Lacquer coating on Stanley chisels

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I picked up a set of the Stanley sweetheart chisels, and I'm stumped with the lacquer coating on them.

I suppose the first question should be - should I remove it? After that, the question would be how to remove it? I tried lacquer thinner - no dice. I've heard from others that acetone and mineral spirits won't touch it. I don't want to gum up my stones with it...I guess I could use sandpaper on plate glass to remove the coating and then hit my stones....

Thoughts?

[Terry Beadle]

I'm surprised that lacquer thinner didn't dent it. If it's lacquer that Stanley put on them, then the thinner has to effect it. Let it soak a while.

I would use 0000 steel wool and some rubbing alcohol. If that failed, try some japan thinner. If that fails, use some paint thinner. Gasoline, rubbing compound, or even some baking soda mixed with vinegar ( 50/50 ) which will foam a bit, are some other alternatives to try.

If you don't want to keep trying, use a steel or brass brush on the back from about 3/4 inch down to the cutting edge and only on the bevel on the front.

I remember Frank Klause using some lacquer thinner with some steel wool to take the lacquer off a Marples chisel he was going to demo on how to initially set it up. Worked for him.

Good Luck !

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Thanks Terry. I looked into the contents of my "low VOC lacquer thinner" and it looks like it's mostly acetone. The 'real' lacquer thinner at HD looks like it's mostly MEK....wonder if that would work. I'd hate to have to get every solvent in the aisle before I found one that works.

I might end up taking it off with elbow grease - 0000 steel wool is a good suggestion, and I think removing it just on the back and on the bevel is a good idea.

[TODD RAYMER]

I had one soaking in lacquer for over a week and it did not even faze it. Tried wire wheel and no luck. Finally just lapped it on plate glass and sand paper, that crap is tough

[John Coloccia]

You could maybe just scrape the majority off with a razor blade? Just drag it across like a card scraper.

[David Weaver]

Yeah, try to cut it off with something that you can easily resharpen and then some sort of dry aggressive paper like 3x - stuck down to a surface so you don't dub the edges of the chisel all the way along the length of the blade. That'd be a pity.

[Jim Koepke]

Isn't it amazing how they sell these without a single word on how to remove the coating?

Maybe they see the prices on ebay and think these are mainly going to collectors.

jtk

[David Wong]

I picked up a set of the new stanley chisels with lacquer on them. I used acetone I got from home depot (in the blue can), to remove it. It came off just fine.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I picked up a set of the new stanley chisels with lacquer on them. I used acetone I got from home depot (in the blue can), to remove it. It came off just fine.

Hmm. the 'lacquer thinner' I got yesterday turned out to be mostly acetone....and it did nothing to it. did you have to still work it off (rubbing or scraping) or did it just dissolve ?

[James Taglienti]

A lighter or candle maybe to soften it and then peel with a razor blade? I wouldnt sand it too much for fear of messing up the grind

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Perhaps the lacquer thinner didn't have as high a concentration of acetone as the straight-labeled product David used?

[Mike Brady]

In my recent experience, the new low VOC formulations of old stand-bys have disappointed. I'm all for environmental initiatives, but the companies that make finishes have got to get serious about making better products. A couple of examples: the new Waterlox; the new Cabot's Australian Timber oil; and perhaps your new low VOC lacquer thinner.

I cleaned up a couple of those chisels with regular acetone...no problem.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Well, I picked up some "normal" lacquer thinner and soaked a blade for a while, and then hit it with a sharp blade (razor blade) and the stuff had softened quite a bit and scraped off. It didn't all come off, so I imagine I need to soak it more.

I had assumed it would just dissolve, so I did the same procedure with the low-VOC thinner, and it also loosened it to where I could scrape it off. It didn't seem to work as quickly as the good stuff, but it does seem to work.

I guess we can attribute this to user error - I had assumed that overnight the stuff would just dissolve....looks like some scraping will be in order.

[Jim Koepke]

If you are married and the wife uses fingernail polish ask if you can try some of her nail polish remover.

My recollection is most nail polish removers have more acetone than most lacquer thinners.

jtk

[David Wong]

Hmm. the 'lacquer thinner' I got yesterday turned out to be mostly acetone....and it did nothing to it. did you have to still work it off (rubbing or scraping) or did it just dissolve ?

I just used a t-shirt rag that I wet with acetone. I did have to rub and re-wet the rag a couple of times, but nothing extreme or difficult. The brand of acetone was "Klean Strip", in a blue and yellow metal can.

[Jim Neeley]

Do it outside though, acetone, industrial lacquer thinner and other "hot" solvents are *very* flammable!! Also read the label and use the glove type they recommend. Many of these chemicals are absorbed through the pores in the skin. Safety first! :)

[Jerome Hanby]

I dug out my wife's remover to get some CA off my fingertips and the new stuff she had didn't even make it mad, did nothing but make my hads smell faintly like alcohol. I didn' see that the label was any different, but it appeared to have ZERO acetone in it.


If you are married and the wife uses fingernail polish ask if you can try some of her nail polish remover.

My recollection is most nail polish removers have more acetone than most lacquer thinners.

jtk

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Thanks for the input and suggestions everyone. As I mentioned, my mistake was that I expected it to just dissolve in the thinner - looks like all the thinner did was soften it, so I could scrape it off. I scraped them all last night then let them soak over last night to loosen any that was left, and I did a quick scrub with a scotch rite this morning to get the rest. They look good - at least now I won't have to worry about clogging my stones.

Jim - I did not do it outside (but probably should have) but I took some precautions, opened windows with a fan for cross-ventilation, and while I was not actively working on them (soaking time) it all went outdoors.

[Russell Cook]

I heard that pouring lacquer thinner down the drain is not so environmentally friendly, so I tried using vinegar to remove the lacquer. I soaked it for about 10 hours.

It got rid of the lacquer OK, but left a black and grey residue on the steel. The black layer wiped off, but the grey layer remained.

Someone suggested to me that the grey layer could be something called "pearlite" and may offer protection from rust.

As far as I can tell the vinegar did no damage to the blade's performance, but I am a novice and open to correction :)

[Stanley Covington]

Try paint remover next time. One shelf above the acetone.

Stan

[Charlie Stanford]

I picked up a set of the Stanley sweetheart chisels, and I'm stumped with the lacquer coating on them.

I suppose the first question should be - should I remove it? After that, the question would be how to remove it? I tried lacquer thinner - no dice. I've heard from others that acetone and mineral spirits won't touch it. I don't want to gum up my stones with it...I guess I could use sandpaper on plate glass to remove the coating and then hit my stones....

Thoughts?

I know this will remove it:

http://www.amazon.com/Goof-Off-Miracle-Remover-4-5-Ounce/dp/B001AHAN2M

[Russell Cook]

Btw, will lacquer definitely clog stones? I would have thought perhaps either the water or oil would carry it away, like with swarf.

[george wilson]

How about using paint remover? I'd quickly wipe it off and wash the chisel. Possible that paint remover could discolor the bright surface?

[Adam Cruea]

I've got the same chisels. I left mine to sit in lacquer thinner and it never dissolved off.

However, take some lacquer thinner, let the chisel sit for 5 or 10 minutes, then use a razor to scrape it off. It's the best thing I found.

And as long as you keep your stones wet, I didn't have the lacquer clog my Nortons. When I received my new 3/4 from Stanley after my old one snapped, the little bit of lacquer left after a scrape-down didn't clog my japanese water stones.