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Here today, gone... Today

We have a new Sheesham (Indian Rosewood) wood coffee table. It has a rich, brown sheen that is the result of many hours of hand polishing with beeswax. It's also prone to heat marks, particularly when also exposed to moisture.

About four days after it arrived, we had a take away curry. One of the foil dishes stood on the wood for no more than a couple of minutes. The result was a neat white stain about six inches by three inches in size.

It's been bothering me for the last week or so. I tried polishing the mark out; it faded a little, but stubbornly refused to disappear. So I consulted the web and found a drastic solution.

Double fold a white cotton T-shirt and place it over the offending mark. Iron the shirt for a couple of seconds with a steam iron set to medium heat, making sure that it's producing steam. Remove the shirt and polish the surface with a smooth cloth and a decent measure of virgin Olive oil.

Bingo! Worked a treat. The mark is gone and the table is as good as new.

Be warned though, it's a kill or cure solution that could make the situation much worse if the wax surface is exposed to heat for too long.

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May 2007

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