Mayonnaise as a Repair Lotion

[telescopes]

For anyone owning an antique table with a lacquer finish, knows that a dab of mayonnaise can do wonders to remove haze or a water ring.

I wondered what it would do on an old pipe where one of the sides has developed a bit of hazing?

Wonders. After 40 minutes, the finish has been restored beyond my expectations.

Wipe on. Let sit. Wipe off and remove the rest with a damp cloth and then dry.

Anyone else try this trick on a pipe.

 

[JOHN72]

Damn it, Douglas. mayonnaise to repair wood? I have to try it, what the hell.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

What’s the world coming to? Before you know it, we’ll be using nose oil or grape seed oil and steel wool.

 

[bassbug]

Mayo is basically oil, raw egg yolks and either lemon juice or vinegar. I can think of much better options to shine a pipe.

Full disclosure...I hate shiny pipes. All my smooth finish pipes have had 400 grit taken to them.

 

[AJL67]

I honestly came in thinking this was going to be a thread about repairing a crack in a meer lol

 

[telescopes]

Mayo is basically oil, raw egg yolks and either lemon juice or vinegar. I can think of much better options to shine a pipe.

Full disclosure...I hate shiny pipes. All my smooth finish pipes have had 400 grit taken to them.

What the mayo does and does very well, is remove water moisture that builds up under a lacquer. I have a ming style oriental table with sumac lacquer and it was the best solution for removing heat haze and water rings without the use of sanding. It did it very well and I know others who have used it in the oriental restoration business. I did NOT use it to shine a pipe and no where did I suggest that this is why I did it. The lacquer had developed a haze, as pipe lacquers often do - in one particular place. I want to clarify your comment specifically so that no one reads that I used it to "shine" the pipe. I have better options for that. My goal was to remove buildup from under the lacquer.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I honestly came in thinking this was going to be a thread about repairing a crack in a meer lol

I thought it was going to be a lot weirder than that!

 

[telescopes]

I expected some laughter... it sounds weird - but having consulted many industry professionals as I looked for a solution to a serious issue with my oriental table - I was assured by all of them that this would most likely solve the problem. And...it did. The water rings never returned - they had resisted other means - and the lacquer is undamaged. A lacquer that is 20 coats deep and made from sumac outside of Xian. My curiosity was what would it do for the haze on a pipe that had a lacquer coat.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

For anyone owning an antique table with a lacquer finish, knows that a dab of mayonnaise can do wonders to remove haze or a water ring.

I wondered what it would do on an old pipe where one of the sides has developed a bit of hazing?

Wonders. After 40 minutes, the finish has been restored beyond my expectations.

Wipe on. Let sit. Wipe off and remove the rest with a damp cloth and then dry.

Anyone else try this trick on a pipe.

But should you leave the pipe out in the sun at a summer picnic after?

 

[bassbug]

My goal was to remove buildup from under the lacquer.

Are you suggesting that the mayo somehow penetrates the lacquer, and then removes itself and the haze through the lacquer, or that it just penetrates and then both the haze and mayo get absorbed into the briar?

I can't see another explanation.

 

[telescopes]

Are you suggesting that the mayo somehow penetrates the lacquer, and then removes itself and the haze through the lacquer, or that it just penetrates and then both the haze and mayo get absorbed into the briar?

I can't see another explanation.

All I know is that it works. Furniture docs and many others have been doing this for decades.

 

[telescopes]

The haze that has been on one of the panels on the bowl is now gone after a 30 minute treatment. I’m just throwing it out there as a suggestion others with a similar issue may want to try.

 

[captainsousie]

Doesn't seem any worse to me than water flush.

 

[Sigmund]

Here is what the almighty internet says about why it works/helps
I tried it on an old table and it helped. In the end the damage was too great so I refinished it.

"Mayonnaise is an effective DIY treatment for water stains because it contains egg yolk, oil, and vinegar. The fat from the egg yolks and oil penetrates into the finish and replaces the moisture from the water stain. Meanwhile, the mild acidity from the vinegar helps break down the stain."

On a pipe I wonder if it was just old wax. If the wax was removed and a new coat applied it may have done the trick also. But I guess mayo might be easier if you dont have a buffer around. Or use renasance wax and hand buff. If it works why not! I prefer Helmans.

 

[captainsousie]

Here is what the almighty internet says about why it works/helps
I tried it on an old table and it helped. In the end the damage was too great so I refinished it.

"Mayonnaise is an effective DIY treatment for water stains because it contains egg yolk, oil, and vinegar. The fat from the egg yolks and oil penetrates into the finish and replaces the moisture from the water stain. Meanwhile, the mild acidity from the vinegar helps break down the stain."

On a pipe I wonder if it was just old wax. If the wax was removed and a new coat applied it may have done the trick also. But I guess mayo might be easier if you dont have a buffer around. Or use renasance wax and hand buff. If it works why not! I prefer Helmans.

Helmans, heresy. Gotta be Kraft.

 

[xrundog]

Nice hack!

 

[Hillcrest]

What the mayo does and does very well, is remove water moisture that builds up under a lacquer. I have a ming style oriental table with sumac lacquer and it was the best solution for removing heat haze and water rings without the use of sanding. It did it very well and I know others who have used it in the oriental restoration business. I did NOT use it to shine a pipe and no where did I suggest that this is why I did it. The lacquer had developed a haze, as pipe lacquers often do - in one particular place. I want to clarify your comment specifically so that no one reads that I used it to "shine" the pipe. I have better options for that. My goal was to remove buildup from under the lacquer.

Rubbing alcohol on a damp (not wet) cloth will do the same thing in under 1/2 an hour but may require repeated tries for extensive heat damage - just place over do not rub- alcohol will draw out the moisture under the finish. Someone (probably a moron) placed a hot pizza box on a Hitchcock antique bench and I was able to remove the white stain in under an hour. I never thought to try mayonnaise but good to know as well. Thank you !

 

[telescopes]

Rubbing alcohol on a damp (not wet) cloth will do the same thing in under 1/2 an hour but may require repeated tries for extensive heat damage - just place over do not rub- alcohol will draw out the moisture under the finish. Someone (probably a moron) placed a hot pizza box on a Hitchcock antique bench and I was able to remove the white stain in under an hour. I never thought to try mayonnaise but good to know as well. Thank you !

I think I saw somewhere that it was recommended to put the damp cloth at the bottom of a cup and then turn the cup over so that only the fumes of the cloth are in contact with the finish and not the cloth itself. Thanks for sharing.

 

[STP]

Thx. I’ll give it a try.

 

[kcghost]

Interesting idea but I'm not going to use it, just seems wrong.