varnish or wax?

mparsons

I have an oak table which recently had tea spilled on it and that has removed a large part of the finish.
The trouble is, I cant tell if this table has been finished in varnish or wax.
I have tried rubbing a fingernail along it to see of it comes off .This was supposed to show if it was wax, but nothing happened and the table is fairly old so I wouldn't expect wax to be removable.
I understand I need to know what this product is before I renovate the table .
Anyone got any ideas?
Has anyone any ideas on how I can test accurately to see what the finish is?

Quorden

These and other great answers provided by our good friend Google..

• Varnish/Shellac. These are the most common types of furniture finishes, flooring that was laid prior to the mid 1960's as well as to some cabinets. To identify this type of finish do a simple scratch test. In a small, or easily hidden area of the wood and attempt to scratch off a small portion of the finish. If you notice that the finish comes up in small flake like patches then you know you have a varnish or shellac type of finish.
• Wax. Next to the urethane/polyurethane forms of finish, wax is the most common that is used today. In order to determine if something has a wax finish, all that you need to do is apply a small drop of mineral oil to the finish, and wait about three minutes. Use a clean white cloth or rag to wipe it up. If the cloth has a yellowish brown stain that feels waxy, well that is because it is a wax finish.
• Urethane/Polyurethane. Urethane and polyurethane are some of the most common flooring finishes that are used today. As such, there is a really simple test you can use to determine if this is the type of finish on your wood. Go to a small corner of the wood, and take a small knife or coin and try to scrape up a little bit. If it crumbles as you scrape it up then you can easily tell that you have a urethane/polyurethane finish.
• Lacquer. To know if you have a lacquer finish, just simply rub a little bit of denatured alcohol onto the wood. If it causes to partially dissolve it is more than likely a combination of shellac and lacquer.
• Penetrating sealers. Penetrating sealers are more easily identified by what there isn't rather than what there is. If there is not a high gloss, or if it just simply feels like wood to the touch then you can tell rather simply that you are dealing with a penetrating sealer.

Or

Rub a small amount of linseed oil, using the cotton swab, into an inconspicuous spot on the furniture or trim. If the oil absorbs into the wood, the finish is likely oil. If it beads, the finish is shellac, polyurethane, lacquer or varnish.

Step 2

Rub a small amount of acetone, using a clean cotton swab, into another less-visible part of the wood. If the acetone beads, the current finish is polyurethane. If not, wait for a couple of minutes. Touch or scrape the area lightly with your finger. The lacquer will dissolve completely in this time, but varnish and shellac will become tacky.

Step 3

Rub a small amount of denatured alcohol, using a clean cotton swab, into another inconspicuous spot. Shellac will dissolve immediately, but varnish will react slowly to the denatured alcohol.

Norman_Castle

Any varnish removed by tea is rubbish. You could only remove wax with a fingernail if it was coated very thickly.