Best way to remove very old varnish/stain?

[SlowSteve]

Hello all.

I have a very large sea chest which I am looking to strip. It was varnished incredibly badly around 60 years by my grandfather with what looks a mixture of varnish and shellac and I have a terrible feeling there might be some boot polish in there as well.

Using the useless "EU Approved" paint strippers doesn't do much - I have used a full liter in 4 coats of just one side of the lid and it's not touching it. Using a heat gun just burns everything black within a couple of seconds, produces incredibly acrid smoke and then doesn't do much. Sanding it just clogs up the belts - there is either wax or paraffin somewhere in the mix.

Somewhere underneath all the mess is a very lovely chest - the question is how to get there.

Does anyone have any thoughts? Or... any illicit sources of proper paint stripper perhaps?

Thanks

Steve

 

[Cheshirechappie]

For removing the horrible, gloopy 1960s finish from some veneered interior doors a few years ago, I found that a scraper was the most effective method. I used a normal cabinetmaker's card scraper, which was a tad laborious, but far quicker than sanding. It also left the job suitable for refinishing without any further work.

I think there's a type of heavy-duty scraper with replaceable blades much beloved of boat owners and shipwrights - the name 'Skarsten' rings a bell - which might be worth a bit of a google. Might do the bulk of the work, and just leave a bit of light card-scrapering or sanding to finish.

 

[custard]

Get yourself a carbide scraper, a couple of hours of hard graft will get the majority of it off, and what's left will be so abraded that even today's girly paint strippers will remove the remainder.

If you're feeling lazy take it down to a local furniture restorer who will have access to original Nitromors (it's trade only nowadays as you pointed out). Most restorers are really struggling for trade so the price you get quoted is likely to reflect materials and not much above minimum wage. If your reaction to the quote is "how much!", then spend fifteen minutes with the carbide scraper and reconsider!

Good luck.

 

[Peter Sefton]

We use Paramose thick stripper from AG Woodcare, it's very good.

You may need to be a commercial user to buy it, or I believe you may have to fill in an EU form to show you are a commercial user.

http://www.agwoodcare.co.uk/Item/paramose_ww_stripper

Cheers Peter

 

[Jacob]

Sugar soap might do it. Depends on the varnish.
Caustic soda will definitely do it but has to be done very carefully - basically no prolonged soaking or you spoil the wood and loosen the joints

 

[ED65]

You might see if your closest branch of Lidl has any of the paint thinner left that came in a fortnight ago. It's a mix of solvents starting with acetone, might at least soften the finish enough that it's easier to scrape.

If it does nothing you've got a very good rinse for varnish brushes, but I doubt it'll have no effect at all looking at the ingredients.

 

[Jake]

If you hunt around, 5l cans of adhesive label remover can be obtained retail I think probably because that is not a controlled usage of dcm.

Once you have it, misusing it as paintstripper will bring back the old days (cancer risks and all).

 

[user22161]

I think there's a type of heavy-duty scraper with replaceable blades much beloved of boat owners and shipwrights - the name 'Skarsten' rings a bell - which might be worth a bit of a google. Might do the bulk of the work, and just leave a bit of light card-scrapering or sanding to finish.

This type - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-Carbide-E ... =bahco+665

 

[Cheshirechappie]

I think there's a type of heavy-duty scraper with replaceable blades much beloved of boat owners and shipwrights - the name 'Skarsten' rings a bell - which might be worth a bit of a google. Might do the bulk of the work, and just leave a bit of light card-scrapering or sanding to finish.

This type - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-Carbide-E ... =bahco+665

Bahco seem to be slowly taking over the world, don't they?

Still, that's the doo-dad I was thinking of, though they didn't use to have such posh handles. It's the business end you need, though, and no doubt that's still as effective as the old Skarsten ones were.

 

[SlowSteve]

Just a quick update on this:

I tried the Bahco scraper - I had a very old one in a drawer from my dad, but never really used it. It looks like a very good tool - but was no use on this. I managed to source some "proper" paintstripper, and that just made a mess.

In the end I used a blow torch to burn all traces of the varnish and wax ( burn -> scrape - burn -> scrape ) - which took between 4 and 7 attempts depending on the part of the box I was working on. Then used a belt sander to strip back, then DAO, then hand work. Used about 2kg of propane, 3x 60 grit 3M belts, 6x 60grit pads, 1x 80 grit pad, 3x 180 grit pads - but -- we have bare wood all around!!!! And it looks as good as I hoped - although being honest - it was so badly painted/waxed/varnished that it's probably impossible for it to look worse.

How I have to set to with the drain unblocker, black tea and ferric oxide so that SWMBO can have the "nice but rustic" chest she wants.