How to get rid of discoloration?

[Woodpecker27]

Total beginner here and have never stained any wood before. 
Is it possible to get rid of the milky marks from this chess board table? It's veneer finish and I tried sanding it down lightly with 220 sandpaper hoping that it will get rid of them, but it didn't. 

[lew]

@kmealy

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

It looks to me like something has damaged the veneer itself. Being veneer, you wouldn't be able to sand it down or you would just go through it.  If I'm correct I'm not sure how to repair it, Keith probably has some magic that might work. I think I might try to remove the finish chemically, and then recoat it...I think that would improve the look but probably not completely restore the damaged areas.

[Grandpadave52]

Hey @Woodpecker27 Chip, welcome to The Patriot Woodworker. Glad you found us. Sorry for the damage to your  chessboard.

 

I have to agree with @Fred W. Hargis Jr assessment. As Lew and Fred noted, our resident finishing guru @kmealy might have some tricks to share. Hopefully he'll drop by soon with an assessment.

[Gerald]

Is the finish lacquer? If so then you have water damage which causes lacquer to haze. A new layer of lacquer might fix but probably not. Old remedy for water ring is mayonnaise . No garuntee but it will not hurt and is easy to totally remove. Apply in a spot leave for about 10 to 20 minutes (not sure about the time) , wipe off and try rubbing out.

[PeteM]

Gee, it looks just like my front door.  The discolorations look like a sealer was applied to the wood BEFORE the stain; if that's a natural wood surface (no stain), it may be trapped moisture under the top finish. A possible treatment:  mask the square and take a small piece of 300~400 grit sandpaper and just touch up the light colored area in the square (not the whole square). Something else you might try:  gel stain.  Mask off the square needing attention, and then  wipe on a bit, and off, then on again.  See if you can get a roughly uniform color.  (Gel stain is thicker and more surface-persistent than liquid stain.)    

[kmealy]

See my response here: https://thepatriotwoodworker.com/forums/topic/41683-how-to-get-rid-of-discoloration/#comment-355981

 

[Smallpatch]

If those blocks are solid wood and can take the whole board out of the frame then you could sand it all with a power sander until you get past all the discoloration.

  There is no way to remove that much stains without causing more problems.

 Wouldn't it be nice if paint remover would make it all back to original but thats only wishful thinking. 

We bought a chess set almost the same as what you have years ago. Those guys down there only have solid wood to work with so maybe that is what you have...

[Smallpatch]

I forgot to say we bought the set in Mexico about 22 years ago and back then they didn't use plywood for natural wood was free for the guys who had the tools.

 I think back then those guys would rather argue price than have things tagged for a set price.

  Use to be able to drive from El Paso across the border without being stopped but now the lines are out of sight going both directions, dope coming into usa and illegal money going back to Mexico. We quit going over about 20 years ago.

[kmealy]

Here's a job I did a few years ago.  Touch up on the spot, using a white ring remover cloth.  About 20 minutes work:

Before

 

 

 

After:

[kmealy]

another 

 

 

[kmealy]

And one of the worst, sat under a moving blanket in a leaking moving van one summer