (this must never be allowed to come into contact with shellac French polish or it will strip the finish). Further ink was lifted from the grain. Next, I used some more hydrogen peroxide and ultrafine steel wool but only when almost all the ink had gone. Finally, I cleaned everything down with a damp cloth rinsed clean frequently. I'm very pleased with the result. Admittedly it's not perfect but it helps the desk show some age. Please don’t anyone tell me that a massive ink stain is patina and shouldn’t be cleaned off! [ATTACH=full]261428[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261429[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261430[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261431[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]261432[/ATTACH][/QUOTE]
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