Stripping - Done Pics added

[Hudson Carpentry]

No not me (hammer)

I have a very stubborn finish on a chair. Its the rocking chair I was asking about the wicker/caine. Its not old furniture. 90's maybe 80's at a push and seems to have an all in one finish (Colour and sheen). At first I thought it was varnish but im not to sure now.

You can scrape the finish off with a scrape hook and it comes off in small filings. It is difficult to scrape but I only know this after trying to compare whether varnish strippers was doing anything.

I have tried 3 different products now. 1 a Paramors gel type stripper that has never failed me but is available to the public so its not of strength. All this did after 3 coats and 3 hours was make it a little easier to scrape but its not coming off with ease still and not in "shavings" but still in little filings. Then I tried Nitromors (green) for paint and varnish. Its a few years old and contains the old stronger chemicals. After 40min and 2 coats all this did no more then the gel I normally use. So I now try the Nitromors (red) thats for varnish, shellacs and plastic type finishes. 3 coats, 40min and again its done no more then the other two?? Using a heat gun does the same.

The finish seems plastic so im thinking a shellac of some sort now but what else can I try.

Does anyone know where I could get hold of something stronger. I know its illegal to sell retail decent strippers now but surely there is something out there???

 

[Dodge]

Alan,

The finish is possibly an early version of pre-cat - my grandfather used to use it and similar to aerolite glue used formic acid as the catalyst, the colour was mixed into the finish prior to application and it set rock hard.

From memory there was nothing that would dissolve the set finish as I remember once having to help him scrape back a piece because it was the wrong colour!

Sorry but I reckon scraping/sanding it off will probably be your only option.

Rog

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Bugger. Lots of curves and tight ones too :O Investing in an electric finger "file" sander a good idea for this?? Like this http://www.axminster.co.uk/black-and-de ... rod720128/

 

[Dodge]

I wouldn't bother with the finger file myself, you will end up spending as much time cleaning up the scratch marks it leaves.

Personally Alan i would use a good sharp cabinet scraper - Significantly cheaper too!

Rog

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Thanks Rog

Still the same opinion after seeing the curves?

 

[Dodge]

OK - Shot blast! :shock:

 

[Dibs-h]

A new flat Stanley blade (improvised scraper) & I don't think it would take as long as you might think.

Dibs

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

As it happens I did try the spokeshave and its working surprisingly well on the rounded over shape and in curves. It taken me 10mins to do the rounded over side all but a bit where the spokeshave bed is too wide for the radius. This combined with a scrape hood, stanley blade and sanders I think I may have a method that will not send me mad. Seems faster then stripping too.

Cheers for the advice.

 

[beech1948]

Looks like you need multiple approaches.

When laid flat like the first picture use a scraper; a rectangular one. Also use on the larger diameter curves as you can treat these as a sort of flat like surface if know what I mean.

The tighter curves will need a blade to be adapted to be a scraper. In the past I have used a block plane blade, an old stanley blade cut in half to get into tight corners and once the blade from a spokeshave to get into a very tight curl.

The really tight awkward bits would need to be sanded. I have had some success in the past with using small hardwood blocks cut to fit the surface and with sandpaper glued onto them. You could try a bit of velcro maybe instead of glue. I have used really coarse paper like 40 grit to get through hard finishes like acid-cat and especially the early types.

I don't think that the "finger" style sander will be much use as you will struggle to keep the edges from being rounded over.....thats why I use handmade wooden blocks instead.

Looks like a lot of effort.

Al

 

[RogerS]

There IS one product available but only to those qualified to use it.

Paramose. I've seen it in action and it quite quite superb.

 

[Matt@]

there are some finishes out there that no methylene chroride based stripper will touch and although I'm not 100% on this I think its the cross linking lacquers. Car dashboards are prime examples of where the finishes will not strip. I worked on some trim from a Rolls Corniche some time ago and I could only scrape the finish off. I would be surprised if Paramose strippers are any different substantially from the old formula Nitromors type strippers - they all used basically the same ingredients. Strippers available from retail outlets like B&Q are now eco friendly and very ineffective for lots of work but you can still buy the "banned" stuff from trade sources like Fiddes, Mylands, Jenkins etc

 

[Hudson Carpentry]

Well got this finished last week. Didn't take that long really. I used as I said a spokeshave, drum (carrel) sander, palm sander and scrappers. Didn't take long at all but did start it two weeks before they wanted it just encase.

Turns out under that horrid non transparent finish a lot of the chair was veneered but it was to late and wasn't thick enough to save anyway. I called them in as there was a lot of colour differences and wood types and I think it would look quite odd if stained in the pine colour they wanted. We settled for the ever popular dark oak. While talking they kept saying thats ok its wood and natural so its not a problem so I decided not address all the marks and not be so perfect with a couple of repairs to try bring age and character to the piece

I hated the look of this piece when it first came in and even though I still don't like the piece over all to much I have fell in love with the effect of the marks, layers of ply showing, difference woods and the colour. It really has brought character to the piece and aged it somewhat.

Thought I would share as I did post questions and pics about it.

See wicker-seat-damage-repair-t58625.html?hilit=%20wicker for the before picture.

After: