First-World Problems...

This isn't really a First-World Problem, although worrying about the patina of an old table isn't high on most people's lists of important topics...

But that is my grandparents' first dining room table, given to them for their wedding. It was passed along until it ended up in my house, mostly because my sister was moving and didn't want it in her new place! And since Chez Dildo is the repository for all unwanted things, it arrived here a few years ago.

Sure, it's clunky and heavy and stained dark, which was the style of the time but incongruous now. But it is also 100 years old, has some family history, and has a style all its own. Those wear marks are a result of thousands of meals and chats and arguments and discussions over the course of many years. My grandparents and parents and uncles and aunts and cousins and I sat at that table! And I remember eating my grandmother's blintzes and chopped chicken liver and plotting to get some raisinets afterward.

I could refinish it down to bare wood, maybe remove the leaves, and have a perfectly serviceable and sturdy table. Or...I could just clean it up a bit and keep those memories embedded in the table!

Posted by: CBD at 01:45 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Two words: pecan oil.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:46 PM (aD39U)

2 Just rub the nut meat on the scratches.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:46 PM (aD39U)

3 Trifecta?

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:46 PM (aD39U)

4 I will summon The Others.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:47 PM (aD39U)

5 Nooded, and yet alone.

I feel like the last living in cell in Joe Biden's brain.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:48 PM (aD39U)

6 Putin Power Painter

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at June 25, 2023 01:48 PM (63Dwl)

7 Keep the memories. Some day that's all you'll have.

Posted by: Dr Pork Chops & Bacons at June 25, 2023 01:48 PM (BdMk6)

8 Good afternoon everyone.

Posted by: Tonypete at June 25, 2023 01:49 PM (qoGsy)

9 A little Old English will take care of that.

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 25, 2023 01:50 PM (ga8qR)

10 I restored my mother's drop leaf table years ago. She loves it.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at June 25, 2023 01:50 PM (79Su5)

11 Use Howards. You don't have to strip it. It restores the finish. Folks use it on treadle sewing machines a lot. I plan to use it on my $8 kitchen table, which has had a hard life.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 25, 2023 01:50 PM (ouTlx)

12 Pecan Oil? Please say more…..

Posted by: Scanner Dan at June 25, 2023 01:50 PM (AFw0k)

13 Just rub the nut meat on the scratches.

Same as in town?

Posted by: Itinerant Alley Butcher at June 25, 2023 01:51 PM (ga8qR)

14 Mrs. Voter and I were married in September 1965 and as I went on to law school that fall we bought a maple dining room table with a drop leaf. Just fine for our then small kitchen. Added the middle leaves and it was our dining room table. Then it got passed down to our oldest daughter who had an outdoor dining patio. The table stayed there in the sun and rain for years--and now, some 58 years later it's finally been retired--warped and beat up. But it served two generations just fine.

Posted by: Comanche Voter at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (cB7nX)

Posted by: Pervo Pete at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (f7ZuQ)

16 I vote you leave it mostly as is. Have the Italians re-finished the Coliseum?

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (AMIL/)

17 Hopefully, family will continue to keep it after you have no need anymore. I disposed of many, many family (to me) keepsakes and furniture before our move. Even the kids that are just starting out didn't want anything to do with them.

They rather buy that garbage from Ikea. And good silver or dinnerware? fergitaboutit!!

Posted by: Tonypete at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (qoGsy)

18 Throw a table cloth over it.

Posted by: Bob at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (vHUcF)

19

Stain it with your precious bodily fluids and make memories for a lifetime!

Posted by: Pervo Pete at June 25, 2023 01:54 PM (f7ZuQ)

20 >>Just rub the nut meat on the scratches.

uh ....

Posted by: JackStraw at June 25, 2023 01:54 PM (ZLI7S)

21 CBD messing with the time/space/ conundrum

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2023 01:55 PM (xhxe8)

22 21 CBD messing with the time/space/ conundrum

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2023 01:55 PM (xhxe

First World Problem: Can no longer set my clocks by CBDs posts.

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 01:57 PM (AMIL/)

23 I vote you leave it mostly as is. Have the Italians re-finished the Coliseum?
Posted by: Gref

I worked at a furnituremaker's shop in Boston an eon ago. When we'd go look at the antiques at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, pieces both on display and those in the back rooms many times had marks or blemishes left on them.

The curator's feeling was: "This is where John Adams rested his pipe and it burned the table top.", etc.

Posted by: Tonypete at June 25, 2023 01:57 PM (qoGsy)

24

I had a time/space conundrum break one time... Bus station conundrums are the worst...

Posted by: Pervo Pete at June 25, 2023 01:57 PM (f7ZuQ)

25 Leave it alone, maybe coat of wax that's it. My uncle took a few antiques and stripped then to bare wood. One is a probably turn of the century wind up gramophone made of oak, I cringe every time I see it.

