How to Repair Cigarette Burns?
DIY Furniture Repair
On some pieces of furniture, cigarette burns or gouges could be considered part of the piece's natural character. An example of this kind of furniture is a piece with a lot of wear and distress, to the point that one more spot doesn't detract from the overall look. On most furniture pieces, however, it appears as simply unwanted damage.
If the gouge is objectionable, you can do a simple repair using a touch-up pen or artist's brush and oil stain. You can also repair the gouged area by filling it with a wax stick as described here. If the gouge is in a conspicuous area, such as a tabletop, however, or if you're dealing with a cigarette burn, the best method to repair cigarette burns may be to burn-in the defect, using hot-melt finish resin sticks (burn-in sticks) and a burn-in knife. Nicks, dents, and scratches can also be repaired using this burn-in method.
The basic steps for burning-in a defect are almost the same whether it is to repair cigarette burns, dents, scratches, or gouges. The only differences are in the first step of preparing the defect surface for the melted stick.
Burn-in sticks have a limited shelf life: If you've had one longer than six months, check it before applying the stick to the finish. If it gets rubbery or gummy when melted with the proper heat, the stick is bad; if it liquefies when melted, it's good.
Because the burn-in process may take some practice to perfect, work on a few practice pieces before jumping to the real thing.
Repair Cigarette Burns with a Burn-in Knife
Tools and Materials
• Soft cotton rag
• #0000 steel wool
• Various grades of wet-or-dry sandpaper
• Touch-up brush
• Utility-knife blade
• Burn-in knife
• Resin stick
• Touch-up stain
• Aerosol finish
1) Dig out the defect
To repair cigarette burns, use a utility-knife blade edge to scratch out all charred surfaces, removing only what's necessary to reach a solid clean surface (finish or wood). For gouges, use a utility-knife blade to remove any ragged or loose finish or wood fibers in the gouge and around the edge. For scratches, nicks, or dents, begin with Step 2.
2) Melt the resin
Heat up the burn-in knife, and choose a resin stick that matches the surrounding finish color as closely as possible. For defects that have not lost their finish color, use a transparent amber stick or a transparent clear stick for a natural finish over light wood. If the finish color is lost and you need to use a colored stick, usually it's best to match the background color with the idea of adding grain lines over the burn-in after it's sanded. When the knife gets hot, touch the tip to the burn-in stick and see if it begins to melt. If not, heat the knife again until it melts or liquefies the stick when touched. If the liquid resin bubbles or blisters, the knife is too hot and needs to cool. Maintain knife temperature as much as possible so the burn-in resin melts on its tip.
3) Apply the resin
Transfer a small amount of the stick onto the knife tip, immediately pressing it into the defect, melting it in place. Make sure that the resin is still in liquid form when you press it into the defect so it fuses well to the surface. Continue to transfer enough of the stick to the defect until it's just a fraction higher than the surrounding surface. Holding the burn-in knife as you would a pencil, use the bottom convex surface of the knife tip to pass over the burned-in defect surface, smoothing and flattening it as much as possible. Keep your knife tip at the right temperature during this step.
4) Sand the resin
Sand the burn-in surface using a felt block and 600-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. Use soapy water or mineral spirits as a lubricant. The idea here is to level the burn-in surface smooth with the surrounding surface without cutting through the existing finish. You might be able to use 500-grit or even 400-grit wet-or-dry paper during this step, but be careful or you'll cut through the finish surface and possibly lose the finish color in this area. It's better to use finer-grit paper unless the finish film is exceptionally thick.
5) Touch up the repair
After you have leveled the burn-in, wipe over the area using a rag dampened with water or paint thinner to clean away sanding residue and to look at the repair color. If necessary, use a fine sable touch-up brush to paint in grain lines over the burned-in area, matching them to the surrounding wood. Use a pigmented oil stain for this and work off a palette surface such as a paper plate or the back of a piece of wet-or-dry sandpaper. Graining pens and pencils are also available from touch-up supply houses. Use your creativity on this step; use whatever color or grain figure you think you need to blend the repair to the surrounding wood. Often you can continue existing grain lines and figure through the repaired area to fool the eye.
6) Spray the repair area
Allow the touch-up stain to dry. When used for touching up in this manner, most oil stains will dry in about 5 to 10 minutes. Spray the dried spot with an aerosol can of the appropriate finish.
7) Rub out the repair with steel wool
Let the finish dry. (Read the label of the finish you're using to determine how long to allow it to dry.) Rub the area down with the grain, using #0000 steel wool to blend the sheen with the surrounding finish.
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Source: B.Hingley
