Oil soaked

[Quetzalsailor]

I've got a bit of Teak trim in the head sole that was unfinished on the bedded side and varnished on the show side. The end grain was not finished, either.

Some substance was spilled in the head. Might be oil or head lube. Having stripped the varnish and cleaned what looks like butyl sealant bedding it's pretty obvious that this substance has seeped into the end grain.

How can I remove it sufficiently to receive a decent finish? I'm thinking I'll coat out the Teak with epoxy on the concealed surfaces and varnish the show surface, but I think the substance would inhibit bond. Standing the piece up in a pan of lacquer thinner would simply thin and drive the stuff up further in the wood. Might be an improvement but...

[feetup]

I think I would try acetone, soaked on, and then wiped off and allowed to evaporate, several, if not many times. The rapid evaporation rate of the acetone would tend to draw any oils from the grain to the surface. Also, acetone will tend to dissolve it whether it is mineral oil, or a vegetable/animal fat. Methyl hydrate would have a similar action but is not such a universal solvent. The trick would be to dissolve the oils, than draw it to the surface by the capillary action of rapid evaporation, multiple times. You could encourage quick evaporation with a fan, or a blast of compressed air. When it looks close you could try a teak cleaner to finish it up.

Feetup

[Capn_Tom]

I've found Te-Ka 2 part teak cleaner to be excellent at removing soaked in oil from teak.

[Quetzalsailor]

Stood the piece on a tin of lacquer thinner over two nights. It seems to have driven a thinned amount of oil up higher along the grain. However, wiping down several times and waiting for drying in between has reduced the apparent stain to just a few speckles of oil in deep pores.

Probably good enough after a few more wipe downs.