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2023 01:58 PM (xhxe8)

26 I had a time/space conundrum break one time...
Posted by: Pervo Pete

How could anyone know that for certain?

Just saying.

Posted by: Tonypete at June 25, 2023 01:59 PM (qoGsy)

27 @16 Have the Italians re-finished the Coliseum?

Um. https://tinyurl.com/ypub3ara

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at June 25, 2023 02:00 PM (4PZHB)

28

Schrödingers conundrum... You never know until you pull out...

Posted by: Pervo Pete at June 25, 2023 02:00 PM (f7ZuQ)

29 For anything wood, I use: Howard Restore & Finish. Really like the fact that you can't tell what wood was recently "touched up" and what wood was not.

Posted by: that guy at June 25, 2023 02:01 PM (fS/7P)

30 CBD I feel you totally!

we live in an older home with decent square footage so we've ended up with basically all the heirloom furniture.

now we're thinking of moving and downsizing and cannot get rid of solid wood, incredibly well made pieces! things you see online for sale for thousands - but you have to find the buyer! Ive had dealers over and they love everything and it's all in fantastic shape ... but young buyers have no interest in "heavy" solid wood pieces - even dining room tables!

I have one from France here that has the extensions within the frame - you don't have to store them. it's ingeniously made! solid walnut. no one likes walnut anymore apparently.

the veneer mid-century stuff from my grandparents? sold IMMEDIATELY! very in. just not solid wood that's much older ?!?

so for now I'm keeping and hopeful that at least one child will be willing to adopt a very nice, not too big, and fully adjustable French dining room table (plus a set of nice curvy matching chairs).

that's just one piece - I have lovely beds with carved canopies ... oh well!

but I feel like I have to take care of these, and they're also functional and lovely so.

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:01 PM (w0NJk)

31 Nooded, and yet alone.

I feel like the last living in cell in Joe Biden's brain.
Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:48 PM (aD39U)

Now THAT is a first world problem!

Posted by: Diogenes at June 25, 2023 02:02 PM (e4fEA)

32 First World Problem: Can no longer set my clocks by CBDs posts.

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 01:57 PM (AMIL/)

I have a lot to say today!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:02 PM (PHmov)

33 One of my favorite things in Europe (and even a few places in the U.S.) is climbing up old stone steps that have deep divots in the centers.

Imagine how many tens of thousands of people have walked those steps to create that level of wear!

I feel the same way about "lovingly worn" furniture.

(Of course, I can still remember when each of my children could comfortably fit into the crook of my arm!)

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:03 PM (HlyYF)

34 Is it varnished? Or stained and waxed?

I have a secondhand table that someone decided to wax instead of varnishing (although the legs are varnished). It gets massive rings from hot items, so I just cleaned it up and put a tablecloth on it. The lower part is the coolest: metal animal paws with claws just above the floor.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at June 25, 2023 02:03 PM (/+bwe)

35 oh and don't strip the wood no no no. I like the pecan oil idea. just gently give the wood some life.

wood (to me, a gardener) is still semi-alive if cared for as furniture. oil is what it wants! and love.

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:03 PM (w0NJk)

36 "I have a lot to say today!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:02 PM"

Evergreen statement!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (HlyYF)

37 You know, if there were a regular commenter with extensive experience in dealing antiques, that person could probably write up quite an article on this subject.

I had a great aunt (she really was, too) in upstate New York who was around for the great incursion of NYC antique-hunters in the mid XX century. She said there were shops in every county that specialized in making junk into antiques, and antiques "older," by beating them up and damaging the finish on otherwise unmolested pieces.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (4PZHB)

38 I would like to lighten it a bit and show more of the wood, but there is a fine line between that and destroying the original finish.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (PHmov)

39 My FWP..

I replaced a few deck boards awhile ago. The originals were rotting out. Last Friday I found one of those replacements had already rotted out by stepping on it and having my right leg go through it.

Both legs are torn up pretty good, sprained my wrist, but avoided any broken bones and did not require stiches.

The board I went through was only a year and a half old.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (Q4IgG)

40 oh and don't strip the wood no no no. I like the pecan oil idea. just gently give the wood some life.

I have to disagree. I can't see the whole table, but if it isn't some rare and valuable antique, I'd much rather have it looking its best.

I inherited a small drop leaf table from my parents house. It had been there as long as I can remember. When I got it, it was in fairly rough shape, but I had it refinished, and now it's a showpiece - the first thing people see when they come in the house.

Posted by: Archimedes at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (eOEVl)

41 The neat thing about furniture like this is the wood. The table is a hundred years old. It was likely made from a sizable tree...maybe two hundred years old...three hundred...? Who knows for sure. The wood is history. The family remembrances give it character.

