[skowen]

I'm finishing up a restoration of an old (1970's) Marantz receiver and moving on to the wood case now. The case looks to have a water stain on it that I can't get rid of. I've removed the finish and a decent amount of wood from the surface with 180grit sandpaper, but the stain seems to be pretty deep. Any way to get rid of this stain? Would wood bleach help here? For context, this is a ~1/4" thick piece of walnut (I think)...not veneered.

Any tips are appreciated - this is my first woodworking venture...

 

[Steve Neul]

If you can determine that it is 1/4" thick walnut I would try to sand it out first with more coarse sandpaper, maybe starting with 80x. Bleach would also work but would give the walnut an odd color and be difficult to bring back to a natural color. If it is veneer then bleach is your only option.

 

[HowardAcheson]

First, have you removed the existing finish using a chemical paint stripper? You need to do this to better mask any color difference when you remove the stain.

The bleach you use to remove water stains from wood is oxalic acid. You can buy it at many real paint stores and I have seen it at some big boxes. It might also be labeled as "wood bleach" but be sure to read the label to ensure you are getting oxalic aced. Follow the directions on the label. Apply the bleach to the whole panel to get the most even results. Keep the area wet until the stain is minimized. Let the surface fully dry rinse well to remove any remains of the oxalic acid. Sand and apply your chosen clear clear coat.