[Publib] Care and Feeding of a Card Catalog

[Backwage at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/4/2007 10:00:31 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
michelle.l.caulk at us.pwc.com writes:

So, what are the best materials/formulas to use when  cleaning and preserving 
the wood?   I'm thinking that good ol' Pledge is  fine enough for my 
circa-2000 dining room set, but not for the catalog, which  has become the centerpiece 
of our house. 


I'd say this:  Wipe the cabinet with a mild soap solution--Murphy's  Oil Soap 
will work fine if you have it, otherwise just use something without a  harsh 
detergent.  Test a spot to see if you begin taking off the  finish.  Speaking 
of which, if the finish is dull, you can refinish with  the same stuff easily. 
 All you have to do is determine what sort of  finish you've got--varnish, 
shellac, or something more modern.  
 
See:  
_http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-restore-wooden-furniture-finish.htm_ (http://home.howstuffworks.com/how-to-restore-wooden-furniture-finish.htm) 
   According to those folks:
 
"On most furniture, a clear finish is one of the basic three: shellac,  
lacquer, or varnish. Before you do any work on the finish, you must identify it.  

First, test the finish with  denatured alcohol; rub a little alcohol onto an 
inconspicuous finished area. If  the finish dissolves, it's shellac. If it 
partially dissolves, it's probably a  combination of shellac and lacquer. Test it 
again with a mixture of denatured  alcohol and lacquer thinner; this should 
completely dissolve the finish. 

If alcohol doesn't affect the  finish, rub a little lacquer thinner on an 
inconspicuous finished spot. If the  area turns rough and then smooth again, the 
finish is lacquer; if the finish  crinkles and doesn't get smooth again, it's 
a type of varnish. If neither  alcohol nor lacquer thinner affects it, the 
finish is varnish." 
 
If you don't think it needs  refinishing, just take care of the wood.  Don't 
use waxes or polishes  unless you want to remove them later, and perhaps some 
of your original finish  as well.  Remember that card catalogs were 
constructed to take a lot of  public wear and abuse.  It's better if the thing has some 
character.   If you get a bee in your bonnet, think about removing the actual 
drawers and  retaining the fronts only--this will permit you to use the 
cabinet as storage  for something else.  And of course, that would be quite another 
project in  terms of alteration.  Send pictures of the thing--I'd love to see 
it.   Mind you, I'm in the midst of refinishing a fifty year-old dining room 
table  right now.  Lots of fun.
 
M.  McGrorty



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