[jrblasde]

I have been working behind the scenes on this cabinet. I tried all kinds of solvents to remove the dark spots on that top right shoulder—acetone, oil-based stain and paint thinner, mineral spirits, etc. I had no luck. Finally I saw a recommendation for oxygenated bleach (i.e., Oxy Clean). Apparently you mix it with hot water just as I did when I tried the oxalic acid. Brush it into the wood with a stiff brush and keep reapplying every 10-15 minutes until the stains lighten. I did have a good degree of success. I saw the detergent bubbling in those areas and I eventually started brushing a lot of black material out of the pores of the wood. I really thought I had done it!

That is, until I started the process of restaining. Immediately those pesky dark spots came right back. I grew frustrated and gave it up for the night. But the next morning I noticed the yucky set I bought locally in the garage. It’s got a lot of deep gouges on the cabinet, but I happened to notice that the same right shoulder had no damage! The left shoulder and the top veneer are both ruined, but it occurred to me that I can dismantle it and use that right shoulder in place of the one on the radio I’ve been refinishing. I was able to remove it from the scrap radio, strip the finish, and clean up the joint grooves a bit. Here it is, shown laying on top of the console in progress. This evening I’m going to attempt to remove the stained up shoulder and replace it with this one.

   

It’s nice to see that I’m slowly matching the color of stain that I need to achieve! Here it is, shown against the left shoulder that I’ve been restaining.