Cleaning Tip--Wood finish repairs, Make me laugh out loud for the week--Most Livable City

 

             

 

Repairs to Wood Finishes

 

A cigarette burn can be rubbed with a scratch-concealing polish or with some linseed oil mixed with rottenstone. Always rub in the direction of the grain.

Heat marks can be rubbed out gently with extra-fine 0000 steel wool. Another solution is to wipe marred area with a cloth that has been dampened with camphorated oil or mineral spirits. Again, rub in the direction of the grain. After removing the spot, wipe clean and wax or polish the wood to restore the luster.

Spilled nail polish might seem like a disaster, but in this case maybe not. First, blot the spill immediately, then rub with fine steel wool that has been dipped in wax. Finally, wipe clean and wax or polish.

What if paint is dripped onto the wood? If it is still wet and is a latex paint, simply remove it with water as quickly as possible. If it is oil-based paint, use mineral spirits rather than water. But if the paint has dried, soak the spot in boiled linseed oil. Wait until the paint has softened, then lift it very carefully with a putty knife. Again, wax and polish when done.

Tape or other sticky paper that seems to have adhered for life to the wood can be removed by thoroughly dampening the paper with salad oil. Wait about five minutes, then rub the spot with that extra-fine 0000 steel wool.

Candle wax or gum comes off easily after hardening it with an ice cube that has been wrapped in a cloth. A putty knife should be able to lift it at this point. If there is still some residue left, go get that extra-fine 0000 steel wool.

What about water rings? Often the rings are in the wax and not in the wood itself. Try covering the stain with a thick, clean blotter that is pressed down with a warm iron. This process might need to be repeated a couple of times to get the ring completely out. If that doesn't work, try rubbing the rings with salad oil, mayonnaise or white toothpaste. As usual, when done, wipe clean, wax and polish.

For white marks-Rub with a cloth dipped in a mixture of cigarette ashes and lemon juice or salad oil. Or rub with a cloth dipped in lighter fluid, followed by a mixture of rottenstone and salad oil. Wipe dry and wax or polish.

Milk or Alcohol Stains-Use your fingers to rub liquid or paste wax into the stain. Or rub in a paste of boiled linseed oil and rottenstone with the grain, substituting pumice for dull finishes. Or rub with ammonia on a dampened cloth. Wipe dry and wax or polish.

 

Nicks and scratches

 

• Dark Wood or Stain
  Fill scratches with shoe polish that matches the lightest shade of the finish, or rub with walnut or Brazil nut meat in the direction of the scratch. A child's crayon or felt-tipped marker can also be used for wood furniture care.
• Cherry
  Fill the scratches with cordovan or reddish shoe polish that matches the wood, or apply darkened iodine with a cotton swab or thin artist's brush. 
• Light Wood or Stain
  Fill scratches with a tan or natural shoe polish, or apply darkened iodine diluted 50 percent with denatured alcohol to the hardwood furniture.

For a quick temporary fix you can also take the meat from a pecan (for darker wood) or a walnut (for lighter wood) and break in half.  Experiment with whatever nuts you have in the house as each different one creates a different color.  Rub the meat of the nut across the scratch.  There is a natural stain in the nut meat that fills in the scratch.  *This is a quick fix that I have used on occasion and it really does work and cover the scratch.  It just doesn't last forever.

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Make me laugh out loud for the week-Toledo is now one of the finalists with 6 other cities world wide for the title of "Most Livable City".  (Read the article in The Blade here) OhMahGosh!  How funny is that?  Well, if you don't live in or around the Toledo area you might not see the humor in this.  Perhaps I should give you a wee bit of background information.

First and foremost, "Most Livable City", wouldn't that mean that folks would actually WANT to live here rather than leave the city?  Well, here is a fact from Wikipedia about Toledo that disputes the Toledo as the "Most Livable City"...In the 200 census, the city proper had a population of 313,619. As of  July 1, 2006, however, the US Census Bureau listed the city with a reduced population of 298,446.

What?  Are you kidding me?!  Toledo wants to be called the "Most Livable City" yet it has citizens fleeing the area?  I wonder if it has anything to do with the return of Carlton Finkbeiner as our mayor.  Hmm, there's a thought.

