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Thread ID: 91156	2008-06-28 00:59:00	Furniture Stripping, anyone?	Roscoe (6288)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
683159	2008-06-28 00:59:00	Are there many of you with experience in furniture stripping? I have a 1920s oak table and chairs - very nice but looking a bit worse for wear. I was wanting to strip the shellac, which is relatively easy on flat surfaces on the table, (Meths is a great remover) but a problem on the chairs. The legs are turned with grooves all around. If you were to look at the grooves from one end they would look like many cylindrical half circles around the perimeter. Paint stripper is a option, I suppose, but without poking something in the grooves (a knife?) I don't know how you would remove the resulting mess without possibly damaging the wood. Hoping someone has done something similar as I would love to restore these beautiful chairs - carefully.:thanks	Roscoe (6288)
683160	2008-06-28 01:05:00	I have a similar problem - some G plan bedroom furniture that some idiot painted with polyurethane gloss. My wife didn't like the hard shine and wants it all removing. As I was the idiot, I guess it is up to me to remove it. Making one mistake is enough - so I am reluctant to start renovating it until I have some good advice. Tom	Thomas01 (317)
683161	2008-06-28 01:53:00	Here are some video's to watch. www.easypaintstripping.co.nz :)	Trev (427)
683162	2008-06-28 04:05:00	Was going to suggest a trip to K road... :p	Renmoo (66)
683163	2008-06-28 06:27:00	You put the stripper on and wash with a stiff brush,using soapy water,then sand,after drying of course.	Cicero (40)
683164	2008-06-28 10:00:00	Or take the chairs to a professional - they can dip the items in a vat and they come up beautiful. Costs a bit more than a can of stripper, a paintbrush and your time though, of course....	johcar (6283)
683165	2008-06-28 12:14:00	goldilox. (Product available in NZ) I have done this, with gloves and paint stripper. You can really get into the corners - grooves etc. Really ( in my limited exp.) a matter of elbow grease over gunk. Of course the gunk matters interms of its dissolving power but it's the rubbing that gets it done. HTH	mark c (247)
683166	2008-06-28 15:23:00	Are there many of you with experience in furniture stripping? I have a 1920s oak table and chairs - very nice but looking a bit worse for wear . I was wanting to strip the shellac, which is relatively easy on flat surfaces on the table, (Meths is a great remover) but a problem on the chairs . The legs are turned with grooves all around . If you were to look at the grooves from one end they would look like many cylindrical half circles around the perimeter . Paint stripper is a option, I suppose, but without poking something in the grooves (a knife?) I don't know how you would remove the resulting mess without possibly damaging the wood . Hoping someone has done something similar as I would love to restore these beautiful chairs - carefully . :thanks I don't personally know if 1920's tables and chairs are super valuable . . but if you refinish them in any way, the collector's value go to zero! Collectors of antiques or unique furniture demand that the original finish . . NO MATTER HOW BAD IT MAY BE AT THE MOMENT is 'way better than a refinished piece . Before you do something you might regret . . check out the collectability of the pieces and see if you either care or not .	SurferJoe46 (51)
683167	2008-06-29 22:42:00	Never overlook the versatility of the humble toothbrush . I use them just about every week for cleaning purposes of one sort or another, and they are pretty much impervious to all solvents . Get the right type (clear plastic handles) and you can heat & bend the handle to get into awkward spots, you can grind/cut them down to make thin heads, or short heads, shorten the bristles for tight spaces, the list is endless . They are cheap enough to buy new, but I get a constant supply of used replacements from my family . When using with solvents or paint strippers you have to be careful that you don't flick solvent or stripper around by being too energetic, but I find that rarely happens with crevice cleaning and broader areas are stripped by more traditional means, with problem areas done with a TB using a gentle circular motion or to-and-froing for stubborn grain or crevice problems . They have never damaged anything I have cleaned and I even use them on vintage radio parts . Diverting off-topic a bit, my favoured cleaning liquid is Spray 'n Wipe and it is amazing what that stuff can shift . I clean all items I sell on Trade Me (gets better prices and excellent feedback) and there is little that a toothbrush, paper towel and S&W won't restore to pristine condition . (Steelo soap pads remove rust from chrome, that's too much to ask of a toothbrush) . Avoid the citrus scented versions of S&W though, they are lung irritants and make you cough if cleaning for any length of time . Cheers Billy 8-{)	Billy T (70)
683168	2008-06-30 22:04:00	Thanks, everyone, for your help. While I like the idea of dipping, it is impracticable as SWMBO does not want to remove the back rest padding. Billy: The toothbrush sounds an excellent idea. Cleaning out the nooks and crannies was my main worry as I did not want to do any damage. Sounds a good idea. Would be interested to hear a bit more about your vintage radios. Do you have many? Just valve? I have a few different models, National upright, Ecko, Golden Knight, Atwater Kent and Temple. I have some of the small (plastic?) mantels, Ultimate and Bell and some early transistors - three National Panasonic. Not certain if any have any value but I think that they look nice. Most are working. Jamuz: While a trip to K Rd may be educational, I'm not certain that paint stripper and a toothbrush (no matter how impervious to various chemicals as Billy suggests) would be good enough to keep you clean and out of harms way!:D	Roscoe (6288)
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