[ChuckA]

The waterless hand cleaner will dissolve the dirt great and just melts it off the cabinet. Another cleaner used by antique collectors is called "Cotton Cleanser" very similar to hand cleaner a little more agressive. Howards Restor-A-Finish is excellent for light cleaning and because it comes in different shades, from neutral to mahogany it works wonders on scratches in the finish. For any stubborn areas use #0000 steel wool, a toothbrush in the hard to get corners.

Finally to bring back that shine use a liquid car wax, only the liquid type. It will remove the top layer of oxydized finish and bring up a beautiful shine. This will only work if there is a good top layer of lacquer remaining.

On the antique market there are also various types of waxes in colors, from natural like Butchers wax to "black" waxes that will hide a lot of imperfections on dark finished cabinets.

One finish I have had no luck with restoring is blonde, everytime I have tried something it turns out worse than it was when I started. Anyone have luck at this?

Chuck