Posted by: Diogenes at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (e4fEA)

42 I know an excellent guy who could do as you wish CBD, here in West Chester. he LOVES the old pieces and doesn't "mess" with anything. restores (carefully).

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (w0NJk)

43 Evergreen statement!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (HlyYF)

I am rarely at a loss for words...valuable or worthless is the question!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (PHmov)

44 Kiwi brown shoe polish. Seriously.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 25, 2023 02:07 PM (DhOHl)

45 I had a great aunt (she really was, too) in upstate New York who was around for the great incursion of NYC antique-hunters in the mid XX century. She said there were shops in every county that specialized in making junk into antiques, and antiques "older," by beating them up and damaging the finish on otherwise unmolested pieces.
Posted by: Way, Way Downriver

Sometimes, one may have 'aged' a replacement piece of wood by burying it in a barnyard full of cow manure for a year or so.

But I wouldn't know anything about that. . . .

Posted by: Tonypete at June 25, 2023 02:07 PM (qoGsy)

46 that sucks Martini Farmer

we are replacing boards outside with TREX. I'm cheap so bit by bit!

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:08 PM (w0NJk)

47 I know an excellent guy who could do as you wish CBD, here in West Chester. he LOVES the old pieces and doesn't "mess" with anything. restores (carefully).

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (w0NJk)

I used to know a guy...but he seems to have moved to deepest hipster Brooklyn, and I'm just not going there.

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:09 PM (PHmov)

48 Firewood.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at June 25, 2023 02:10 PM (R/m4+)

49

A hipster once bit my sister...

Posted by: Johnny Noir at June 25, 2023 02:10 PM (f7ZuQ)

50 now we're thinking of moving and downsizing and cannot get rid of solid wood, incredibly well made pieces! things you see online for sale for thousands - but you have to find the buyer! Ive had dealers over and they love everything and it's all in fantastic shape ... but young buyers have no interest in "heavy" solid wood pieces - even dining room tables!

Hang on awhile longer if you can. It will come back in fashion, just as midcentury modern has.

I have the same situation with all our cut crystal. Kids no longer want it, nor do they want china. I predict that will change bigly in the next 10-15 years, and people will pay ungodly sums for things you can't give away now.

Posted by: Archimedes at June 25, 2023 02:10 PM (eOEVl)

51 Howard example:

https://tinyurl.com/yc48uzyk

Posted by: Notsothoreau at June 25, 2023 02:10 PM (ouTlx)

52 A little shoe polish might stain it back to close to the original color. Not that that's a professional fix in any way but that just popped into my head. Yes alcohol may be involved....

Posted by: NC Ref at June 25, 2023 02:11 PM (fnmJK)

53 Not a new table.

Should NOT look like a new table.

Refinishing will make it into a "Meg Ryan" table.

Posted by: Marooned at June 25, 2023 02:11 PM (kt8QE)

54 I am rarely at a loss for words...valuable or worthless is the question!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM

Some people cast pearls before swine. You cast bacon before Morons!

One of these things is not like the other.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:11 PM (HlyYF)

55 Mmmm... bacon!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 25, 2023 02:13 PM (DhOHl)

56 George Washington’s hatchet

Posted by: Pete Bog at June 25, 2023 02:14 PM (PeCRz)

57 46 we are replacing boards outside with TREX. I'm cheap so bit by bit!

Posted by: BlackOrchid at June 25, 2023 02:08 PM

I saw an advert the other day for yet another competitor to TREX.

I keep hoping the prices on those products will go down some day - they never do!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:14 PM (HlyYF)

58 I am typing at my grandmother's desk right now. My dad rebuilt and refinished it. When he started, it was a pile of pieces that had been badly treated by a "professional" furniture refinisher that my uncle hired. Now, it is in better than original condition and will still be around another 90 years. Dad was a fine carpenter and builder.

Posted by: huerfano at June 25, 2023 02:16 PM (7zEAH)

59 ask REDACTED

Posted by: retired DDS at June 25, 2023 02:16 PM (iNp3L)

60 Pressure treated lumber five-quarter and thicker holds up all right, IF you can leave gaps between the boards for drainage and drying. Once you need a solid deck, synthetic is the only way to go. Treated wood will still change shape, and act as a host for other life forms.

Prices ratchet up with oil and plastic components, but even so there is a sale season. When Menard's puts plastic deck boards on sale, they're competitive with treated lumber.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at June 25, 2023 02:17 PM (4PZHB)

61 Reloading bench!

Posted by: Weasel at June 25, 2023 02:20 PM (RG6z4)

62 We have a kitchen table we bought 25 years ago at pottery barn. It has been sitting in the sunny part of the room and abused by diners for all that time. Even has character marks from a chewing Great Dane puppy. It was the perfect height.

