Dave: I use Mohawk products exclusively for rejuvenating old pianos. The wax wash will work well. It has toluene, and a few other things in it that I can't remember. It will leave the finish looking dull. It is actually meant for cleaning before spraying lacquer on an old finish. You can get "Brill-Glo" from Mohawk which will bring up the luster of the finish (I assume you are talking about lacquer) and make it quite shiny. You could also use some steel wool or a 3-M pad to make the finish satiny if you like that look better. Anything you use to remove the wax will make the finish look dull, and you will want to do something to the finish to bring out the beauty it once had. Making a finish shiny can be done in 2 ways. First by polishing the lacquer itself, using polishes. Second, by putting something on the finish like lemon oil, wax, etc. Using the latter makes the finish susceptible to fingerprints and smears, and it will catch dirt. I prefer to use polishes, or spray new lacquer over the old finish to make it shiny (using gloss lacquers). If the old finish is checked or cracked, putting lemon oil on it will only make the cracks stand out. French polishing over an old finish will also make it look better, but in a few years it will dull, and you will definitely have to start from scratch and remove the finish entirely. You can't spray over the French Polish (Mohawk brand names: Lacover, Rapid Pad, Qualisole), since it really isn't lacquer but shellac. At least, it is my experience that lacquer sprayed over French polish will crack. Sorry I took so long to say that. Don't know if it will help. Maybe someone else will get something out of it. I work with this stuff all day long, so if anyone wants to know more about touchup, I'm more than happy to reply. Used pianos are becoming a hot commodity around here, and rejuvenating old pianos with these products is what I do. Good luck. Paul McCloud, RPT San Diego, CA
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