Exterior Humidor Question

[Euckersw]

Hello,

I recently was lucky enough to pick up a used Daniel Marshall treasure chest off of Ebay at a pretty good price.  I knew going in that the box had a few white marks on the outside (3 in a row, to be precise - see pictures).  They are not scuffs, but appear to be marks in the finish of the wood.  I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for what I could do to try and remove the white marks?  I love the box, and don't want to do any damage to it, so I'm willing to live with it as-is.  However, if there's a fairly easy approach to attempt to get these out, I'd be all for it.  I tried contacting Daniel Marshall several times, but unfortunately no one has responded to my email or picked up the phone when I've called.  Thank you for your help!

-Scott

 

[Wookie]

Tough to tell but that looks like the finish is compromised. If that is the case and you are not a woodworker you might want to see if a furniture restoration shop would re-finish it for you. Needs to be stripped and re-sprayed with lacquer from a HVLP sprayer. 

[CaptainQuintero]

Looks like heat damage?

Just put your favourite ash tray on top of it was me!

You can get adhesive vinyl sheets of different finishes which might be a lot easier than resurfacing etc

[nKostyan]

If it was a factory defect under a layer of varnish, it is better to leave as is. If it is a lack of varnish, there are many means for polishing furniture or parquet.

[cigcars]

        *May I ask you what you paid for it? It looks like a superb specimen!  Years and years back I got the "brilliant" idea of calling Daniel Marshall company myself and asking if they might have a "scratch n' dent" sale offer because I wanted one of theirs SOOOO BAD!!  The very nice man said yes and I was able to buy a 150ct. humidor of theirs that would normally be around $1,200+ for only $450! My best friend who was staying with me for awhile overheard that and yelled from the other room, "THAT WOULD'VE FED A FAMILY FOR A MONTH!!!" But she, of course, wasn't aware of the wonderful deal and savings I'd experienced. Not only could I NOT FIND A THING on it in the way of any "scratch or dent" they also included for free 25 churchill sized Daniel Marshall cigars in the humidor too! WHEEEE!!!    

 

[Euckersw]

        *May I ask you what you paid for it? It looks like a superb specimen!  Years and years back I got the "brilliant" idea of calling Daniel Marshall company myself and asking if they might have a "scratch n' dent" sale offer because I wanted one of theirs SOOOO BAD!!  The very nice man said yes and I was able to buy a 150ct. humidor of theirs that would normally be around $1,200+ for only $450! My best friend who was staying with me for awhile overheard that and yelled from the other room, "THAT WOULD'VE FED A FAMILY FOR A MONTH!!!" But she, of course, wasn't aware of the wonderful deal and savings I'd experienced. Not only could I NOT FIND A THING on it in the way of any "scratch or dent" they also included for free 25 churchill sized Daniel Marshall cigars in the humidor too! WHEEEE!!!    
 

Wow - that does indeed sound like a great deal! I paid $475 including shipping (which was going to be extremely pricey). What made me jump on it was the wood - everything I see available lately is burl and this was ebony, which I personally preferred. The thing is a beast, so I’m really happy with it with or without the imperfections!

[rcarlson]

Wonder if some regular old furniture polish might not do the trick.

[Euckersw]

Wonder if some regular old furniture polish might not do the trick.

I was wondering the same, but the white discoloration appears to be below the top layer.

[CaptainQuintero]

  I didn't realise that it was a curved top. The trouble with the high quality finish is that it's going to take someone who can really do a top end job to get it all matched up if it's under the varnish, and it's most likely not going to be cheap.

I managed something similar a few years back by sanding the whole thing down with 5000 grain sandpaper then re-staining it and putting a new french polish on top. But it's a lot of work and it will look completely different.

  I think unless you want to pay a fair whack for a professional to fix it up, or out some serious time into it yourself, it might be a case of leaving it. It's difficult to see from the pics but I'd think if you experiment with having a desk lamp next to it, the light will make the marks look like reflections to anyone but you

[prodigy]

I won one of the limited edition treasure chest DM humidor off ebay for a great price. It arrived with 3 of the 4 corners completely cracked. Guy said it must have happened during shipping, so a claim was filed and I got my money back. I used to think DM was a top quality humidor maker, but honestly I think that they sell 95% of what they make as scratch and dent. Unfortunately they ca t give away free cigars as of a few years ago, so they dont even have that going for them now either....

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[PigFish]

Anyone who has sprayed a clear finish will likely recognize this as a pollutant in the finish, likely water out of a gun. This potentially can be fixed, but if the water comes from the wood below, you may be wasting your time. Personally, unless I did the finish in the first place I would leave it be.

Professional wood finish products (not crap from big box stores) vary by state, and county within a state in the US, and some states are friendly to wood finishers and some are not. Many finishes today are AQMD controlled and the only 'non' polluting thinner allowed is acetone. Acetone is so fast and volatile, that it often traps water in the finish. A higher VOC retarder is often used to limit this, but in some parts of the country these retarders are illegal. The last time I finished cabinet doors, I simply "located" what I needed elsewhere, but I don't do this for a living.

The finish (polish) you can get again if you have a hard enough product, can color sand and polish. Me, I would leave it alone. One mistake and you have done more damage and made more work for yourself in the process.

Cheers! -the Pig

[Euckersw]

Super helpful! After reading everyone’s responses I think I’ll just chalk it up to adding character to the box and leave it alone. Thank you!

-Scott