It’s so beaten up that now I tell people it came from a Spanish farm house and is 300 years old. Regular wax and lots of conversations keep it shiny.

Posted by: Pete Bog at June 25, 2023 02:22 PM (PeCRz)

63 Homer Fornby. Comes in a metal can with a screw top lid.

Posted by: Queequeg the Harpooner at June 25, 2023 02:23 PM (9X60i)

64 In my section of "flyover country" part of the juvie criminal justice system includes a boys ranch.

A few guys I know volunteer time out there to teach some valuable skills to the miscreants.

The facility has actually earned a reputation for excellent work at restoring furniture! The old guy that runs that particular program only has one standard - which is 100% perfect. If they screw up a piece, they have to strip it back down, and start over.

Not great for true antiques, but very good for "family" furniture. My wife and I had a giant dining room table refinished and they did a beautiful job.

***Further, I do like the program. The volunteers say they can easily tell which boys are trying to learn something and improve their lives, and have no desire to go back to juvie or to jail!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:24 PM (HlyYF)

65 56 George Washington’s hatchet

This is that old chestnut that says if you replace the broken handle. And later the cracked axe head at what point does it cease to be George Washington’s axe?

Posted by: Pete Bog at June 25, 2023 02:25 PM (PeCRz)

66 FWIW, I'd make certain the next dildo family meal was around that table with a toast to the generations who gathered around it previously.

I'm kinda sappy that way. I have my grandfather's cast iron skillet and Dutch oven. And my great grandmother's Sterling. And I use them!

Posted by: nurse ratched at June 25, 2023 02:26 PM (U2p+3)

67 Prices ratchet up with oil and plastic components, but even so there is a sale season. When Menard's puts plastic deck boards on sale, they're competitive with treated lumber.

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at June 25, 2023 02:17 PM

For me, the best characteristic is no splinters in bare feet.

I think the maternal side of the Idiot family must be descended from a long line of "foot shufflers"!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:30 PM (HlyYF)

68 I concur with the votes for an oil finish: it will nourish the exposed wood without ruining the finish. If it is 100 years old and solid wood, to buy the equivalent new will cost thousands of dollars (ask how I know).

The patina and blemishes are part your family's history. To strip that away would be a tragedy.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at June 25, 2023 02:34 PM (pJWtt)

69 You are very lucky I'm not about to express an opinion about refinishing the table. That opinion would be dumb.

Posted by: That Northernlurker what lurkd at June 25, 2023 02:35 PM (VdGjU)

70 You can’t take it with you but you can enjoy it as long as possible. Do want you want to it and enjoy.

Posted by: 4thewin at June 25, 2023 02:36 PM (Q599A)

71 The patina and blemishes are part your family's history. To strip that away would be a tragedy.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at June 25, 2023 02:34 PM (pJWtt)

This is the way I am tending...

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:36 PM (PHmov)

72 My Mom bought a round, claw-foot oak table that was an antique in the 70's. She had me help her strip it, and re-finish it blond. Broke my heart.
But I got it when she died. It had two leaves that rarely saw the sunlight, and they still had the original stain.
I stripped it down again, made 3 more leaves (the carcass breaks apart, which I'm pretty sure she never knew) and re-stained it. You can't tell the original leaves from the new.
Goes from a 3' round to 90".
I love this table.

Posted by: MkY at June 25, 2023 02:36 PM (cPGH3)

73
This is the way I am tending...
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:36 PM (PHmov)
-----
What does Mrs. D think?

Posted by: Weasel at June 25, 2023 02:37 PM (RG6z4)

74 Put a couple of slices of cheese between the two pieces and grill it up . Would make a good sandwich

Posted by: Smell the Glove at June 25, 2023 02:37 PM (/WhKw)

75 Hearing thunder

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2023 02:38 PM (xhxe8)

76 It's a pleasure to create a treasure.

Posted by: Homer Formby at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (aD39U)

77 I have a cherry wood dresser built by my family back in the mid 1800s. It's one of my most treasured possessions.

Posted by: NC Ref at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (fnmJK)

78 My first world problem is more like a third world or communist problem. my stupid state has banned plastic grocery bags, and I am running out. I use them for taking my lunch to work, and they're very handy and I get multiple uses out of them. but now if I want plastic bags I have to go to Wyoming, which is a much less stupid state. Stupid Colorado. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

79 My family had a huge dining table that my grandmother had inherited from her mother. Very pretty hone colored wood, and built to last forever. I forget who got it, but I think it was my brother.

I got Dad's piano, which I need to get tuned and some TLC on the wood.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:42 PM (T/Lqj)

80 Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

Then I assume you live in a state that will soon try to start charging you taxes per mile you drive. That's the goal since gasoline tax receipts are down significantly . I do expect what will pass easily is taxing EV charging stations per kilowatts used.