Let's take a look at Mayor FINKbeiner...Just this past summer he was cited for parking in a handicapped parking space AND leaving his "beloved" dog, Scout, in the car.  Oh, but he was ever so considerate of poor ol' Scout by leaving the back windows down (so a freak could grab the dog and torture it) and parking in the shade.  Of course, that parking space in the shade was a Handicappedparking space.  So good ol' Scout was in the shade but the poor person looking for a Handicapped parking space that day got screwed.  Yep, good ol' Carty...thinking only of himself and not giving two cents about the handicapped citizens of Toledo.

Of course, this is the same man that recommended we move all the deaf citizens out near the airport because the loud noise wouldn't bother them.  Yep, this embarrassment for Toledo made it all the way to the New York Times.

Let's see, then there was May of 2006 when our city leader referred to our African American Fire Chief as "King Kong".  As if there aren't enough racial divides in this city, now we have our Mayor (whether it was racial or just thoughtless) referring to one of the most respected men in Toledo as "King Kong".  Really, Carlton, if you were referring to his size and strength why not refer to him as "Super Man" or "The Hulk", etc, etc.

In June of 2006 our wonderful Chief of Police, Jack Smith, retired after a "near physical confrontation" with Finkbeiner.  Hmm, amazing...considering that John Skiadas, a local restaurateur, also claimed that Carty physically and verbally attacked him in 2000.

Oh let's not forget the little bit of temper tantrum Carty and his wife threw when they were not given special treatment by the deputies at the Ottawa County jail when their son was an inmate there.  Amazing, the mayor of Toledo and his wife, were treated just like any other citizens and not allowed to visit after visiting hours, or leave the room after the intial search and return.  Hmm, poor dears.

Oh and Carty is just so smart too (my voice is dripping with sarcasm folks).  For instance, this brillant man suggested cafe be built on the Martin Luther King bridge so city employees could eat there while the bridge was undergoing construction. Nice thought, except for the fact that the MLK is a draw bridge, opening frequently to allow ships to pass.  LMAO!

Now let's look beyond Carty and atsome other facts about Toledo.  Let's look at the Toledo Public School system.  Not a lot to consider...the TPS was placed in "academic watch" -the equivalent of a D grade.  Yeah, like the "Most Livable City" in the world would be the one with a near failing school system.

Then there is the failing downtown area, which Carty thinks will flourish by installing fancy new street lights and flowers.  People are afraid to go there!  Just a few blocks from the ball stadium in the area where the hookers and druggies are.  It's not a safe area!  Most of the time I get lost when I am forced to go in that area, half the freaking streets are one way. 

There is no free public parking, at least not that I know of.  The parking that is available cost's an arm and a leg.  I suppose if you don't mind stealing parking from the handicapped it might be easier to find parking, huh Carty?

The one really good thing about Toledo is the Care Net Plan that our former Mayor Jack Ford got in place.  It helps those that aren't elligible for Medi-caid, but too poor for Insurance, get the chance to receive doctors visits on an Income based scale.

We also have things like the Toledo Zoo, The Toledo Museum of Art, COSI a science museum, and are close to a lot of really neat little towns.  We have an overwhelming number of Malls (some of which are delapedated and run down with very few businesses).  There is a convenience store on nearly every corner.  If ya like porn we have lots of those nasty little buildings all over the place too. 

Of course, we do have some beautiful nature parks.  Hm, but then I don't know how safe those are either.  A few years back they had a police sting in one of them because of men pulling in and picking up other men for sexual encounters.  Oh yeah, sounds like a really great place to take your children to, huh?

Yeah right, "Most Livable City", where everyone is trying to leave and businesses are leaving too.   Owens-Illinois has relocated to suburban Perrysburg.  Fed-Ex is also relocating to Perrysburg and our "lovable" (yep, insert sarcasm here too) mayor also made a fool of himself upon discovering that Fed-Ex was looking at other sites outside of Toledo. 

Well, to the other 6 cities, looking to acquire the title of  "Most Livable City", I am sure you don't have too much to fear in the way of competition from Toledo.   Just my humble opinion.  Me?  I can't wait to move back to a small town where I feel safe and free enough to let my child play outside.

Have a great day & hugs to all my friends!

 

Tags: cleaning tip, wood, repair, scratches, nick, stains, water marks, Toledo ohio, most livable city, carty finkbeiner