A pumice slurry is applied to this wheel at frequent intervals. The final polish wheel is a wool felt. A cerium oxide slurry is applied to this wheel. DH used the above when beveling glass. It will change the optical quality of the glass where you use it. Ends up sort of wavey like old fashioned glass. Here is a link that might be useful: glastar

Here's the update. I tried brushing on the lacquer thinner to smooth out the finish, and it just didn't work very well. Some of the deeper crackled areas smoothed out a tiny bit, but certainly not enough that I would put a new layer of finish on them. So, on to plan B and stripping the whole top off. I'm still undecided about a finish. I think brushing lacquer is going to be too fussy and error prone for me. I thought about lacquer in the spray can, but wonder how many coats that would take. I'm guessing a lot. I had almost convinced myself to buy the Waterlox, but I've seen the varnish in a few videos, and it looks really, really dark. And much too reddish. Since I'm only refinishing the tops, I think I need something that leans towads amber. After lots of reading, the Sherwin Williams product is out. Many more negative comments online about this product, particularly as a wiping varnish, so I'm not even going to try it. The Cabot's products available at Lowes are all poly or spar. Of the choices available locally, this leaves poly or Formby's. I know many people have an issue with Formby's over the whole misleading marketing of "tung oil" and all, but really, what about the product itself? Does anyone have experience with this? Application? Durability? What color is it? Repairs and touch ups? If I use a coat of shellac on the top after stripping, can I apply ANY finish on top of that? BTW, my set of unfinished chairs was delivered. The plan is to sand (gently), stain, assemble (with added glue in all appropriate joints), then finish. Any other suggestions or tips?

I use these (professionally) and have never had a problem removing a water blush in just a few minutes. You can also usually find them at Ace Hardware, Lowe's and Bed, Bath & Beyond in their cleaning / furniture care product aisle. In my experience, rarely would you need to strip and refinish unless the finish is blistered and peeling off (I can't tell from the photo) Likewise, you may need to buff out the whole top to even the sheen. The cloth will also remove light scuffing. Clean up the residual oil with an emulsion furniture polish Here is a link that might be useful: water ring removal cloth

Before you do anything drastic, there are many common approaches to removing finish blushes. These are caused by moisture getting trapped in the finish. Everyone seems to have a favorite. Here are frequently offered ones, in no particular order. Note that some have potential to cause unintended consequences. Personally, I use the cloths because they have always worked for me, get immediate and visible results, and I can re-adjust the gloss level when I'm done. If I didn't have the specialized materials, I'd probably start with the mayonnaise or denatured alcohol. Heat Gently heat the area with a hair dryer to see if that drives out the moisture. Mayonnaise Smear mayonnaise on the spot, cover with plastic wrap and leave sit overnight. The next day, clean off and see if the spot is gone. It may require a second application. Some people report similar results with peanut butter or Vaseline. Stain and ring removal cloths Paint stores carry a yellow felt cloth that contains oils and a light abrasive. With rubbing, the oil displaces the moisture. Clean off the oil when finished. This may raise the sheen on flatter finishes. A similar approach is baby oil and cigarette ashes, gently rubbed in. Blush Remover / Blush Eliminator Professional touch up technicians have an aerosol available that's lacquer thinner in a can. Spraying on a light coat dissolves the lacquer and gives the moisture a chance to evaporate away before the lacquer sets back up. This is for lacquer finishes only. On mild cases, you may get a similar result by spraying on a light coat of aerosol lacquer, which are heavy in solvents. Denatured alcohol Gently pad a denatured alcohol dampened cloth over the spot in a sweeping motion. The alcohol is miscible in the water and they should evaporate away together. This is very effective on shellac finishes, but the alcohol is a solvent for shellac, so go gently. Aged lacquer is also susceptible to alcohol. Proprietary products Finish revivers such as Howard's Restor-a-finish can sometimes be effective at removing rings. Some of these products have methanol (an alcohol) or light mineral oil in them. If the finish is flaking off (lost adhesion), you will have additional problems and a more extensive repair or refinishing will be in order. Here is a bookcase that I did this year that had sat under a blanket in a leaky moving van for a week. It took about 20 minutes, including a new top coat. Before After