Posted by: polynikes at June 25, 2023 02:43 PM (FuraN)

81 Our dining room table is one my folks bought at an antique shop or second hand store back in the 50s. It is round with a massive footed pedestal. At one point I traced it to the 1880s. It is SOLID Honduran mahogany, not veneer, and has a fitted wooden case that holds five extension leaves, also solid mahogany. The wood is absolutely beautiful. Even the casters are original. We all did our homework on it from kindergarten onward, it had room for family gatherings, and served for immense jigsaw puzzles. I have it for two reasons: my siblings weren't interested and I was the only family member able to lift it up. It may be a valuable antique, not sure, but I hope one of the nieces or nephews (or eventually their kids) might want it when the time comes.

Posted by: JTB at June 25, 2023 02:43 PM (7EjX1)

82 I would like to lighten it a bit and show more of the wood, but there is a fine line between that and destroying the original finish.
Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (PHmov)

Maybe a bit of saddle soap and a damp rag will be sufficient to get grime out of the pores of the wood; but you definitely want to use a light hand.

We had inherited a 3-piece set of furniture from Mrs. Cop's great-grandmother. A mild cleaning of the leather and wood worked wonders. After I re-webbed the springs, the furniture now has pride-of-place in our "formal" living room.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at June 25, 2023 02:44 PM (pJWtt)

83 just got in from a walk

yep, that is a typical draw leaf table, may 80 years old, maybe 120 years old

and it doesn't have a patina cuz the finish is opaque, basically painted, which will come off in a jiffy with very little work and chemicals

the wood is probably a decent grade of white oak and will take to a good finish

just don't sand it down. Just lightly remove the hair which is brought up by the stripping and cleaning

then a couple of coats of shellac to seal off any oils the table has collected, then you can glaze it to your liking and use lacquer after that. Wax with fine steel wool and it will be nice

but what would I know ??

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 02:44 PM (us2H3)

84 Never tried but, I've heard you can use shoe polish.

Posted by: BignJames at June 25, 2023 02:45 PM (AwYPR)

85 If you don't want to refinish you can always use it as a picnic table.

Posted by: polynikes at June 25, 2023 02:45 PM (FuraN)

86 JTB, I bought one like yours, except in oak, in NJ. It was very nice. Kept it for around 15 years and then gave it to somebody during a move. It was heavy.

Posted by: Pudinhead at June 25, 2023 02:45 PM (8Sqzu)

87 > Hearing thunder
Posted by: Skip
____________

My weather station recorded about 900 lightning strikes this morning. 2.5" of rain. And the national weather service is telling me those storms were NOT the "main event." Those are coming around dinnertime. With chances of hail, damaging winds and tornados.

FML

Posted by: Martini Farmer at June 25, 2023 02:46 PM (Q4IgG)

88 Mrs. F. has an awful little coffee table she won't part with because she insists her grandad built it.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at June 25, 2023 02:48 PM (RIvkX)

89 27 @16 Have the Italians re-finished the Coliseum?

Um. https://tinyurl.com/ypub3ara

Posted by: Way, Way Downriver at June 25, 2023 02:00 PM (4PZHB)

Call me when they complete the re-finishing/restoration. Any day now. Only 250,000 pieces to go. :-)

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 02:51 PM (AMIL/)

90 this table is the reason why I actually hated the antique business

it is a soulless endeavor for money

you have divorce yourself from sentiment and after time, you become totally numb

I'm just now beginning to recover

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 02:53 PM (us2H3)

91 16 I vote you leave it mostly as is. Have the Italians re-finished the Coliseum?

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 01:53 PM (AMIL/)
----
The Mafia keeps stealing all the bricks.

Posted by: Ciampino --- Be realistic: expect a miracle at June 25, 2023 02:54 PM (qfLjt)

92 ... It had two leaves that rarely saw the sunlight, and they still had the original stain.
... and re-stained it. You can't tell the original leaves from the new....

Posted by: MkY at June 25, 2023 02:36 PM (cPGH3)

Several years ago, we moved to shorten my commute to work. One of my objectives was to have a genuine mid-century liquor cabinet. I found one on Ebay that was gorgeous except for the fact that someone had put liquor bottles on the top and the alcohol had eaten-away the shellac finish in two big spots.

I got it for a pretty good price. I put oil finish on the exposed wood to renourish it. Several days later, I brushed some shellac on the bad spots. A day later, I stripped down the entire top with 300-grit sandpaper. I then applied several light coats of the Minwax spray lacquer on the entire top. Except for some slight darkening of the old damage, you can't tell the new finish from the old finish on the remainder of the cabinet.

