There are basically three types of primers: oil based, water based and shellac based. As Talley Sue is saying if the primer you bought already states that it is "shellac based" then you can use it, otherwise you would need to exchange the oil or water based primer for a "shellac based" primer. The different manufacturers often make all three so you can't just buy any Kilz primer, only the shellac based primer. I have found that semi-gloss doesn't give as good a coverage as flat. They may find it better to apply one or two coats of flat and have the semi-gloss simply as a top coat to facilitate cleaning in the future. Personally I don't like the look of semi-gloss either because it is too shiny.

Yes, you need to clean it off or you'll see the grease marks through the new paint. Using a search engine like Google for the words "remove crayon from wall" (use no quotation marks) showed several ways to do this, with materials of different toxicity and effectiveness. Once the crayon is off, I would prime the wall with an oil-based primer (like Zinsser) to seal it before you painted with the "good stuff".

Thank you so much for the suggestions. As I don't have the key, let alone something like a control key, Aidan's comment prompted me to go to a locksmith yesterday afternoon, but the uncut blanks he had didn't seem to help. He also tried to activate the lock with his picking tools - his plan was what you suggested, Steve, to grab ahold of the lock tab if he could and pull from there. But it was no go, and even he was left baffled. He did note that the cylinder goes deep, must be just a sliver of wood behind it inside the drawer. I have worked with the escutcheon a bit - I've gotten it to turn freely independent of the lock, and we've tried to pry to the extent that any further efforts would damage it. Maybe I'll check for available replacements before doing more of that! I suspect Brickeyee's point has merit, now that I think about it. Since they were making these desks in big numbers for fairly utilitarian purposes, it may not have been conceivable that anyone would ever want to remove the locks, and indeed making them tamper-proof may have been an objective. It may just not be possible to remove the lock without sacrificing it... and/or wrecking the wood around it. I think I'll wander by a furniture refinisher's today at an antique shop that I frequent, and ask what they would do. I can't possibly be the first person to encounter this problem. Thank you again, and I'll post any progress. KarinL

Did it get into carpeting or something? I've never heard of coffee smell remaining on hard surfaces. Coffee spills all the time in restaurants, and I've spilled coffee more than once in the kitchen. Personally I can think of far more offensive odors than coffee but that's a personal thing I guess. The smell will probably dissipate over a short time but charcoal, vinegar, vanilla extract (pure), baking soda and/or unscented candles will help with odors. Vent the room too. Or just use a cleaner on the desk, wipe with a vinegar solution or something. If it's coming from the desk that should take care of it. Otherwise you'll have to track where the smell is originating.