black stains on wood

[arden]

I have stripped an old wooden chest of drawers, but underneath the original handles there are black marks that I just can't shift. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[jake-the-peg]

Is it oak by any chance?

Where oak comes into contack with some metals there's a chemical reaction with the tannin and you get black marks.

Because it's a chemical reaction it'll go straight through the wood itself so you'll never remove it.

If you're very skillful you might be able to bleach the area to reduce the effect but I think you'll always see it

[Lindylou]

If its not oak then you could possibly use wire wool - very gently - to see if it would remove the marks. I did manage to do this but it was on a pine chest of drawers.