It's teak with a great red-ish color and nobody notices the old damage unless I point it out to them. My grandson-in-law gets it when I go to the Big Book Store in the Sky.

Posted by: Retired Buckeye Cop is now an engineer at June 25, 2023 02:55 PM (pJWtt)

93 a good restorer could make the table look like a million

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 02:55 PM (us2H3)

94 S IL here 104 creeping to 105.

Posted by: Ciampino - There's a fine line between the numerator and the denominator at June 25, 2023 02:55 PM (qfLjt)

95 43 Evergreen statement!

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at June 25, 2023 02:05 PM (HlyYF)

I am rarely at a loss for words...valuable or worthless is the question!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 02:06 PM (PHmov)

CBD, I always find your written words valuable.

But your art choices...ummm. Valuable is not quite the word I'd use.

Posted by: Semi-brown noser Gref at June 25, 2023 02:58 PM (AMIL/)

96 I'm getting my car washed/waxed. I've parked it outside for most of the last 7 years, and most of that under a sappy tree. They need an extra hour. I wonder what it'll look like. Haven't seen it clean in 6 years.

Posted by: SFGoth at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (0iit9)

97 but now if I want plastic bags I have to go to Wyoming, which is a much less stupid state. Stupid Colorado. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son

Why not order a case of them? They're not expensive.

Posted by: Taq, Rickrolled by Jesus at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (kjOVp)

98 CBD, I always find your written words valuable.

But your art choices...ummm. Valuable is not quite the word I'd use.
Posted by: Semi-brown noser Gref at June 25, 2023 02:58 PM (AMIL/)

Eclectic. Some of his art postings are wonderful (Caravaggio for example) but there are others that make me cringe.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (T/Lqj)

99 CBD, I always find your written words valuable.

But your art choices...ummm. Valuable is not quite the word I'd use.
Posted by: Semi-brown noser Gref at June 25, 2023 02:58 PM (AMIL/)

sir, you underestimate yourself

you are a complete brown noser

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (us2H3)

100 Area getting pop up T-storms but they can just as quick disappear or hang out in a location of a few square miles and not move. Hasn't rained but still hearing thunder

Posted by: Skip at June 25, 2023 03:03 PM (xhxe8)

101 Why not order a case of them? They're not expensive.
Posted by: Taq, Rickrolled by Jesus at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (kjOVp)

Not a bad idea, but I still like my idea of getting the hell out of this stupid place.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 03:03 PM (T/Lqj)

102 Frenchies.
I would love to see a similar scene playing out in the Moslem areas!
https://is.gd/4nfugY

Posted by: Ciampino -- There's a fine line between the numerator and the denominator at June 25, 2023 03:04 PM (qfLjt)

103 [i
My first world problem is more like a third world or communist problem. my stupid state has banned plastic grocery bags, and I am running out. I use them for taking my lunch to work, and they're very handy and I get multiple uses out of them. but now if I want plastic bags I have to go to Wyoming, which is a much less stupid state. Stupid Colorado. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

Go to the US FOOD or whatever restaurant supply company, or online, and buy "T Shirt Bags" of the correct size

Posted by: Kindltot at June 25, 2023 03:05 PM (xhaym)

104 It's not about the art.

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at June 25, 2023 03:07 PM (DhOHl)

105 2 Just rub the nut meat on the scratches.
Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 01:46 PM (aD39U)

Just put the lime in the coconut?

Posted by: m at June 25, 2023 03:07 PM (LdYi7)

106 97 here outside of Houston, Texas where the sun shines most of the time. Feels like 113 in the shade.

So, it's a great day to be smoking a brisket and drinking Shiner Bock beer.

Posted by: Count de Monet at June 25, 2023 03:08 PM (4I/2K)

107 [...]but there are others that make me cringe.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (T/Lqj)

Oh good!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 03:08 PM (PHmov)

108 78 My first world problem is more like a third world or communist problem. my stupid state has banned plastic grocery bags
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

I'm stunned that there is a total ban.

Posted by: m at June 25, 2023 03:09 PM (LdYi7)

109 99 CBD, I always find your written words valuable.

But your art choices...ummm. Valuable is not quite the word I'd use.
Posted by: Semi-brown noser Gref at June 25, 2023 02:58 PM (AMIL/)

sir, you underestimate yourself

you are a complete brown noser

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 03:02 PM (us2H3)

Shhhhh. Don't tell anyone!

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 03:10 PM (AMIL/)

110 You only get originality once
It has just come out that Soros invested heavily in Mondelo beer, now the number 1 beer sold in USA since Bud Light tanked

Posted by: Paul at June 25, 2023 03:10 PM (c0lid)

111 From the last thread on "Michigan can now censor you if you hurt someone's feelings"

If there was an opposition party they'd have a list ready to arrest pretty much every elected Democrat in the state on these very charges and get them in front of a judge who will agree with you that they "intimidated" you.

And *that* would make this sort of law go away and never come back again.

But there is no opposition party.

Posted by: 18-1 at June 25, 2023 03:11 PM (lc5cP)

112 What does Mrs. D think?

Posted by: Weasel at June 25, 2023 02:37 PM (RG6z4)

That I better not screw it up!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 03:11 PM (PHmov)

113 Just stop eating lunch. Do it for Earf.

Posted by: greta the gollum at June 25, 2023 03:11 PM (KFhLj)

114 Don't you dare sand it down to bare wood!

Clean it with a weak Simple Green solution, wipe with damp cloth to rinse, then dry.

Rub it down with boiled linseed oil, which is my go-to for wood furniture.

Or apply a good wood wax.

Posted by: butch at June 25, 2023 03:12 PM (wJXGS)

115 Speaking of "first world problems" I've found it almost impossible to hire someone to work on my house.

The companies that respond are too busy, and most don't even respond.

I guess all those COVID checks got put to "good" use

Posted by: 18-1 at June 25, 2023 03:12 PM (lc5cP)

116 Colorado plastic bag law:

Beginning January 1, 2024, the act prohibits stores and retail food establishments from providing single-use plastic carryout bags to customers. Certain retail food establishments, and small stores that operate solely in Colorado and have 3 or fewer locations, may provide single-use plastic carryout bags.

https://tax.colorado.gov/carryout-bag-fee

Posted by: m at June 25, 2023 03:12 PM (LdYi7)

117 78 My first world problem is more like a third world or communist problem. my stupid state has banned plastic grocery bags, and I am running out. I use them for taking my lunch to work, and they're very handy and I get multiple uses out of them. but now if I want plastic bags I have to go to Wyoming, which is a much less stupid state. Stupid Colorado. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

Yeah, that law is dumb. It doesn't save any plastic at all. Now we just have to buy trash bags for our small wastebaskets and bags to carry lunch in. With plastic grocery bags, I would use one to carry lunch a few times and then if it got dirty or developed small tears, I would then use it once more as a trash bag.

It's not any more responsible to buy dedicated trash bags than it was to reuse grocery bags.

Posted by: Emmie -- July 15 ArkanOklaMoMe RSVP email link in nic at June 25, 2023 03:12 PM (Emce2)

118 That Colorado gov site has a section headed "Frequently Asked Questions" and I'm thinking that the questions most frequently asked are NSFW.

Posted by: m at June 25, 2023 03:15 PM (LdYi7)

119 you have something you cherish

that is worth more than all the useless junk in casa REDACTED

Posted by: REDACTED at June 25, 2023 03:16 PM (us2H3)

120 noood

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at June 25, 2023 03:16 PM (PHmov)

121 Nice table. Keep it, dust it, use it. Talk about it. Enjoy it.

Posted by: From about that Time at June 25, 2023 03:17 PM (4780s)

122 117 78 My first world problem is more like a third world or communist problem. my stupid state has banned plastic grocery bags, and I am running out. I use them for taking my lunch to work, and they're very handy and I get multiple uses out of them. but now if I want plastic bags I have to go to Wyoming, which is a much less stupid state. Stupid Colorado. Can't wait to get the hell out of here.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, Keith's Son at June 25, 2023 02:39 PM (T/Lqj)

Yeah, that law is dumb. It doesn't save any plastic at all. Now we just have to buy trash bags for our small wastebaskets and bags to carry lunch in. With plastic grocery bags, I would use one to carry lunch a few times and then if it got dirty or developed small tears, I would then use it once more as a trash bag.

It's not any more responsible to buy dedicated trash bags than it was to reuse grocery bags.

Posted by: Emmie -- July 15 ArkanOklaMoMe RSVP email link in nic at June 25, 2023 03:12 PM (Emce2)

I wonder if Dumb and Corrupt Joe will campaign on ending that fee, along with all the airline fees and other consumer fees he suddenly hates? (To buy some more LIV votes.) Nah.

Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 03:21 PM (AMIL/)

123
I wonder if Dumb and Corrupt Joe will campaign on ending that fee, along with all the airline fees and other consumer fees he suddenly hates? (To buy some more LIV votes.) Nah.
Posted by: Gref at June 25, 2023 03:21 PM (AMIL/)

Nah, "if it saves one earf it is worth it"

Posted by: Kindltot at June 25, 2023 03:33 PM (xhaym)

124 Clean up, keep.

Posted by: Abe Lincoln at June 25, 2023 03:44 PM (Ysyum)

125 The rail splitter is right!

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at June 25, 2023 03:49 PM (PY/t0)

126 We have Mom's baby grand piano. I don't play (hardly ever practiced), and the kids are in apartments. I doubt that any of them will want it.

On top of that, it's in terrible shape. Untuned and missing a footrest peg. So it collects dust in a corner of the living room.

But it's not hurting anything. I may just let it sit there until I kick off, and let the kids deal with its disposal. They probably won't feel any guilt.

Posted by: Weak Geek at June 25, 2023 04:02 PM (p/isN)

127 What do cat owners in Colorado use to dispose of cat litter?

Posted by: Weak Geek at June 25, 2023 04:05 PM (p/isN)

128 Step away from the table. Leave it be.

Posted by: ThomasJD at June 25, 2023 04:09 PM (kjJ/R)

129 Keep it as it is. I still have the dining room table we bought when the mini me's were born. It has all the scratches and fork stabs they made when they were little. Now they are showing their kids the marks and scratches they made. Priceless!!

Posted by: Hagar, Jarl of the North of 0f Flyover Country at June 25, 2023 05:36 PM (JrmG9)

130 Definitely keep it as is, if you have a fancy dinner, just use a table cloth. You could probably even get those pads that go under the table cloth, I would guess they can be custom made. That would give you a good, smooth surface.

I, too, own an old table handed down from generations. It survived Superstorm Sandy.

Posted by: jocon307 at June 25, 2023 05:41 PM (EuROc)

131 A linseed oil rubdown would'nt close the door to any future decisions.

Posted by: Roger s. at June 25, 2023 06:25 PM (ENUIp)

132 We have one, a family heirloom, (nobody else wanted it), oak, weighs an absolute ton and has about half a dozen leaves to make it about 1/2 mile long. We about busted a gut getting it out of my inlaws' apartment, into our truck, and down our basement stairs until we figure out why the heck we took it to begin with. It does fold up to a good size for two, so if we have to move into a small place w/o a dining room, it will come in handy. It's about 200 years old.

Posted by: Meemsie at June 25, 2023 06:39 PM (ZEOPq)

133 I have an old engineer table from Honeywell (the plant by Sky Harbor Int'l Airport in Phoenix, AZ) back when it was AlliedSignal or maybe Garrett Aerospace. Back then, an engineer got a desk and a table to look at blueprints, aircraft parts, or other things. The table was made by carpenters that worked for the company. It's far from perfect, but it is history.

Got some stainless steel tables when Motorola shut down one of their chip making plants around 2000. They held a yard sale and sold them for next to nothing. Those have been put to good use.

Posted by: az_desert_rat at June 25, 2023 07:01 PM (S6qq5)

134 My friend who got me into hunting hunts with an old Remington 700 with a wood stock. It is all dinged up. I made a comment that he should get it refinished. He then proceeded to give me a story about each and every ding.

Posted by: Trapperguy at June 25, 2023 07:59 PM (WyALD)

135 Use a product named Briwax…..It comes in different wax colors. You can go as light or dark as you want, or even use the clear, just to refresh it!
You can order it off Amazon I think, if you can’t find it locally.

Posted by: Cookie at June 25, 2023 08:09 PM (sEpeN)

136 I like using pure tung oil. It's food safe. Once it drys you can wax it with carnuba wax to great luster. I like "The real milk paint" brand.

Posted by: Plain Ol' Bob at June 25, 2023 08:27 PM (i/2Cz)

137 Keep the memories, my friend, keep the memories.

Posted by: Tammy-al Thor at June 25, 2023 09:13 PM (/0f5A)

138 Like Cookie said, Briwax is the best. Gives a nice soft shine. Comes in many shades. I use it on all my outdoor wood patio furniture.

Posted by: Jimmy Doolittle at June 26, 2023 01:53 AM (aTtlU)

139 I have a small end table my grandfather made when he was rehabbing from mustard gas wounds, in 1918. It now sits next to my bed and holds my cpap machine, light and clock. I have beeswax that I'll use to clean off the stains and old varnish, maybe.

Posted by: Dale Sigler at June 26, 2023 09:25 PM (gqVZO)

140 Get rid of it/remake it and set yourself adrift... our memories of our past are what makes our future worthwhile... SAVE it... preserve it.. it's a heirloom.. pass it on to your kids... touch it often ... keep the connection to your past....

Posted by: Jim Raclawski at June 26, 2023 10:47 PM (g0wIc)

141 clean it up ... keep the history and memories ... hell, I wouldn't change a thing ... maybe put some protectant ... no stain ...

Posted by: The Dark Lord at June 27, 2023 01:16 PM (5cMUX)

Processing 0.03, elapsed 0.037 seconds.
15 queries taking 0.0178 seconds, 150 records returned.
Page size 84 kb.
Powered by Minx 0.8 beta.